Sorry for a bit of a bump!
Anyways, despite adoring rhythm games, Bemani games have always been kinda... off for me, for whatever reason. I mean, if I'm at an arcade and see DDR or pop'n music, I'll play it for sure, I just don't love these games like I love some other rhythm games and haven't really actively sought them out. I guess "simplicity of input" has always been a really big deal for me in rhythm games and most Bemani games have a relatively large number of inputs, which I found a bit intimidating.
Still, I like the style and have a few friends who are into Bemani, so I figured I should really try to get into their most acclaimed series, which would be Beatmania (or so it seems). After some searching I found the US PS2 bundle for a relatively decent price and received it just yesterday. I've been messing around with it a little bit in 5-key mode and I've been having fun, even if I'm playing poorly. I don't really think trying it just once or twice every so often at the arcade does the games justice. I don't think they could've accomplished the style of gameplay they were going for with a simplified input, and I have more respect for it now.
Basically, what I'm wondering is, where do I go from here? I understand that I just need to keep playing and playing and keep getting better, but if there's any tips and tricks (like hand/finger placement, still haven't quite figured that out) or a general guide for progression, that'd be awesome. Also, is the localized version considered to be serviceable? It's all I have at the moment because I only have a PS2 slim on me right now and not the means necessary to play imports on it, but is it at least... somewhat satisfactory? And for when I am able to play the imported versions, what should I go for (I know that after 10 they seem to gradually increase in price, so I'm looking for good value starting off)?
I SWEAR I AM GOING TO GET INTO THIS SERIES