Beatmania is a decent game, sure to be overlooked by fans of the Japanese versions.
Beatmania is a game in the vien of Konami's other Bemani games such as DDR (And in fact originated the Bemani line), in that you're hitting buttons in time with a certain visual cue. Sound fun? No? Well that explaination aint all that great, due in part because I'm not all that good at explaining things, but mainly due to the fact that Beatmania is something you need to experience to appriciate. Suffice to say that the experience is deeper and richer than what I've explained here, and that with multiple ways to play, multiple difficulties for the IIDX songs, and a pretty decent variety of songs to choose from for the uninitiated, what seems like a basic button mashing game on the surface, becomes a game that's likely to spark an obsession in anyone willing to give it a try.
Gameplay is fun and full of technique, but like I said above, it's a difficult thing to explain. At it's core, it really is as simple as mashing buttons in time with visual cues, but the reality of it is a complex and entertaining experience that requires dexterity and good hand-eye coordination on the part of the player.
Utilizing a unique turntable peripheral complete with seven keyboard-esque keys, the basic goal is to hit the keys that correspond with notes ascending from the top of the screen when they reach a bar at the bottom, and to "scratch" the turntable when cued. The reality is much more involved than that, as the note patterns can get pretty complex in the higher difficulties, and certain songs tend to throw alot of turntable action your way.
If you enjoy rythym games, you'll find much to like here, but the game's fun-factor only becomes truly apparent after the player has become accustomed to the using the Beatmania controller, which for the novice can take a bit of time. Stick with it though, and it's certainly rewarding.
Of course a music game is only as good as it's music, and in this respect Beatmania doesn't dissapoint. The song list is a bit on the short side, with just about 50 songs comprising it's song list (The dissapointing part), but what's available is generally pretty good. There are a few recognisable songs in the game, such as a version of Britney Spears' 'Toxic', as well as a version of the, erm, classic 80's song 'Celebration', but the majority of the song-list is comprised of Konami original songs. With but a couple of odd exceptions, the original songs are great, and in fact in this reviewers opinion, are even more enjoyable than the liscensed stuff, sonically speaking. The song-list skews Techno/House though, so if you're not a fan of the genre, you might be turned off by this aspect of the game. Others will find plenty of music here to keep them enrapt.
The game's graphics are a mix of bland and eye-catching. The menu's are nice to look at, and the video's that play during the songs are interesting, colorful and unique. That said, the screen you'll be spending the most of your play-time on is by and large plain, with only the videos that play during a given song serving to spice up the visual presentation. However, the Bemani series has never been one that's been driven by it's graphics, and the intense gameplay more than makes up for that lack of visual polish, as you'll be having too much fun while playing to notice.
Overall, Beatmania is a game worth picking up for fans of the Bemani series, and for those of you who like games such as Guitar Heros and the like. Check it out, give it some real play time, and I assure you that you'll enjoy yourself thoroughly. I know I do, every single time I put this game in my PS2.
Addendum: This review was written by a reviewer who didn't think that comparing the US versions to the Japanese versions was prudent. Yes, it's inferior to those games, but seeing as this has actually been released in the United States, whereas the Japanese versions are import-only, I'm reviewing this as exactly what it is; the first US release of the Beatmania series on a home console. As such, it's not that bad. ;)