Groove Coaster was originally a fantastic rhythm iOS game made by the creators of Space Invaders Infinity Gene. This year, however, it moves from its humble touch screen roots directly into Japanese arcades. And at the JAEPO 2013 arcade expo this last weekend, Kotaku East got some hands-on time with the game.
Simply put, it was awesome. From the beautifully done vector-esque graphics to the current soundtrack of 21 titles—including popular Japanese titles like "Only My Railgun" and "Bad Apple"—it put a smile on my face just playing it.
Mirroring the iOS set up, the HDTV flat-screen monitor is placed vertically in the arcade cabinet. However, unlike the iOS version, it is not a touch screen game. Rather, two large flat-topped joysticks with a giant button on top of each are used for playing the game. In most cases, I only used one of the joysticks and its button, but on occasion I had to push both joystick buttons at once.
To see what the arcade version of Groove Coaster looks like in action, check out the video above.
Groove Coaster will be released in Japanese arcades near the end of this year. Taito representatives at the show had no comment on the possibility of an international release.