Taiko Drum Master (also known as "Taiko no Tatsujin") is a drumming game for the Sony PlayStation 2 based on the popular Japanese arcade game. A drum simulating the taiko is played in time with music. It is made by Namco. The home version can be played with a TaTaCon, a special controller which looks like the face of a Taiko drum. Players control one of the two main characters - WadaDon, a red-faced and blue body taiko, and WadaKatsu, a blue-faced and red body taiko.
Don is the main protagonist of the Taiko no Tatsujin series. He is a taiko drum with a white edge and four legs, a red face (which appears to be moly orange), and a light blue body. Don's dream is to share the beauty of Taiko with the world. Three years have passed since he moved into the Wada House, and he's become quite popular around town. He has a monstrous appetite and sometimes has expensive shopping at the Wada House which may take over for the worst. He usually ends his sentences with "Ta-don", meaning "Ba-dum" in Japanese. His nickname is "Don-chan". The voice of Don is Narahashi Miki.
This lively game from Namco is based on Taiko, a traditional Asian style of drumming and dance. Though similar in concept to the contemporarily released Donkey Konga, this PlayStation 2 title is actually based on an arcade game that predates both console releases. Using a special drum controller, players are challenged to keep the beat with style as the music plays. The North American version of Taiko Drum Master features more than two dozen songs, including covers of pop hits such as "Material Girl," "Love Shack," and "My Sharona," familiar classical music like Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" and Bizet's "Carmen Prelude," and original themes from Namco games such as Ridge Racer and Soul Calibur II.
GAMEPLAY:
Symbols moving horizontally along a timeline show what to hit and when. Home versions distinguish single and double strikes, arcade versions hard and soft strikes.
Successful play builds up a life meter. If the meter is past a certain point by the end of the song, the song is passed.
In the Japanese version, subtitles under the symbols give the pronunciation of the sounds (for example, "do don do don") using a traditional system called kuchi shoga.
Despite the game's cute and childish appearance, many players find the game quite difficult to master. Players need to accomplish 75% of the drum chart to pass, which can be very challenging on harder levels.
CHARACTERS:
Don
Katsu
Tamashi
Master Bachio
Inu
John
Tetsuo
Hana
Granpa
Mimizu
Neko & Shaxy
Lantern Eel
Donko
Kame
Mask Kid
Ika
Dancing Lion
Namahage
SuzuDon
The Takoyaki Brothers
The Festival Team
Goldfish
Lanterns
Ms. Mariko
The Cotton Candy Quadruplets
MechaDon
MechaKatsu
Dr. Waruru
MANUFACTURER'S DESCRIPTION:
Show off your drumming skills with TAIKO: Drum Master, a game that introduces the art of Japanese taiko drumming to the whole family. Just attach the Taiko Controller to your PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and you're ready to drum along with over 30 songs. Play alone or go head-to-head with a friend to find out who has the rhythm to beat.
Comes bundled with one Taiko Controller™!
Perfect the art of playing the Japanese drum-known as "taiko"-by tapping to the rhythm of over 30 songs.
Follow the on-screen instructions and match each song's beat by tapping on the surface and edge of the Taiko Controller™.
Choose songs at varying levels of difficulty. You can challenge yourself with the most difficult songs as your skills improve.
Pick a favorite song and hone your taiko talent by tapping the taiko to the rhythm of the music.
Compete with groups of friends or take on mini-games in which you use the Taiko Controller™ to clear non-musical objectives.
Go head-to-head with a friend using an additional Taiko Controller™ or the DUALSHOCK®2 analog controller. Plus, monitor your performance against each other in real-time.
TAIKO: Drum Master offers 31 songs in its diverse catalog, including well-known hits from today's current chart-toppers to yesterday's favorites. In addition, the game incorporates a variety of orchestral classics as well as original music from the Namco library of video games. TAIKO: Drum Master offers the following songs:
Licensed Rock/Pop: ABC; American Girls; Are You Gonna Be My Girl; Bowling for Soup - Jimmy Neutron Theme; Girls & Boys; I'm A Believer; Killer Queen; Lady Marmalade; Love Shack; Material Girl; My Sharona; Rock the Dragon (Dragonball Z Theme); Slide; That's The Way (I Like It); The Impression That I Get; Toxic; Tubthumping; Walking On Sunshine
Classical: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5; Carmen Prelude; Foster's Medley; Hungarian Dances No. 5; Symphony No. 25 in G Minor; William Tell Overture
Namco Original: Don Rangers; Dragon Spirit; Katamari on the Rocks; Ridge Racer; Soul Calibur II Brave Sword, Braver Soul; Taiko March; The Genji and the Heike Clans
FEATURES:
- First person perspective.
- 2D graphics
- Cartoon graphics
- Fantasy, Humour & Music themes.
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