I recently attended Anime Expo 2009 (for more about that, go to my anime blog), where I learned of DJ MAX Technika. Developed in Korea, the DJ MAX series has long been a competitor to the Beatmania series, offering a similar style of play. However, developer Pentavision abandoned this formula with Technika, instead totally engineering the game. Rather than a grid of falling markers corresponding to button presses, Technika divides the screen into top and bottom halves, with button-like markers to play notes and samples. The judgement line (the line that indicates the current position in the music) moves to the right across the top half, then left along the bottom.

The markers themselves are “button-like” in more than appearance; the game is played using a large touchscreen, and the markers are pressed as the line passes. In addition to normal “tap” markers, other markers must be held, tapped repeatedly, or dragged along a path for full points. This means that DJ MAX Technika plays much more intuitively than Beatmania or the like. The learning curve is still steep, but it remains fairly easy for new players to jump in and play the game. In addition, there’s a beginner’s mode with easier notecharts and more forgiving scoring to help new players learn the game.

But most importantly, Technika is simply fun to play. While other music games involve a great deal of skill, the enjoyment of the game often comes from overcoming murderously difficult portions, with only a few choice songs or parts that are simply fun to play. Technika avoids this sensation; most of the game is fun on its own merits, without the added motivation of overcoming obstacles. There are still plenty of difficult parts in Technika, but the mix of visual, aural, and tactile sensations while playing make the game fun, regardless of your immediate performance.

Moreover, while Beatmania got a mediocre localization to the US (first as Hiphopmania, then again as Beatmania, both heavily Americanized), PM Studios are bringing Technika to the first few American arcades with a minimum of changes from the original Korean version. There are even plans to duplicate the network features of Technika (such as special songs and note patterns, challenges, and missions) in the US. With all these features, I’m actually excited and motivated to go to arcades to play Technika.

This might sound a little silly at first, but I really believe that music has a lot of power. The right song at the right time can cure a bad mood, or relieve stress, or feed anger, or bring on tears and sadness. For me, music lets me feel like myself when I’m tired or stressed; it helps me to relax and unwind. Of course, there are a few songs that hold special meanings to me; songs I associate with close friends, family, and important events in my life.

However, some of my favorite songs can communicate emotion without any preconditions. These are the songs that touch something common to everyone, some fundamental facet of the human condition that we all share. For example, Frank Ticheli’s An American Elegy is a fairly simple song, but even while sight-reading it I remember the enormous emotions it generated, loss and sadness, then somber triumph. I feel that the real power of music is the ability to move people, regardless of their background.

There are also certain songs that have something special in them that I call “clarity of soul.” It’s hard to describe in words, but I define it as somehow putting all of yourself into something, without reservation or regret, with good intentions. It’s not limited to music, but I see it in a few of my favorite songs, like Train’s Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) and The Killers’ All These Things That I’ve Done.

I suppose I don’t know where this post is going; it’s not terribly interesting from a musical standpoint. I’m done anyway, so it doesn’t matter.