Nodame Cantabile

Shinichi Chiaki is a third year student at the Momogaoka College of Music and plays the piano as well as the violin with impressive skill. However, what he really wants to do is conduct. Megumi Noda is a second year music student who's a piano playing prodigy. Unlike the immaculate Shinichi, Megumi is an unkempt girl who's clothes and detritus generally crowd her piano. When Shinichi and Megumi meet, there's friction at first on the part of Shinichi but their lives change radically when they find a middle ground and make beautiful music together.

Nodame Cantabile for the PS2 chronicles the first meeting and the growing relationship between Shinichi and Megumi in an interactive adventure game setting. That's not all however. There's also a challenging music rhythm game which strays from the conventions of Bemani. Instead of a flat surface upon which cues drop upon ala Pop'n Music and Beatmania, the cue trigger is a rapidly shifting green-line which ricochets on the foreground of the screen. When it shifts, your job is to watch its new direction of movement and push the L-Analog stick accordingly. Follow it in quick succession and you're soon engaging in thumb calisthenics. It's not easy at first but once you get the hang of the mechanics, it gets easier.... or somewhat easier.