Rhythm game
Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press (or step on) buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen.
Many rhythm games include multiplayer modes in which players compete for the highest score or cooperate as a simulated musical ensemble.
Certain dance-based games require the player to physically dance on a mat, with pressure-sensitive pads acting as the input device.
Existing games also continue to thrive on new business models, such as the reliance on downloadable content to provide songs to players.
The introduction of the eighth generation of console hardware has also spurred return of Activision's Guitar Hero and Harmonix's Rock Band titles in late 2015.
[8] Certain rhythm games offer a challenge similar to that of Simon, in that the player must watch, remember, and repeat complex sequences of button-presses.
The game used the "call and response" mechanic, in which players take turns repeating increasingly complicated sequences of button presses.
[19] It requires players to press buttons in the order that they appear on the screen,[17] a basic mechanic that formed the core of future rhythm games.
[22] Its successes include GuitarFreaks, which features a guitar-shaped controller, and 1998's Pop'n Music, a game similar to Beatmania in which multiple colorful buttons must be pressed.
[13] In general, few Japanese arcade rhythm games were exported abroad because of the cost of producing the peripherals and the resulting increases in retail prices.
[24] Released the same year, Enix's Bust a Groove features a similar focus on dancing but employs a more conventional input method.
While it was praised for its unique style and artistry, Vib-Ribbon's simple vector graphics proved difficult to market, and the game was never released in North America.
Gitaroo Man featured a guitar-playing protagonist four years before the release of Guitar Hero, though the game employed a conventional rather than guitar-shaped controller.
Ryan Davis of GameSpot wrote that the game provides a greater sense of creative freedom than earlier rhythm titles.
[29] Frequency was critically acclaimed; however, marketing was made difficult by the game's abstract style, which removed the player's ability to perform for onlookers.
It became a highly demanded import title, which led to the release of an altered version of the game in the West—Elite Beat Agents—and a sequel in Japan.
[32][33] Guitar Hero spawned several sequels, and the franchise overall earned more than $1 billion, with the third installment ranking as the best selling game in North America in 2007.
[40] Both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises were expanded, and they received entries for handheld gaming devices and mobile phones.
[46][47][48] Further contributing to the decline was genre stagnation; the franchises retained the same basic gameplay over several iterations, giving consumers less incentive to buy additional titles.
[49] Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos felt that the aggressive competition between the Rock Band and Guitar Hero brands on the belief that the market could only support one franchise also contributed to the decline of these games.
[52] Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter concluded that the saturation of the rhythm game market accounted for one-third of the industry's 12% sales decline in 2009.
Companies in the latter two categories believed that most consumers would own at least one set of instrument controllers by 2010, which would increase the importance of software and downloadable content sales.
[56][57] Viacom, which had paid Harmonix $150 million following the success of Rock Band in 2007, began seeking a "substantial" refund on that investment after weak sales in 2009.
For example, Rock Band 3 and Power Gig: Rise of the SixString support guitar controllers with strings, and both contain modes that teach players accurate fingering.
[68] By the end of 2010, the instrument controller-based rhythm market was considered "well past its prime", and developers shifted their focus to downloadable content and potential integration with motion control systems.
[69] In late 2010, Viacom sold Harmonix to an investment-backed group and allowed it to continue developing Rock Band and Dance Central.
The other direction came from the introduction of the virtual idol of Hatsune Miku by Crypton Future Media for its line of Vocaloid sound synthesis software in 2007.
[86] Harmonix is expected to post more than $100 million in profit for 2011 buoyed by sales of Dance Central and downloadable content for the game, according to Bloomberg.
Activision also announced Guitar Hero Live, slated for late 2015, which rebuilds the game from the ground up, keeping the core mechanics but using a 3-button with dual position controller, and using recorded footage of a rock concert taken from the lead guitarist's perspective to increase immersion.
[109] Guitar Hero games have been used alongside physical therapy to help recovering stroke patients, because of the multiple limb coordination that the titles require.
