The Idolmaster
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The Idolmaster. (........, Aidorumasut.,? officially romanized as THE iDOLM@STER) is an arcade and console raising simulation game released only in Japan by Namco (now Namco Bandai) on July 26, 2005. It was released on the Xbox 360 on January 25, 2007. The game follows the career of a producer who works for the fictional 765 Production studio and has to work with a selection of ten prospective pop idols.
Xbox 360 release time
The Idolm@ster has been credited with making Japan's ratio of Xbox Live sign-ups to the number consoles sold the highest in the world.[1] Over four times as many Microsoft points were sold on the date of The Idolm@ster 360 release as on the date before it.[1]
The Xbox 360 release includes additional songs not included in the Arcade version, as well as a 10th idol to work with.
PlayStation Portable (PSP) release
On Wednesday, July 23, 2008, a PSP version of The Idolm@ster was announced by gaming magazine Famitsu. It is a direct port of the Arcade game, but will have three different versions, each featuring 3 different idols to work with. All three versions were released February 19, 2009 in Japan. There has also been shown in a teaser that there will be a fourth group that consist of Miki and 2 new characters to the series, one named Takane Shijou, the other named Hibiki Ganaha.[2] This is also the first and currently only PSP game to feature PlayStation Home Rewards support.
Nintendo DS release
A Nintendo DS version of the game, entitled The Idolm@ster: Dearly Stars was released in October 2009.[3] The story will take place from the idols perspective as they enter 876 Productions. The idols hope to make it big with the help of the current stars. The game will also include Wi-Fi functionality.
Sequel & OVA
A sequel titled The Idolm@ster: Live For You was released on February 28, 2008.[8]
It also has an accompanying OVA featuring the voice actresses from the game. It is different from the anime Idolmaster: Xenoglossia (see below) as this one follows the game closely and has Miki Hoshii finally animated for the first time. The OVA involves Haruka, Chihaya, and Miki trying to reach Tokyo in time to catch up with the rest of girls in their latest concert after the trio get lost in the middle of nowhere.
Anime
The series was later adapted into a television anime series, Idolmaster: Xenoglossia by Sunrise. Directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai, it was shown across Japan from April to October 2007. Numerous of the Sunrise staff working on Xenoglossia have also previously worked on My-HiME and My-Otome. The series centers around mecha and reimagines the ten prospective idols as fighter pilots of those robots, eight of them also posing as students. Some girls were also given different ages. Chihaya, Iori & Yayoi were all made 2 years older (17, 16 & 15 respectively), while Yukiho was made a year younger at 15.
The anime series has no relation in story to the game and is an alternate universe from the game.
This is the television anime series, Idolmaster: Xenoglossia by Sunrise.