Idol Game 2002, The origin of iDOLM@STER !

[airgeneralpong]

I've discovered some detail about the prototype game of iDOLM@STER which had come before the Arcade version (researched by Akibatan.com). The Arcade game called "Idol Game" was the first game of iDOLM@STER series that was released in 2002 in order to test if the gamer would interest this newly developed game.





Please enjoy with the prototype, and let's cerebrate the 8th anniversary of iDOLM@STER !

[RoninatorMarx]

This was in the old forum before it closed down. Still, looking at this makes the iM@S feeling in me refreshed. Thanks for posting. ^^

[Scotty]

Prototype.

Still the 5th Anniversary of iM@S.

[Tenchy]

iDOLM@STER's come along way definitely a achievement.

[Sev]

 Its a shame I didn't see this when I was in Japan (lived there at the time).

[Cael K.]

Well, I'm sure that, as a test game, it was only at a few arcades.

I was there in 2003, and I didn't see this in the local arcade. I think it was a Club Sega.

EDIT: Though when I think about it, it don't think a prototype would be out for more than a couple of months.

[TweenDoriru]

This might not really belong on this topic, and this very well MAY be a stupid question. But!

On the bottom of the SP title screen, the copyright says 2003-2009. 2003 --> 2010 = 7 years? Why are we celebrating a 5th anniversary of iM@S?

[Logan]

^ They're probably counting the official "start" from the 2005 arcade versions? Idk.

[Cael K.]

You can get copyright for something before it actually comes out, I think.

I'm betting they started making the game in 2003, after they saw how Idol Game went, and copyrighted it then.

Wasn't there something about Namco reserving Dearly Stars, Dream Symphony, and... what, Dressing Sweet or something? I thought I saw it somewhere on these forums...

[Scotty]

Yep, although, who knows what became of those titles...

[TweenDoriru]

Wasn't there something about Namco reserving Dearly Stars, Dream Symphony, and... what, Dressing Sweet or something? I thought I saw it somewhere on these forums...

Yeah, the first 2 were mythically used, though I guess they gave up hope by the time using Dressing Sweet came around. Or they realized that Dressing Sweet isn't really a good name for anything (as far as I know).

[quadrain]

I still wondered what it would have been like if they kept Chihaya's original name to be Ritsuko?

[Scotty]

Then Ritsuko would have been more popular than Chihaya.

[iM@Sotaku]

I learned something today.

Takane's 1st design was blond. [Respect for her goes up]

[KIRBYSIM]

Wow this is pretty fascinating.

I wonder why they didn't include Takane and Hibiki until the PSP version came around.