Top Ten Rhythm-Action Games

This week we are looking at the top ten Rhythm-Action games. This is a genre that in the last couple of years has become increasingly popular, seeing the growth of several game franchises and the release of many brand new titles on both the home and handheld consoles. Despite this however, the overall revenue from the genre and its associated merchandise has fallen. With developers and publishers desperately trying to find the new hook, perhaps there isn’t a better time to look back at the games that got us here.

[jazzking2001]

nice list

[jidery]

This list is fail with out Patapon

[lightningsax]

I'm not so sure, Jidery. Patapon isn't necessarily much of a "rhythm" game, it's more of a RPG/strategy game that allows you to issue commands on beats. Yeah, there is some rhythm involved in the minigames and Jujus, but not anything complex.

It's a music game, but not really based on rhythm. The writer's right in this case.

[Terarmzar]

PaRappa The Rapper should be number 1. Way better than that guitar hero junk that comes out every year.

[felixbf]

These top 10 listings need to be labeled right

"Electronictheatre's Top Ten Rhythm-Action Games "

slow weekend in news...i think i will go watch some Futurama instead

[evercast]

GH, RB, DJ, and DDR shouldn't have even been on the list. Wouldn't count them as action. Add Rez HD, and E4 to the list. Beat hazard is also pretty sweet. But I agree with Tazz PaRappa the Rapper should have been number 1.

[lightningsax]

Rez (HD included) is not a rhythm game. There's nothing significant about rhythm in the gameplay - the sound effects are just quantized within a quadruple subdivision of the beat in the song's tempo according to what you're doing. The gameplay itself is much more like Panzer Dragoon. If they said "Music Game," a much more general category where music is integrated into the game in any way imaginable, I'd have Rez as top on the list.

Lumines, another Mizuguchi creation, has more to do with rhythm than Rez, since the timeline that wipes out blocks is integrated into the tempo and meter of the tune. Even then, I wouldn't include Lumines, as it just doesn't have enough to do with rhythm to be classified as a "rhythm game."

[Theonik]

Damn gotta go play Space channel 5 again today. >.>
They seriously need to get that one on PSN/XBL with move/kinect optional control.
Wouldn't mind a sequel either.

[Al80]

I'd have put Frequency at number one

[Amplitude]

I sadly never got a chance to play FreQ online, but god, the hours i spent on Amplitude...

[Redempteur]

i disagree RB3 has to beat RB2 ... GH5 while prettier lack fun, dlc et precision with instruments ...
Also a fresh amount of challenges every week

[Venoxn4g]

but it should be going backwards - from 10 to 1 :)

[skrug]

no DJ max?

[ZeroBlitz]

A 'Top [#] Rhythm' games list isn't even worth looking at if DJ Max isn't on there.

[Gun_Senshi]

No Guitaroo Man and Patapon.

[Amplitude]

>.>

And yeah i agree. I think this onslaught of instrument-based music games is getting a bit annoying. I was pretty happy when Vibes was released on MINIs, but it wasn't really that good...

[lightningsax]

YES to Gitaroo Man. It's pretty much the king of the older rhythm games.

[lightningsax]

This is a pretty good list. There are a few changes I'd make:

1) Elite Beat Agents is good, but I'd probably replace it, in the same place, with the original Osu! Takake! Ouendan.

2) I understand the historical significance of putting Beatles: Rock Band on the list, but I'd put it under the much more extensible Rock Band 2. Or just not classify stuff by historical significance.

3) Gun-Senshi is right. Gitaroo-Man needs to be on the list - chances are this writer didn't play it. In this list, it would fall between DJ Hero and Elite Beat Agents. I'd be bolder and put it higher than that.

4) I think Audiosurf deserves a mention, even if it's just in an "Honorable Mention" aside. It's significant in that it works with any music track and works pretty darn well.

5) When talking about quality and not historical significance, I'd also replace PaRappa with UmJammer Lammy or find room for both. Lammy's the superior game.

[squallheart]

space channel 5 still holds a strong flame in my heart. I still play it on my dreamcast