Box Front
Box Back
Member Rating
78.3%
(3 votes)
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Login |
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Console:
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Sony PlayStation 2
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Region: | |
Year:
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2004
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RFG ID #:
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U-072-S-06520-A
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Part #:
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SLUS20800
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UPC:
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722674100274
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Developer:
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Namco
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Publisher:
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Namco
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Rating:
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| (ESRB): Lyrics |
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Genre:
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Music/Rhythm
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Sub-genre:
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Players:
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1-2
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Controller:
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Taiko Drum Controller
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Media Format:
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CD-ROM x1
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Collection Stats:
- 110 of 7616 collectors (1.4%) have this game in their collection
- 0 of 7616 collectors (0%) have this game in their wishlist.
- 0 of 7616 collectors (0%) have this game for sale or trade.
Overview:
Supports:
- Standard Controller
- Taiko Drum Controller
- Digital Control
- Memory Card (26 KB)
The full text from the back of the box is below:
Welcome to the world of Taiko Drumming - musical fun for the whole family
Plug the Taiko Controller into your PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, and you're ready to go! Play alone or go head-to-head with a friend to master the art of rhythm and drum to the tune of over 30 songs. Join twin Taiko brothers Don and Katsu along with their happy family and neighbors for the ultimate musical experience.
Review:
Did you ever play Donkey Konga for the Gamecube, love it, but did not own a Nintendo's
little box? Perhaps you saw it, found it to be extremely interesting, yet you were
restricted from owning it because you have one of those PlayStation 2's? Maybe you have
never seen or heard of Donkey Konga, but you love drumming and rhythm games. Well, if you
identify with any of those statements then I have wonderful news for you! Namco has released
for the PlayStation 2 the game that Donkey Konga is based off of, and it's name is Taiko:
Drum Master.
Now before people start making claims about Taiko being a cheap rip off of
Donkey Konga, I probably should say a little about the game. First and foremost,
Taiko: Drum Master is an insanely popular Japanese rhythm game franchise, currently
in its sixth iteration overseas. Therefore, Donkey Konga is actually a rip off of
Taiko - not the other way around. Taiko is also extremely Japanese. I suppose
that you probably had an idea of that, since the taiko is a Japanese Drum. Nevertheless, Taiko: Drum Master is a very very colorful Japanese rhythm game. Animations
and drawings are very reminiscent of animations that you would see in Animé. There is a very
loose setup for the game, where there is a six year old Japanese kid who wants to become a
Taiko Master. You, in turn, are like that kid, wanting to become a Taiko Master as well. All
the characters and things you do are somehow related to the kid, whether it be the friend next
door, the grandfather, the pet dogs, or even the mystically alive Taikos that live in the
house. And that my friends, is the setup for the "story" that exists in the game.
Now I am also sure that most people who play rhythm based games probably really don't care
about a story much at all, and just want to feel the beat. Rhythm based games are all about
the gameplay, or moreso sometimes the type of controller that interfaces with the gameplay.
For Taiko: Drum Master there is the Taiko Controller. What is the Taiko Controller you
ask? Well it is a replica of a Taiko, that's what! More specifically, however, the Taiko Drum
resembles a drum that one would expect to see some crazy caveman movie. There are a total of
four sensors on the drum - you can either hit the left or right side of the drum directly, or
you can do a rimshock (hit the rim) on either the left or right side of the drum. You are also
given two Taiko sticks that would be used to hit your drum. Now you would think given
the state of most controllers created in this day and age that you would want to be very
careful with hitting your drum. That is actually quite the opposite of what you would do, and
the reason for that will be revealed quite shortly. The Taiko controller is a very novel
thing, and is a fun alternative to the DDR Dance Pad or the DualShock 2 Controller.
Perhaps I should talk about the gameplay that exists in Taiko: Drum Master. The main
game consists of a total of thirty-one songs with four different difficulty levels in which
the player rhythmically belts out drum beats and rimshocks in a scripted succession. There are
four notes that can be prompted - beating the drum, beating both sides of the drum, performing
a rimshock, and performing a rimshock on both sides of the Taiko. One may also be prompted to
perform drum rolls or something called a burst note, in which the player must hit the drum a
prescribed amount of times to burst a balloon. With the exception of the Oni difficulty hitting
the drum with an 80 percent accuracy will generally cause the player to pass the level. Passing
levels will allow the player to unlock hidden songs and difficulties, and will place a silver
crown next to the difficulty level on the song you passed. If you are extremely lucky and pass
a song with hitting all notes perfectly you are rewarded with the perfect combo, and a gold
crown next to you the difficulty. Trying to achieve a perfect combo is where the difficulty of
Taiko can show itself. When playing the game it becomes very hard to keep oneself
oriented completely on the Taiko Controller. Also, the drum is not exactly the most sensitive
thing in the world. This can lead to some frustrating times trying to achieve perfect combos,
or just passing the level in some of the harder difficulty levels. Needless to say, the design
of the Taiko controller creates a slight learning curve and a difficulty that may not have
existed should the controller have been designed a little bit better.
As was stated earlier, there are a total of thirty-one songs in Taiko: Drum Master. It is a rather intersting mix
of songs, the game includes some Namco Classics mixed with some real Classical mixed with some
Rock. Where else would one find "ABC," "Carmen Prelude," and "Theme from Katamari Damacy" all
in the same game? The answer is that one wouldn't find it anywhere other than in this lovely
game. In addition to the thirty-one songs there are also 3 mini games, such as the watermelon contest
and the fireworks festival. There is also the multiplayer mode, in which one other player can
join up with another Taiko Controller or even a regular PlayStation Controller and feel the
beat.
Overall, Taiko: Drum Master is a fun rhythm game. The tunes are catchy and fun, and
the Japanese flair is extremely colorful and almost cute. Unfortunately though the Taiko
Controller could make game frustatingly challening for the novice player. A little bit more
effort could have be made to make it more responsive and less likely to move under normal
playing. While this doesn't greatly detract from the experience this can become a nuisance.
Those who decide to give this game a try would be well adviced to make sure that they hit the
drum precisely, accurately, and forcefully. Don't be afraid of hitting that drum, after all
drums are meant to be hit. If you aren't looking for immediately get perfect combos on all the
songs then Taiko is a great game. Don't expect to be perfect immediately, and you shall
find yourself having a blast playing this game.
RF Generation Review Score 85%
Variations:
Related Games:
Console |
Reg. |
Type |
Title
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Publisher
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Year
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Genre
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Nintendo GameCube |
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S |
Donkey Konga
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Nintendo
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2004
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Music/Rhythm
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Game Trivia:
- Rated 'E' for 'Everyone by the ESRB, for 'Lyrics.'
FAQ's/External Links:
Page Credits:
Michael Collins: |
Page design, HTML code, Title addition, scans, overview, external links.
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Eddie Herrmann: |
Perl script.
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David Murnan: |
screenshots, Review, Related Games.
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Fuyukaze: |
misc.
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All41UPs: |
Title Edit
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Last Updated: 2012-02-13 03:10:56 |
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