iDOLM@STER has come to the West at long last

Visual Novel Community Anime/Otaku Discussions
#1

Hurray!!! (?°?°??? ???

But it’s expensive ($55 each)… and for Apple products only. Still… it’s better than nothing at all. If only I owned an Apple thing.

THE iDOLM@STER SHINY FESTA Harmonic Score
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/idolm-s … 70543?mt=8

  • Haruka Amami
  • Chihaya Kisaragi
  • Azusa Miura
  • Ritsuko Akizuki

THE iDOLM@STER SHINY FESTA Rhythmic Record
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/idolm-s … 69945?mt=8

  • Iori Minase
  • Yayoi Takatsuki
  • Futami Twins
  • Hibiki Ganaha

THE iDOLM@STER SHINY FESTA Melodic Disc
https://itunes.apple.com/ja/app/idolm-s … 70864?mt=8

  • Miki Hoshii
  • Yukiho Hagiwara
  • Makoto Kikuchi
  • Takane Shijou
#2

Heh… the complaints from English fans, about the high cost and iOS platform, has been translated from English to Japanese.

http://gs.inside-games.jp/news/403/40328.html

I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. :?

#3

Well, looks like I finally have something to get for an ipad whenever I get one.

#4

I’d be more interested if they brought over the original Xbox 360 games rather than iOS spinoffs.

#5

Me too… However I think at this point in the industry, Namco considers the XBOX a dead market. With the whole iPad thing, they appear to be going for the mainstream casual gamers, not the hardcore fans. Pricing and lack of advertising totally kills that dream though.

If there was an iDOLM@STER for 3DS, maybe it could work. The card capacity for 3DS is 8 GB max, so they could fit a game on it easy. I’d imagine one is in works right now, but I doubt we’d see it if that was true.

Personally, I’m kinda tired of the original iDOLM@STER girls, what with the Cinderella Girl additions. Sure, I still think Azusa is sexy and all, but Koume Shirasaka is my hookup now.

#6

Oops

#7

I borrowed a friend’s iPad and bought Harmonic Score… and… well… I think Namco is cosmically missing the point. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m overjoyed that Namco took the time to export an iDOLM@STER to the West… but this isn’t an iDOLM@STER. It’s a simplistic rhythm game using the iDOLM@STER intellectual property. Think what Theatrhythm is for Final Fantasy.

The communication portions of the game (i.e. the story mode) are static 2D images like your typical b-game. Which is perfect for a typical b-game… but iDOLM@STER was never about being just a typical b-game.

sigh

iDOLM@STER is a 3D music industry simulator with visual novel elements. The series is renowned for it’s choreography, songs, wardrobe, character depth, and the Aesop theme that friendship, hardwork, and trust can overcome adversity.

The iPad games fail to convey the totality of these traits. Thus the iPad games fail to convey what makes iDOLM@STER the craze it is in Japan. It’s obvious that Namco is aiming for the mainstream with the iPad titles, but they’re going about it all wrong. They should (or rather, should have in past tense) capitalize on the American Idol craze. Also… Namco sorta pisses me off with this game release for several side issues. Or rather… the lowered number of excuses they could claim about not releasing the main game series in the West. For example: the issue about paying a lot of $$$ to hire people to rewrite lyrics and sing the songs into English? Yea… obviously not a problem (they just used the original Japanese songs).

sigh

You know what scares me? That this could be Namco’s first and only attempt to officially release iDOLM@STER in the West. Why?

Because the massive financial success of Puchim@s, the huge popularity of idolm@ster Cinderella Girls, an upcoming movie, and the (real) Producer interested in making an iDOLM@STER 3 shows the property as a LOT of life left in it.

Hell, the only reason why we probably even saw these iPad titles, is because Namco had so much surplus $$$ from the massive Japanese sales. They literally just threw it out there to see what would happen.

sigh

Oh… if anyone is still reading my rant after all this… :stuck_out_tongue:

If you’re a fan of Yui Itsuki, or Yosei Teikoku, or DENKARE style music… consider supporting Kanzaki Ranko and buying her single: THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER 006 Ranko Kanzaki, whenever you do your importing spree. The song is called: Tsubomi Yume Miru Rapsodia ~Alma no Michibiki~

She is by far the most popular of the Cinderella Girls, and it’s hoped the more support she gets in sales, the better her odds of showing up in iDOLM@STER 3. 8)

Here’s Puchim@s Episode 0 to help fill your moe quota for the week.

#8

Tomorrow in Japan (5/22) is the release date for five new Cinderella Girls CD’s: Akane Hino, Miria Akagi, Nana Abe, Minami Nitta, and Sachiko Koshimizu.

I’m rather taken with Sachiko Koshimizu. Unlike other idols from the series, she’s a complete bitch and sadist who treats everyone (especially the Producer) like trash. Her popularity stems from fans hating her so much, they can’t help but love her (IRL and the iDOLM@STER universe).

Basically the kind of girl who’d get “hate raped” in a dark eroge. :stuck_out_tongue:

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to locate a demo of her image song, [i]“To my darling…”[/i] Okay, sure, it’s only like $8 after taxes and whatnot, but I’ve only enjoyed two Cinderella Girls CD’s so far (004 and 006), and considering the odds, I might not like hers. :expressionless:

If anyone here happens to hear the song soon, let me know if it’s any good. I probably won’t pick up the CD myself for another month, unless someone can vouch it’s awesome sauce. Got a backlog that long. :stuck_out_tongue:

Based off her personality, I’m hoping it’s gonna be like OverM@STER, which is a song I immensely liked (heh… I used it and Project Fairy for the Ryuuguu Komachi boss battle in my first run of iDOLM@STER 2. Such great times).

#9

Nvm about the quality of “To my darling…” Been informed it’s not the style I was hoping for. :frowning:
Guys on 2chan claim the drama track isn’t terrible, but fans were upset the VA wasn’t quite what they were hoping for.

#10

I honestly think the Producer has the largest potential harem in gaming history. If you unify all the settings, he’s responsible for over 150 idols. :shock:

So far at least 70 of them are voiced with one image song for each. If Namco has their way, they’ll all have that treatment over the next year.

[attachment=0]Millionstars.jpg[/attachment]

EDIT
Oh yea… I found where the official track samples for the Cinderella Girls CD’s were located: HERE.

Personally, I only liked Ranko Kanzaki and Takagaki Kaede image songs from the 20 so far.

Minami Nitta is just… well… hilarious, because it uses Venus in the lyrics. Which, because of the traditional Japanese problem of pronouncing “V” – sounds like Penis. :stuck_out_tongue:

#11

Petit Idolmaster Cinderella Girl Stage 02 Nendoroid

I’m unhappy that Ranko doesn’t come with the snow owl. :frowning:

On happier news, rumors are strongly pointing that an iM@S3 announcement is very close. Speculation is running amok if the game is already in production, meaning it’s for a system already out (3DS, Vita, or Wii U) – or if the announcement will be to state they are beginning development (thus opening the field for PS4 and XBOX1). Given the major impact iM@S had for XBOX in Japan, not getting the game would be a major black eye for Microsoft on the XBOX1 front.

Oh… here’s the sixth place idol of the 2013 iM@S poll, who lost out by about 7300 votes. She loves the Producer very, very ,very much… and is upset all those other slut-whore-idols are getting Image CD’s and she isn’t.

#12

An anime ripoff of iDOLM@STER, made by people involved in the iDOLM@STER anime, but not part of iDOLM@STER or financed by Bandai-Namco.

Wake Up, Girls!

Basically it’s about seven girls, each having her own life trauma issue caused by a major natural disaster, gaining the strength to overcome problems by becoming an idol for the talent agency known as 0.
(They really aren’t bothering to hide the iM@S idea theft)

#13

In an earlier post, I linked to the Cinderella Girl contest. That new song is gonna be release next month.

What’s got everyone excited (other than being a catchy tune), is that the CD is a M@ster Version. M@ster Version are strictly reserved for songs featured in a game (i.e. unique costumes, dance routine, performance stage, and a solo version sung by each idol)… but this song isn’t in any of the iM@S games.

Translation? It’s gonna be in an upcoming, thus so far unannounced game. :o

800×532 9.3 KB

Also worth mentioning: three other Cinderella Girls not shown on the cover (because they didn’t win the top 5 contest) – Uzuki Shimamura, Rin Shibuya, and Mio Honda – have their own version of the song on this CD.

On a side note: LOL for Sachiko (the one with the wand). She’s the “cutest girl” in the group, because she’s the only Cute category idol in the group (the other four are Cool category). That’s exactly the kind of thing she likes. :lol:

#14

iM@S commercial for the CD mentioned in the last post:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVVaBx_QUkQ

CD was released last week, for anyone who wanted it. 8)

Commercial teases even more, because it shows idols who don’t have an image song CD yet (like Koume Shirasaka - the loli with hair covering one eye I posted waaaay up there).

Sadly, it doesn’t seem like the yandere idol gets teased anywhere… so I guess there won’t be a murdered Producer-san anytime soon. :frowning:

#15

THE YANDERE IS GETTING HER IMAGE SONG!!! :twisted:
Her voice actress is Makino Yui.

THE GORE HORROR GIRL IS GETTING HER IMAGE SONG!!! :shock:
Her voice actress is Ousaki Chiyo.

See official press release here: http://columbia.jp/idolmaster

I’m sure both of them will involve stabbings… the only difference being, who gets stabbed. :wink:

Now if only I could fast forward time to get them. :cry:
Going by the timetable of earlier Cinderella Girls Master releases (4 months apart), Set #5 should already be out (September 2013)… but Columbia has a pretty full plate with previously announced CD’s. Crossing fingers for an October or November date, and praying it won’t be January 2014.

Some other idols are also getting their song and voices… but I don’t care about them. :stuck_out_tongue:
That’s 38 idols down, 112 more to go…

#16

I can’t find the official press release, but the next The iDOLM@STER has been announced for PS4.
No details yet, if the release will be using the currently popular Cinderella Girls cast, or a reboot using the original iM@S cast (Azusa, Takane, etc).

Game over Nintendo. Game over Microsoft.

With all the other game announcements, looks like I’m getting a PS4 then.

#17

Found the official announcement:

http://ameblo.jp/project-imas/entry-11609981498.html

Also, the wording seems to indicate there’s going to be two iDOLM@STERS on console. Not sure how to interpret that… maybe it means iM@S3 and the long-waited console Cinderella Girls will be separate titles? Or perhaps PS4 won’t be the only system getting iM@S. Guess we have to wait until the TGS.

EDIT
The NSFW iM@S clone, Dream Club Host Girls on Stage, is also slated for PS4.

#18

Sad news… Namco doesn’t have iM@S3 at the 2013 TGS. They made [b]a new post on Twitter[/b] that reaffirms there will be a new iM@S on PS4, but it’s still too early in development to show anything.

The current rumor mill believes there will be two major releases in 2014.

#1: 3rd Vision. Basically a third reboot of iM@S using the original 13 idols (the iM@S2 generation of games were known as 2nd Vision). This is a given, because Namco trademark registered 3rd Vision earlier this year. This is the title that probably will be on PS4.

#2: Cinderella Girls. Currently the hottest expansion line of iM@S. It’s probably insane to think all 180+ girls would be featured at launch, but if they had the first 25 or 30 girls ready (and that many actually do have VA’s right now), they could slowly offer more idols and their storyline as DLC. Wild mass guessing which system (or systems) will get this title.

Namco claims that future iM@S will be on more than just the PS4. Vita and 3DS maybe…

Last but not least, the third major expansion line, Million Live (which has almost 40 idols exclusive to it), is getting more concerts and merchandising before the year ends. That too could see a console version one day.

#19

Puchim@s is getting a second season.

Maybe they’ll show us Harukasan’s dark side, and we’ll get to hear Yukipo say, “poe~.”

#20

The next set of image song/drama cd for Cinderella Girls will be released on November 13. 8)

On a sidenote, the drama track on the Cool jewelries! CD is an absolute blast. Kaede gets drunk… then she tries to get the other idols drunk too. :lol: