Para Para Paradise
Encyclopedia
, often abbreviated PPP, is an arcade
and PlayStation 2
dance game made by the Japan
ese company Konami
and released under the Bemani
moniker following the booming Para Para
fad.
Konami would later release Dance Evolution for the XBOX 360
, game that shares many similarities with "Para Para Paradise". In fact, the game includes several songs with Para Para routines (on specific difficulties).
The gameplay of PPP is very similar to other Konami music games. The cabinet utilizes an octagonal platform with motion detecting
sensors above it. Players must trigger the sensors by moving their arms (or other body parts) under the sensors when a corresponding arrow reaches. There are 2 modes, ParaPara Mode, which guides the arrows through an actual routine for the song, and Freestyle Mode, which utilizes more DDR-like patterns with 3 difficulty options, "Normal", "Hard", and "Expert".
The home Playstation 2 version features a USB peripheral, which has five pink "pods" each with three infrared
sensors. Each pod can be individually calibrated to accommodate the height of the players arms.
In the arcade versions, there are colorful backgrounds that play during the song. 2nd Mix introduced the use of CG dancing models in order to teach players the dances for songs (if in ParaPara mode) and danced in the background (also available in Freestyle Mode). A separate cart with a DVD player and a television that played the videos of dances performed by the ParaPara Allstars was also available for 1st Mix v. 1.1. and 2nd Mix. The home edition of ParaParaParadise did not include the CG models but contained the ParaPara Allstar videos as an option for the background.
. The majority of tracks are "true" Para Para tracks from the Avex Trax record label, such as Velfarre 2000, Anniversary and Boom Boom Fire. A portion of the songs are Eurobeat remixes of other Bemani tracks such as CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE. There are also two songs that are J-EURO remixes, remixes of J-pop
songs (Aishiattemasu and Deluxe, both by Key-A-Kiss).
A Korean version of ParaParaParadise, called ParaParaDancing was also released. The songlist was changed to feature more Korean music, including a remix of BoA
's "Sara" and S.E.S.. Songs by Korean
artists, H.O.T.
"Hold On Me", sung in Korean, was originally in Japanese. ParaParaDancing also features the ability to play on the reverse side of the stage by setting the machine to sense on the rear 5 out of the total 8 sensors, facing the spectators instead.
have been working on a way to emulate the arcade machine on a computer.
The open-source music game StepMania
also has support for ParaParaParadise, and CVS versions of version 4.0 support the PS2 version's controller, although actual simfiles for the game are few.
A public release of PARASTAR — a Stepmania 4.0 modification — and compatible simfiles, has recently been made available on the ClubPARASTAR website.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
dance game made by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese company Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
and released under the Bemani
Bemani
is Konami's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division, or simply G.M.D., it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, Beatmania, and expanded into other music-based games.-Bemani video games:...
moniker following the booming Para Para
Para Para
is a synchronized group dance that originated in Japan. Unlike most club dancing and rave dancing there are specific synchronized movements for each song much like line dancing...
fad.
Konami would later release Dance Evolution for the XBOX 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, game that shares many similarities with "Para Para Paradise". In fact, the game includes several songs with Para Para routines (on specific difficulties).
Gameplay
Motion detection
Motion detection is a process of confirming a change in position of an object relative to its surroundings or the change in the surroundings relative to an object. This detection can be achieved by both mechanical and electronic methods...
sensors above it. Players must trigger the sensors by moving their arms (or other body parts) under the sensors when a corresponding arrow reaches. There are 2 modes, ParaPara Mode, which guides the arrows through an actual routine for the song, and Freestyle Mode, which utilizes more DDR-like patterns with 3 difficulty options, "Normal", "Hard", and "Expert".
The home Playstation 2 version features a USB peripheral, which has five pink "pods" each with three infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
sensors. Each pod can be individually calibrated to accommodate the height of the players arms.
In the arcade versions, there are colorful backgrounds that play during the song. 2nd Mix introduced the use of CG dancing models in order to teach players the dances for songs (if in ParaPara mode) and danced in the background (also available in Freestyle Mode). A separate cart with a DVD player and a television that played the videos of dances performed by the ParaPara Allstars was also available for 1st Mix v. 1.1. and 2nd Mix. The home edition of ParaParaParadise did not include the CG models but contained the ParaPara Allstar videos as an option for the background.
Music
The music used in Para Para Paradise is exclusively fast-paced EurobeatEurobeat
Eurobeat is a form of italo-disco/hi-NRG music that developed in the late 1980s.In the United States, Eurobeat was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
. The majority of tracks are "true" Para Para tracks from the Avex Trax record label, such as Velfarre 2000, Anniversary and Boom Boom Fire. A portion of the songs are Eurobeat remixes of other Bemani tracks such as CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE. There are also two songs that are J-EURO remixes, remixes of J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
songs (Aishiattemasu and Deluxe, both by Key-A-Kiss).
Korean version
Due to the lack of popularity in the game, Konami released only four ParaParaParadise games for the Japanese market; three arcade versions along with one version for the PlayStation 2.A Korean version of ParaParaParadise, called ParaParaDancing was also released. The songlist was changed to feature more Korean music, including a remix of BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
's "Sara" and S.E.S.. Songs by Korean
Korean music
Traditional Korean music includes both the folk, vocal, religious and ritual music styles of the Korean people. Korean music, along with arts, painting, and sculpture has been practiced since prehistoric times....
artists, H.O.T.
H.O.T.
H.O.T. was a popular five-member South Korean boy band in the mid to late 1990s. Their name is an acronym, standing for "High-five Of Teenagers". They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.H.O.T...
"Hold On Me", sung in Korean, was originally in Japanese. ParaParaDancing also features the ability to play on the reverse side of the stage by setting the machine to sense on the rear 5 out of the total 8 sensors, facing the spectators instead.
Emulation and simulation
The developers of MAMEMAME
MAME is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten...
have been working on a way to emulate the arcade machine on a computer.
The open-source music game StepMania
StepMania
StepMania is an open source and cross-platform rhythm video game and engine. It was originally developed as a simulator of Konami's arcade game series Dance Dance Revolution, and has since evolved into an extensible rhythm game engine capable of supporting a wide variety of rhythm-based game types...
also has support for ParaParaParadise, and CVS versions of version 4.0 support the PS2 version's controller, although actual simfiles for the game are few.
A public release of PARASTAR — a Stepmania 4.0 modification — and compatible simfiles, has recently been made available on the ClubPARASTAR website.