Taiko: Drum Master

"Taiko: Drum Master" (U.S. title) or "Taiko no Tatsujin" (太鼓の達人;　Taiko master) is a drumming game for the Sony PlayStation 2. A drum simulating the taiko is played in time with music. It is made by Namco, Ltd. 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 -- Don, a red-faced taiko, and Katsu, a blue-faced taiko.

Graphics

The graphics are 2-D, with a cute, childish, cartoon-like feel. Cut scenes show the adventures of the animated taikos and their friends.

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 (口唱歌).

Despite the game's cute and childish appearance, many players find the game quite difficult to master. Player need to accomplish 75% of the drum chart to pass, which can be very challenging on harder levels.

Music

Music in the Japanese version includes J-pop, anime music, western classical music and traditional Japanese festival music. The American version removes some of these genres, changing them for American cartoon themes, a few NAMCO originals an

d mainstream American hits like "Love Shack" by the B-52's and "Toxic" by Britney Spears.

Notes

The home version also has two mini-games, the "100 meter dash", played by drumming as quickly as possible, and the "Boston marathon", where the player must keep a regular beat in order not to tire out the taiko athlete.

The US Home Version and upgraded Japanese home versions include a few more games.

Don and Katsu, the characters of the game, are named after the sounds a taiko drum makes when you strike the surface or the side

of the drum respectively. Coincidentally, "katsudon" is also the name of a Japanese pork dish.

How to play

Bang (Japanese:ドン)

a small red note, hit the surface of TATACON (one of the directional buttons up, down, left, right, "O" button, "X" button, "triangle" button and "square" button)

Tap (Japanese:カッ)

a small blue note, hit the edge of the TATACON (one of L1 button, L2 button, R1 button and R2 button)

Bang(big)(Japanese:ドン（大)

a big red note, hit the both side of TATACON at the same time and a point will be higher. (one of the directional buttons up, down, left, right, "O" button, "X" button, "triangle" button and "square" button)

Tap(big)(Japanese:カッ（大）)

a big blue note, hit the left side (L1 button or L2 button) and right side (R1 button or R2 button) of edge of the TATACON and a point will be higher.

Drum roll (Japanese:連打)

a yellow note, hit the surface (one of the directional buttons up, down, left, right, "O" button, "X" button, "triangle" button and "square" button) or the edge (one of L1 button, L2 button, R1 button and R2 button) of TATACON continuously when a note is overlapped with the frame.

Drum roll(big)(Japanese:連打（大）)

a big yellow note, hit the surface (one of the directional buttons up, down, left, right, "O" button, "X" button, "triangle" button and "square" button) or edge (one of L1 button, L2 button, R1 button and R2 button) of TATACON continuously when a note is overlapped with the frame.

Balloon note (Japanese:風船音符)

a red note with a balloon, hit the surface of TATACON the number of times which is shown on the screen continuously (one of the directional buttons up, down, left, right, "O" button, "X" button, "triangle" button and "square" button) until the balloon note blow up. Extra mark will be given when the balloon note blow up.

Two-player simultaneous note (Japanese:手つなぎ音符)

a big red note with 2 hands which appear in 2 player mode, both player have to hit the surface of TATACON at the same time (one of the directional buttons up, down, left, right, "O" button, "X" button, "triangle" button and "square" button). Extra mark will be given when the players hit this note simultaneously.

Taiko Drum Master song list

Licensed Rock/Pop

1. "ABC" – by Alphonso Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, and Berry Gordy, Jr.
2. "American Girls" – words and music by Adam F. Duritz
3. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
4. "Bowling for Soup - Jimmy Neutron Theme"
5. "Girls & Boys" – by Benji Madden and Joel Madden
6. "I'm a Believer" – words and music by Neil Diamond
7. "Killer Queen" – by Queen
8. "Lady Marmalade" – by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan
9. "Love Shack" – by Catherine E. Pierson, Frederick W. Schneider, Kieth J. Strickland, and Cynthia L. Wilson
10. "Material Girl" – by Peter Brown and Robert Rans
11. "My Sharona" – composed by Douglas Fieger and Berton Averre
12. "Rock the Dragon - Dragon Ball Z Theme"
13. "Slide" – words and music by John Rzeznik
14. "That's the Way (I Like It)" – by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch
15. "The Impression That I Get" – by Dicky Barrett and Joe Gittleman
16. "Toxic" – by Cathy Dennis, Christian Karisson, Pontus Winnberg and Henrik Jonback
17. "Tubthumping" – written by Nigel Hunter, BruceDuncan, Alice Nutter, Louise Watts, Paul Greco, Darren Hamer, Allen Whalley and Judith Abbott
18. "Walking on Sunshine" – words and music by Kimberley Rew

Classical

1. "Beethoven's Symphony No. 5"
2. "Carmen Prelude"
3. "Foster's Medley"
4. "Hungarian Dances No. 5"
5. "Symphony No. 25 in G Minor"
6. "William Tell Overture"

Namco Original

1. "Don Rangers"
2. "Dragon Spirit"
3. "Katamari on the Rocks"
4. "Ridge Racer"
5. "SOULCALIBUR II Brave Sword, Braver Soul"
6. "Taiko March"
7. "The Genji and the Heike Clans"
8. "Saitama 2000^[1]"