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| This pic doesn't do the cabinet itself justice: it's an impressive machine. |
Has that expensive new iPad kept you from traveling the world and seeking out new experiences? Well, if one of those desired experiences is playing a few select Japanese arcade games, YOUR WAIT IS OVER. Nearly two years ago, Konami released two of its most popular push-button and touch-screen music arcade games in near perfect ports for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch on the Japanese App Store: Jubeat Plus and Reflec Beat Plus. Better yet, Konami has also released them in the U.S. App Store as Jukebeat and Reflec Beat +. All four versions are free to play with three included songs, each with three difficulties, and have in-App stores where you can purchase four-song packs for ¥450 and $3.99 each, respectively.
Jubeat Plus (ユビートプラス, pronounced yu-bee-toh pu-ra-su) is my favorite, easily. In the game, you touch the virtual buttons in time with the music and, as the difficulty rises, the more frantic your fingers get. But, the sense of satisfaction you feel when you finally clear a song that had been driving you nuts rivals finishing off a boss in Dark Souls or, way back in the days of the original Guitar Hero, finally, finally beating "Bark at the Moon" on Expert. If you have friends who also have the game, you can play a hosted game where you compete against each other for the best score, exactly like the original arcade game.
