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The music genre gets another game thrown its way!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 108 / 111
Date: November 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

For years, my favorite videogame genre has been the Music genre. From games like Um Jammer Lammy and Parappa the Rapper on the Playstation, to Space channel 5, Samba de Amigo, and Dance dance revolution on dreamcast, to newer classics like Frequency, Amplitude, Gitaroo man and Karaoke revolution on the PS2, I've always been a huge fan.

The genre is often limited to a small audiance of enthusiasts though, and rarely sell well. Fortunately, Namco took a chance and released this game in America after popular demand!

The game includes a large drum in the package (I'd say its about 6 inches tall With the stand (maybe 4" without it) and has 4 hit points as well as 2 buttons (Start and Select), Along with the drum are 2 large plastic drumsticks (Also about an inch thick).

The game itself has 2 real modes, TAIKO MODE and MINI GAME mode.

In Taiko mode, you play through 31 songs divided into categories.

The tracklisting in this mode is:

POP
* ABC (jackson 5)
* Thats the way I like it (KC And the sunchine band)
* The impression that I get (Mighty Mighty bosstones)
* Tubthumping (Chumbawamba)
* Walking on Sunshine (Unknown)
* Material Girl (Madonna)
* Love Shack (B-52's)
* Toxic (Britney spears)
* I'm a believer (Unknown)

ROCK
* Slide (googoo dolls)
* American Girls (Unknown)
* Girls and Boys (Good Charlotte)
* Killer Queen (Queen)
* Lady Marmalade (Pink, Little kim, Christina aguilera, Mya)
* Are you gonna be my girl (Jet)
* My Sharona (Unknown)

ANIME/TV
* Dragon ball Z theme (Rock the dragon)
* Jimmy Neutron theme (Bowling for soup)

CLASSICAL
* Beethovens symphony #5
* William tell overture
* Carmen prelude
* Foster;s Medley
* Symphony No. 25 in G-Minor
* Hungarian Dances #5

NAMCO ORIGINAL
* Soul Calibur 2 (Brave sword, braver soul)
* The genji and the heike clans
* Ridge Racer
* Taiko March
* Don Rangers
* Katamari on the rocks (Katamari Damacy theme)
* Dragon Spirit

However, its worth noting that besides the Namco original songs, the other songs are all 'recreations' meaning its not actually Britney Spears singing it, its a 'similar sounding artist'. Fortunately, all of the songs sound great and real true to the originals (This isnt a "Kids Bop" type thing).

Some songs (Like Killer Queen actually sound better (to me) than the original versions).

Each song has a difficulty level, as well as a point scale, which works as follows:

EASY (1-10)
NORMAL (1-10)
HARD (1-10)
ONI (1-10)

Its a bit tricky to figure out the full difficulty (Comparing an "Easy - 5" to a "Normal - 3"), but you'll quickly learn your limits.

My problem with the songs though, is when they release a game with such a limited audiance who enjoys a particular type of music for the most part, I dont see why they had to replace most of it with some of this music to appeal to a younger 'teeny bopper' audiance (I personally don't want to play ABC, Material Girl, I'm a believer, Slide, or classical music over and over!)

Fortunately, it has some redeeming songs, My favorites to play being:
Tubthumping, Walking on sunshine, Love Shack, Toxic, Lady Marmalade, Girls and Boys, Killer Queen, Are you gonna be my girl, and My Sharona.

Onto the drum, as I mentioned it has 4 hit points.

The right surface part, the left surface part, the right side, the left side, Start, and Select.

Onto the actual game, it works like most music games. A bar appears on the center of the screen, and on the bar certain icons scroll by from right to left, Once the icons hit the "target zone", you hit that button.
The icons that appear are:

* RED (Hit the LEFT or RIGHT surface)
* BLUE (tap the LEFT or RIGHT edge of the drum)
* BIG RED (Hit the LEFT and RIGHT surfaces simultaneously)
* BIG BLUE (tap the LEFT and RIGHT edges of the drum simultaneously)
* YELLOW LINE (Do a drum roll on the left & right surfaces until the end of the line)
* BALLOON (Tap the left and right surfaces repeatedly until the balloon inflates and explodes)

Sounds difficult, but it's really not.

In the game, the 2 surfaces act as the "ENTER" button, the left side and right side act as left and right, and you can hit START for extra songs (main menu, quit, restart, song select)

The drum itself is pretty good, but does take some getting used to, to determine how hard to hit it, and where exactly to do it to make it 'count'.

Onto the MINIGAME Mode, you have only 3 minigames available.

One is a WATERMELON game where you hit both the surfaces of the drum as fast as possible to 'eat' a watermelon, and see how fast you can eat them.

In the FIREWORKS game, a firework or bomb is placed in front of you, you need to either hit the surface of the drum to launch the firework, or tap the side to throw the bomb away, the more you do, the faster it gets, and if you mess up, you need to start at the slow speed again (I like this game a lot)

The final game is the BALANCE game, You appear as a Dog standing straight up. Every few seconds another dog will appear on your shoulders.. After a few appear, you'll begin to lose balance and sway to one side.. You must then hit the side of the drum in the direction you want to go (if you lean left, hit left to move that way and balance out), it gets real tricky. Once you reach the top (About 10 dogs high) there is a helicopter, You must be standing straight, then hit the drum to grab on, This game is also a lot of fun.

All in all, its a real fun game, and some of the levels are insanely challenging (And I never see myself being able to beat them!), others have a nice easy mode for beginners.

My biggest gripe is the song selection though.

If you're a music fan, it's definately worth playing. I would recommend going through the list of songs though, and seeing if they appeal to you at all. If you dont like that music, you wont like this game much.

I give this game a 4/5 and hope a sequal or expansion pack comes along!

Finally!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 36 / 37
Date: December 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I played an arcade version of this game in 2000 when I visited Japan. It was such a refreshing change from the shooter and fighting games. Plus it's extremely addicting!

No home version will match the arcade version of course. However, this is pretty close and still just as addicting.

I went through all the songs right away at the easy level, but that doesn't mean this game doesn't have lots of replayability in it. The normal, hard and (terrifying) oni levels will make the same songs a continuing challenge.

The drumming is an excellent arm workout as well. This is the sort of game that can counter those who blame video games for the "obesity epidemic" rather than the large dinner portions being served at home. When this game is played, calories are burned.

As entertaining as the one player game is, this game is even more fun with two players. Getting an additional drum controller is *highly* recommended!

Want to let out some stress? Beat the hell out of the Taiko.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 21 / 21
Date: October 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I like rhythm games, but loathe Dance Dance Revolution. Parappa the Rapper, Donkey Konga, and numerous other rhythm games have been gaining popularity lately thanks to that dumb marching simulator, which is nice since it allows for a better chance of them making it to America, but also bad in that some people view them as nothing but "a wannabe DDR". When I saw that Taiko Drum Master had finally come stateside, I was thrilled. This was one game that I almost considered importing at one point. It has a huge following in Japan, and spawned a ton of sequels. And after finally sitting down with the game and going through it numerous times, I'm proud to say that it does not disappoint. In fact, you can ignore the rest of my review since there's not a whole lot to describe Taiko, but just be forewarned that the sensitivity of the drum is a little off. I found myself getting screwed over on high scores because it was the drum's fault, not mine, in that it didn't pick up a beat. That irked me beyond anything, and is almost entirely forgivable, but when you're in the middle of a two player match, this becomes a lame excuse for why you didn't win. But either way, this is an instant classic, and a must-have for your ps2 collection if you're one of the seemingly few gamers that goes for the niche titles like Katamari Damacy.

There's no story mode to Taiko, so I'm not going to waste your time with a plot synopsis. The object of the game is to hit the big Taiko drum, which comes packaged with the game, in succession with the icons that appear on-screen. If you've seen or played Parappa the Rapper, that's exactly what it looks like and is, only with a drum. As the beat icons move closer to the "hit" icon at the top of the screen, you get ready, and either hit the drum, one of the sides of it, a power hit with both sticks, or do a drum roll. It sounds simple, and at first- it is. With an easy song like ABC by the Jackson 5, you can get a good feel for the timing of what some other songs will be like. You don't hit the Taiko along to the drum of the song's beat, but you have to keep your eyes fixed at the top of the screen. A red icon means a drum hit, and a blue means a side tap. Basically, your goal is to be good enough to get past the standard, also displayed at the top of the screen, clear the level, and get placed on the high score board. You're going to need some good hand-eye coordination for Taiko Drum Master, as well as even the most basic concept of rhythm. But that doesn't mean the game's going to be easy for you right off the bat. One of my friends, a long time drummer, had some trouble with it at first, which showed me that this game isn't going to be easy for anyone right off the bat. But trust me when I tell you to start on the Easy difficulty for any song, then only when you've completely mastered it on that setting, should you move on up to Normal and Hard. And unless you want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone, go ahead and pick the Oni difficulty setting. When I unlocked that, I knew it wasn't a good thing when they name a skill level Ogre. Myself and a friend actually set the game on auto for a song on this setting, and were shocked at how insane Oni is. I really don't see it possible to beat ANY song on this difficulty.

Though you won't notice it unless you're not playing, there's a lot of cute things going on the screen while you're drumming away. There'll be dancing fish, Kabuki animals prancing about, and my favorite- dogs clapping in unison with their front legs. It looks bizarre, and it is. And I love it. If you do a real good job, a ton of animals will appear at the bottom of the screen, representing a cheerful crowd, and bounce along. It's very cool. Probably the only time to truly enjoy these demi-mascots is to play one of the three mini-games that accompany the main game. None of them are particularly good, but they offer different types of gameplay in a way. One has you doing drum rolls as fast as possible, and stopping all of a sudden. Why? Because you're eating watermelons quickly while trying to avoid a blindfolded kid with a bat. Another has you setting off fireworks, but ignoring bombs that somehow made their way into the supply. The final mini-game has tons of the dogs standing on top of eachothers' shoulders in trying to reach a helicopter. The problem is, there's a gust of wind in addition to you having to keep their balance by hitting different directions on the drum. This is probably the most fun of the three games. You won't play these too much since they are a bit repetitive, but they're a nice break from the tiring (in a good way) gameplay of the main arcade mode. Trust me- you can only listen to a cover of Material Girl so many times before you're about to snap. The song selection is good at 31 songs. Some are much more fun than others, but my favorites include: Tubthumping, Love Shack, American Girls, Killer Queen, Lady Marmalade, the horrible first Dragon Ball Z theme (it's somehow, one of the better levels), Hungarian Dance #5, The Genji and the Heike Clans, Taiko March, Don Rangers, and Katamari on the Rocks.

There's not much to the game visually. It's almost 100% 2-D graphics. But for a game like this, you're not going to be paying attention to those- they'll distract you. It's all cute though. I love the facial expressions on the Taiko drum, and of course those wacked out dogs that clap. The music is diverse, as you can see from the song list another reviewer listed already. It's a pretty good mix too. Though it does have some questionable content like Good Charlotte and covers of Material Girl and I'm a Believer, this doesn't get in the way of them being fun levels. As for the sound effects and voices, they're all cutesy as well. The announcer has a high pitched voice, and sounds like someone from the Bust-a-Move series.

Taiko Drum Master is a great game to get if you put the time and hours into it. It's easily worth your money in that sense, but it's not something to get if you don't like rhythm games that much, or don't play them often in arcades. But again, if you need something new in your game library, Taiko stands strong as one of those niche titles. Get a friend and some extra money to order another drum controller and sticks, and kick back and enjoy some insane gameplay. Taiko is a simple, yet deep game that's fun for all ages. Just watch out for that iffy sensitivity on the drum at times.

What a blast

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: January 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is an absolute blast to play. It's also pretty hilarious to watch friends really get into it.

The drum seems to be very good quality. Doesn't look like it will fall or break if you hit it hard. No rattles.

The sensors are a bit on the heavy side, so hard drumming is encouraged! Can be a workout if you play it for a long time.

The game is twice as fun playing against another opponent, so two kits is highly recommended. A friend bought one for my girlfriend, and I ended up buying another one for myself, and it has been pretty intense, since both of us have gotten pretty good at it.

For those who have no sense of rhthym, playing this game will eventually correct that.

The best thing about this game is that it is great for all ages, as it is very simple but still very challenging. Plus the game is harmless, as there is no violence or gore like many games today.

Highly recommended!

Fun even for the rhythmically challenged

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: November 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is a blast! To be honest I was a bit worried that my lack of rhythm would ruin any chance of me enjoying this game. Fortunately, the easy and normal settings are doable.

The whole heavy cutesy-Japanese them is great for Japanese enthusiasts such as myself. This enhances the charm of the game giving it an added warmth. I wish Namco would have included some J-Pop songs to complement the theme. I suppose they felt the American gamers wouldn't dig the Japanese music. Bummer...

I wish there were more songs on the game but I suppose the 3 mini games make up for the less than vast library of music to select from. All in all, a great game. I look forward to the sequal!!!

Taiko Drum Master

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: December 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

From the makers of the excellent Katamari Damacy comes a game to fill the gap in rythem genre. We have dancing (Dance Dance Revolution), singing (Karaoke Revolution), and plenty more from Konami. So Namco comes along and makes Taiko Drum Master, possibly the best drumming game (of all two or three on the market) of all time.

This strange little games puts you in the shoes of a child at a festival who must play a taiko drum named Don. Err...yeah...not much in the story department, but there doesn't need to be a story in these kinds of games, only music.

Speaking of music, Taiko Drum Master has it: plenty of it. Plenty of good music too. You start out with some good liscened songs for everyone. "My Sharona" for the oldies fan, "ABC" for the Michael Jackson fan, "Toxic" for the pop fan, even "Rock the Dragon" (Dragonball Z theme) for the Dragonball Z fan and "Bowling for Soup" (Jimmy Neutron theme) for the Jimmy Neutron fan. They even have a few classical songs, like "William Tell Overture" and "Hungarian Dance No.5"! I'd like to see DDR top that!

In addition to the liscened ones, Taiko Drum Master also has some Namco originals, such as "Katamari on the Rocks" (the Katamari Damacy theme) and "Brave Sword, Braver Soul" from Soul Calibur II.

But hey, what's music without good gameplay? Like most of Namco's games, it's easy to learn, yet hard to master. No, I take that back. It's fairly easy to master with about an hour of practice, but it's still fun.

Here's the lowdown on the gameplay: The game comes with a small taiko drum and two hollow sticks (the game warns you not to "Immerse in Water") that you beat the drum with. Symbols fly across the screen, and you have to hit the ones that correspond to a particualar part of the drum or an action (red for the center, blue for the edge, yellow for a drum roll). Simple as that.

This game doesn't appeal to everyone, but if you like games of the same genre, this is for you. That makes the difference between $60 well-spent or $60 wasted.

Another excellent example of bouncy Japanese culture

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: February 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I played this in a Harajuku arcade on vacation last summer, and it was immediate addiction - luckily, the home version is almost as amazing and fun as the arcade version. The game is an awesome example of ultra-happy Japanese pop culture right from the crazy J-pop (with Engrish subtitles - Engrish, ladies and gentlemen, not English) theme song at the beginning. "You said I looked cool in my festival clothes! I'm having an excellent time! Absolutely! Even though I got scolded for not washing my hands." All the characters are really cute, and the graphics are suitably coloful and anime-inspired. There's lots of great licensed music, including some fairly recent stuff (Toxic, Are You Gonna Be My Girl). Someone said that it's not the original artists singing the songs, which I believe, but I wouldn't have known it if they hadn't told me. The game also includes some Anime and Namco original songs, which is awesome. I freaked out when I saw that they had Brave Sword, Braver Soul from Soul Calibur II - one of my favorite video game songs EVER. They also included stuff from Katamari Damacy, DBZ, and a really cool 'Taiko March' that has become one of my favorite songs to play. Also included is some classical music, which I was kind of pessimistic about at first, but the classical songs have surprisingly good beats and are a lot of fun. (I got my first Perfect Combo on the William Tell Overture.)

It's great stress relief to just whale on the drum, whether you do it well or not. (Of course, it's a little more satisfying when you actually pass the songs.) The only thing I would complain about is that the drum tends to move around a bit, and then if you don't notice it you might end up hitting the hard plastic and it won't register. After you play for a while, though, you'll come up with your own way to deal with that, and it's fine. (I sit on the ground and hold it in place with my feet; my friend took the stand off hers and taped it to a TV table.)

Overall, this is an addictive game that will keep you thumping at a little rubber pad for days - er, I mean hours, of course - on end.

Most fun I've EVER had on a console

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the most awesome-fun-addictive-stay up until 2 in the morning to clear another level-type game I have ever played!

I'm not a huge fan of console games... I only have a PS2 'cause I wanted a way to play DDR at home. That said, I picked this game up on a whim because I like Taiko drumming, and I had fun playing a drum game (Percussion Master) at the Disney Quest arcade.

There's a fair selection of songs in different genres. Each one can be played at progressively harder levels.

The REAL fun comes in if you have a second drum controller. (I do! After one day playing, I order a second one from Red Octane). The fun more than doubles with another playing. The neat thing is both player don't play the same beat... you play off of each other, sometimes with some really complex syncopated beats weaving together.

My only complaint is that there aren't more songs. I want a sequel! I want more songs! I want a version where I can plug in my own songs! WHEEEE! This game is gonna kill my GPA this semester if I don't watch out!

Go Taiko!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: December 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Awesome game. Keeps you occupied for hours. One qualm however. You have to hit the drum pretty hard or else it might not respond. VERY annoying if you've got a 185 combo. However that's not enough to bring it down a star. Quite innovative. I love the way they give you character desrciptions in the booklet. You're educated, since now you know Miss Maruko, (Spelled it wrong...) the water balloon, has a crush on Katsu. Really fun game overall! It's not just a kids game, it's for all people who enjoy making lots of noise! My favorite song would have to be Katamari on the Rocks. I think I'm even going to buy the soundtrack for Katamari Damacy now!

Taiko Taiko

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Taiko Drum Game is extremely fun for anyone to participate in, I am a 15 year old currently live in Japan and although the home version of Taiko drums aren't as awesome as the Arcade version its a they are still great in comparison and a good way to escape all the shooting, fighting, and sports games that keep coming out and filling shelves, I find the taiko drums to be unique in that it not only shows a small culture difference in that Taiko drums are traditionally played in Japan, but that its also addicting for anyone to play and easy to learn.

There are many levels to the game and you can continue to challenge yourself as you progress in mastering the different levels from easy to intermideate, to master, to oni level- oni level is the hardest and translates to 'demon' level because Japanese people compare the masterful taiko players to 'game demons.'

The only problem with the taiko game is that there are such limited songs and although you can play most of them throughout the game with different level ratings it does get tireing to hear the same songs over and over again. In Japan for the Japanese PS2 there are about 7 versions of the drum game from over the part maybe eight years and each one comes with updated song lists from what was popular and just new songs to refresh any persons skills.

I am hoping that in the states Americans will begin to update their taiko drum games as well, I know that there is a second version either out already or coming out but even though there are such long waits for new songs the game is totally worth it and everyone can play.

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