pop'n music Animelo 2gou

pop'n music Animelo 2gou
Developer: Konami AMD Publisher: Konami Platform: Arcade (Konami FireBeat) Released in JP: September 21, 2000 This game has a hidden developer message. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has revisional differences.

pop'n music Animelo 2gou is the second of two anime-focused releases of the rhythm game franchise. It is infamous for having a triple note modifier, in which some songs become near impossible with it toggled on. Ever heard of sheer button-pressing torture?

Unused Graphics

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: REV_H.GCZ and HEROINES.GCZ. Which one of these is used?

Mockup Image

Files BOWLING.GCZ and BOWLING.XCZ contain a slightly cut-off mockup screenshot of the Bowling mode introduced in this game. Notice how the graphics are of Tiger Mask while the lyrics are of Combattler V no theme (the latter of which is not even in the final game!)

Placeholder Image?

Files NON_4.GCZ and NON_4.XCZ contain a placeholder image consisting of the background of the song Tongari boushi no Memole, but with the word "おつかれさま" (Thank you) crudely drawn on top of it.

Development Text

Security Strings

The game's security strings, present in offset 0x8B0BC of a decompressed FIREBEAT.EXE all consist of lyrics of anime songs present in the game.

String	Song
hitonoyoniaigaaruhitonoyoniyumegaarukonoutsukush	Kyou mo dokoka de Devilman
m,u,s,c,l,e,muscle,m,u,s,c,l,e,muscle,3,2,1,fire	Honoo no Kinnikuman
dash,dash,dandandadan,dash,dash,dandandadan,dash	Great Mazinger
100%noheronanteiruwakenaiyotowakatterunonikimino	WING LOVE
kimarikiranaiposedemo,ijigendattarasoredeOK,muri	Ijigen story
sokono,darekasan,junbi,sorosoroOK?soreja,oshiras	Wapiko genkiyohou
sunanoarashini,kakusareta,babelnotouni,sundeiru,	Babel nisei
hello!rarabel,dokoheyukuno?hello!rarabel,darenia	Hello Lalabel

Build Date

A build date can be found in the title of the main program ISO:

001003_2217

Revisional Differences

Nonstop Mode

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: check if the data for this mode still exists, or just check if i even put the code in right...

In earlier versions, inputting 1496149614961496 on the title screen after inserting your coins, NONSTOP MODE will appear. This mode was removed in later versions. According to the source, this mode was specifically removed in a software update around a month after the game was released. The version currently supported by MAME does not support this code.

Nonstop Mode is a challenge mode which plays through all of the songs in the game. The GOOD ranking counts as a BAD, and you can only get 35 BADs. Total.

(Source: N.)

License Over Mode

pop'n music Animelo 2gou has a rather unique licensing arrangement with, presumably, Toei Animation; five years after the listed starting date (September 18th, 2000), the startup screen will show a red LICENSE OVER notice. Although this doesn't affect gameplay at all, this mode will completely remove any graphics relating to the anime that the songs in the game come from. This mode is similar to the mode in the first game.

As the game was released in September of 2000, these graphics would only have been visible until (approximately) September of 2005.

Title Screen

License	No License

The title screen removes the Toei Animation logo. Additionally, the attract mode is modified. The little slideshow of series logos before the title screen is removed. After the title screen, the attract mode will cycle through different screens featuring the characters from the represented series, as well as their show's release dates. These were removed in the License Over mode.

Song Selection

License	No License

The song selection menu removes the individual series logos, replacing them with stylized text.

Song Artwork

License	No License

All of the artwork that appears when a song is cleared is removed. This includes the little character window up at the top right, and the big picture in the background.

Scoring Screens

License	No License

The score summary artwork has been removed, as have the logos. This also extends to the high score tables presented after the game, in which those also have the copyright text removed. The pictures in the high score screen have been replaced with the Animelo logo.

License	No License

(Source: ham56)

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Forever License Mode

By modifying the game's dongle file (gca02ja_gca02jb_gea02ja) and changing the 05 in PeRioD:05/00 to just 00, the game will enter a License Forever mode. It is the exact same as the Licensed mode, it just won't bother checking the date.

That year value in the dongle's Period string can actually be changed to any two digit number, so up to 99. Anything but 00, though, will still check the date and will activate the License Over mode if it passes that year.

(Source: 987123879113)