Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA 2nd

Release

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA 2nd was released in Japan on July 29th 2010. Due to the Vocaloid software being a Japanese voice synth tool with only a small following in the west, it is unlikely that this game will ever be released outside of Japan.

Those that pre-ordered the game received a nendoroid plus key-chain figurine of Hatsune Miku.

Gameplay

As with typical rhythm games, points are earned by hitting notes to the beat of the music. Notes in Project DIVA come in two halves:

Static Notes: These will be the first to appear on the screen. They come in four different shapes, matching the PSP buttons. The notes also come with a ticker hand, starting at a 12 o’clock position and turning clockwise until again reaching a 12 o’clock position. It is at this point that the correct shape should be pressed.

Moving Notes: These will fly from off-screen and land on their respective static note counterpart. They are timed so that they will overlap perfectly when the ticker on the static notes reaches a 12 o’clock position. Pressing the correct button completes the note and you are awarded points accordingly.

The more accurate you are, the more points you will receive. This ranges from 0 (for a miss) to 500 points. The combo metre will also increase your score. Missing a note or pressing the wrong button will reset your combo.

In the bottom left of the screen is a sphere with a music note. This acts as a life meter of sorts, rising and emptying depending on how well you play. The song will end should the sphere deplete.

Changes from Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA

The second iteration of the DIVA series also has a few new additions to gameplay. These are as follows:

Arrow Notes: Were as the original game only used the four shape buttons on the PSP as notes, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA 2nd also used the four d-pad buttons as notes. These work in the same way as the regular shapes, with the correct direction needing to be pressed when the moving note is directly over its respective static note counterpart. Shapes and arrows will also be used together, meaning there are a total of eight single-button note types.

Coloured Arrow Notes: In some instances, the arrow notes that appear are coloured. When this happens, players must press both the direction the arrow is showing on the d-pad, as well as the relevant shape that matches the colour of the arrow note. For example, a blue down-facing arrow would require players to press down on the d-pad and the cross button to complete the note. Red notes use the circle button, green notes use the triangle button, blue notes use the cross button and pink notes use the square button.

Extreme Difficulty: Extreme difficulty increases the number of notes in each song in comparison to the hard difficulty counterparts, as well as more coloured arrow notes and a greater mix of shape and arrow notes. To play a song on extreme difficulty, you must first beat the song on hard difficulty. Difficulties are unlocked on a per-song basis.

Duets: Some songs allow two modules to be selected for one song. Modules contain vocaloids and different costumes that will appear in the background while playing a song, so the duet mode will show two vocaloids of your choice in the video. This is an aesthetic change and does not affect gameplay.

Songs

The game ships with 47 songs, with an additional 9 songs only playable in edit mode (in italics), and 10 songs that can be purchased through the Playstation Network (in bold). The following songs are listed with their Japanese, Rōmaji and English names.

Collectables

As a reward for completing songs, players are often given items to decorate Miku's room with. These include furniture, instruments and wallpapers. It is also possible to unlock new costumes (or modules) when certain conditions are met. While there are regular clothes included, changing costume can in some cases change your character to another Vocaloid. There are also special costumes from other Sega games, notably Valkyria Chronicles, Space Channel 5, Resonance of Fate and Virtua Fighter.

Downloadable Content

On the Japanese Playstation Network you can purchase an additional ten songs, as well as more items and modules. There is also a collaboration with The Idolmaster, which includes three songs, new items and costumes for Miku, Luka and Rin.

Sequels

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Extend was released in Japan on the 10th of November 2011 for the PSP, which contains new songs and modules. There is also an arcade version, as well as the upcoming Next Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA for PS Vita and PS3.