Taiko no Tatsujin
Encyclopedia
is a series of rhythm games created by Namco
. The series has seen releases for the arcade
, Nintendo DS
, PlayStation 2
, PlayStation Portable
, Wii
, iOS
, Advanced Pico Beena
, and mobile phone
s.
There have been many releases of the game in Japan
, and one North America
n release under the name Taiko: Drum Master
. Due to the nature of the series, there were no other releases outside of Japan
.
drum controller to play the notes of a chosen song's drum part as they are displayed on the screen. The PlayStation 2 and Wii versions can be played with a TaTaCon (stands for Taiko Tapping Controller), a special controller which looks like a small taiko drum. The Nintendo DS and iPhone OS versions uses the touch screen as an interactive taiko drum, with the DS games including two styluses in their packages.
The Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable versions also have the ability to engage in 4 player wireless multiplayer.
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).
While its appearance may seem cute, it is actually quite difficult: the player needs to accomplish at least 65% of the drum chart to pass, and the harder levels (hard and Oni mode) and modifiers (eg: hidden mode) will require much skill and chart recognization.
Successful play builds up a life meter, and if the meter is past a certain point by the end of the song, the song is passed.
, anime
music, classical music, traditional Children's\Folk
music, Variety music, video game themes, and Namco Original themes.
A soundtrack based on these series has been released on May 2008. It includes songs from Taiko no Tatsujin 10, Taiko no Tatsujin 11, Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Touch de Dokodon, and Mecha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken.
Nintendo DS
Wii
PlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable
iOS
Android
Advanced Pico Beena
Mobile Phone
broadcast 3-minute shorts of the Taiko no Tatsujin characters in clay anime. A manga version of the series was also serialized in Comic Bom Bom
.
Mini versions of the game appear in the Namco game Tales of the World:Narikiri Dungeon 3 when the main characters is equipped with a costume resembling a drum, and in the Nintendo DS game Nodame Cantabile
.
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
. The series has seen releases for the arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
, Advanced Pico Beena
Advanced Pico Beena
The Advanced Pico Beena, also known as Beena is an educational console system targeted at young children sold by Sega Toys, released on August 6, 2005 in Japan. It is the successor to the Pico. The toy is designed for ages 2–8 around the concept children can learn while they play...
, and mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s.
There have been many releases of the game in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and one North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n release under the name Taiko: Drum Master
Taiko: Drum Master
"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...
. Due to the nature of the series, there were no other releases outside of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Overview
The player uses a simulated taikoTaiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drum controller to play the notes of a chosen song's drum part as they are displayed on the screen. The PlayStation 2 and Wii versions can be played with a TaTaCon (stands for Taiko Tapping Controller), a special controller which looks like a small taiko drum. The Nintendo DS and iPhone OS versions uses the touch screen as an interactive taiko drum, with the DS games including two styluses in their packages.
The Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable versions also have the ability to engage in 4 player wireless multiplayer.
Gameplay
Symbols moving horizontally along a timeline show the player what to hit and when. Blue symbols indicate that the drum should be hit on the rim. Red symbols indicate that the face of the drum should be hit. The drum can be hit on the left and/or right side. The symbols can be either large or small. Large symbols indicate that the drum should be struck on both sides simultaneously , and small symbols indicate that the drum should be hit on either side. A large blue symbol thus means that the left and right rim should be hit at the same time.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
Kuchi shoga
Kuchi shōga , also known as 'kuchi showa' and 'kuchi shoka', is a Japanese phonetic system for 'pronouncing' the sounds of drums, especially Japanese drums ....
(口唱歌).
While its appearance may seem cute, it is actually quite difficult: the player needs to accomplish at least 65% of the drum chart to pass, and the harder levels (hard and Oni mode) and modifiers (eg: hidden mode) will require much skill and chart recognization.
Successful play builds up a life meter, and if the meter is past a certain point by the end of the song, the song is passed.
Music
Most releases include J-popJ-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
music, classical music, traditional Children's\Folk
Ondo (music)
is a type of Japanese folk music genre.- Etymology and description:The literal translation of "ondo" is "sound head." Kanji, or the Chinese characters used in the Japanese language, often have literal and abstract meanings, here the kanji for "sound" having a more abstract meaning of "melody" or...
music, Variety music, video game themes, and Namco Original themes.
A soundtrack based on these series has been released on May 2008. It includes songs from Taiko no Tatsujin 10, Taiko no Tatsujin 11, Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Touch de Dokodon, and Mecha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken.
Releases
ArcadeArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
- 太鼓の達人 (Taiko no Tatsujin) (February 2001)
- 太鼓の達人 2 (Taiko no Tatsujin 2) (August 2001)
- 太鼓の達人 3 (Taiko no Tatsujin 3) (March 2002)
- 太鼓の達人 4 (Taiko no Tatsujin 4) (December 2002)
- 太鼓の達人 5 (Taiko no Tatsujin 5) (October 2003)
- 太鼓の達人 6 (Taiko no Tatsujin 6) (September 2004)
- 太鼓の達人 7 (Taiko no Tatsujin 7) (September 2005)
- 太鼓の達人 8 (Taiko no Tatsujin 8) (March 2006)
- 太鼓の達人 9 (Taiko no Tatsujin 9) (December 2006)
- 太鼓の達人 10 (Taiko no Tatsujin 10) (September 2007)
- 太鼓の達人 11 (Taiko no Tatsujin 11) (March 2008)
- 太鼓之達人 11 亞洲版 (Taiko no Tatsujin 11 Asian Version) (April 2008)
- 太鼓の達人 12 (Taiko no Tatsujin 12) (December 2008)
- 太鼓之達人 12 亞洲版 (Taiko no Tatsujin 12 Asian Version) (June 2009)
- 太鼓の達人 12 ド～ン！と増量版 (Taiko no Tatsujin 12 Don to Extra Version) (July 2009)
- 太鼓の達人 13 (Taiko no Tatsujin 13) (December 17 2009)
- 太鼓の達人 14 (Taiko no Tatsujin 14Taiko no Tatsujin 14is a rhythm arcade game developed and published by Namco, and distributed by Namco Bandai Games. It was released in 2010 in Japan. It is unknown that this arcade game will be released to Malaysia, but seen only old releases of Taiko games mostly in Jusco stores...
) (September 2010) - 太鼓の達人 (New) (Taiko no TatsujinTaiko no Tatsujinis a series of rhythm games created by Namco. The series has seen releases for the arcade, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, iOS, Advanced Pico Beena, and mobile phones....
(New)) (November 2011)
Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
- 太鼓の達人 DS タッチでドコドン(Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Touch de DokodonTaiko no Tatsujin DS: Touch de Dokodonis a rhythm video game developed and published by Namco for the Nintendo DS handheld game console in 2007, and it was released only in Japan. Like other Taiko games, the player plays the notes of a chosen song's drum part as they are displayed on the screen...
) (26 July 2007) - めっちゃ! 太鼓の達人 DS 7つの島の大冒険 (Meccha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: 7tsu no Shima no DaiboukenMeccha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: 7tsu no Shima no Daiboukenis a game by Namco for the Nintendo DS. .It is the second game for the Nintendo DS in the Taiko no Tatsujin series and it was released only in Japan....
) (24 April 2008) - 太鼓の達人 DS ドロロン！ヨーカイ大決戦！！ (Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Dororon! Yokai Daikessen!!Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Dororon! Yokai Daikessen!!, known as Taiko DS 3, is a Taiko no Tatsujin game for Nintendo DS and the third installment in the Taiko no Tatsujin DS series. It was released only in Japan on July 1, 2010.-Gameplay:Gameplay in Taiko DS is very similar to its predecessors...
) (1 July 2010)
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
- 太鼓の達人 Wii (Taiko no Tatsujin WiiTaiko no Tatsujin WiiTaiko no Tatsujin Wii is a rhythm video game developed and published by Namco Bandai for the Wii console in 2008, and it was released only in Japan. Like other Taiko games, the player plays the notes of a chosen song's drum part as they are displayed on the screen...
) (December 11 2008) - 太鼓の達人 Wii ドドーンと2代目！ (Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Do Don to 2 DaimeTaiko no Tatsujin Wii: Do Don to 2 Daime, or simply known as Taiko no Tatsujin Wii 2, is a music rhythm game for the Wii. It was released on November 19, 2009 only in Japan. It is the sequel of Taiko no Tatsujin Wii.- Features :...
) (19 November 2009) - 太鼓の達人 Wii みんなでパーティ☆3代目！ (Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Minna de Party 3 DaimeTaiko no Tatsujin Wii: Minna de Party 3 Daimeis a Taiko no Tatsujin game for Wii and the third installment of the Taiko no Tatsujin Wii series. It was released only in Japan on December 2, 2010.- Features :The features are very similar to its predecessors, but with up to 4 players this time...
) (December 2, 2010) - 太鼓の達人 Wii 決定版 (Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Kettei-BanTaiko no Tatsujin Wii: Kettei-Banis an upcoming rhythm video game for Wii. It will be released on November 23, 2011 in Japan. It is the fourth installment of the Taiko no Tatsujin Wii series...
) (November 23, 2011)
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
- 太鼓の達人 タタコンでドドンがドン (Taiko no Tatsujin: Tatacon de DODON ga DON) (24 October 2002)
- 太鼓の達人 ドキッ！新曲だらけの春祭り (Taiko no Tatsujin: DOKI! Shinkyoku Darake no Haru Matsuri) (27 March 2003)
- 太鼓の達人 あっぱれ三代目 (Taiko no Tatsujin: Appare Sandaime) (30 October 2003)
- 太鼓の達人 わくわくアニメ祭り (Taiko no Tatsujin: Waku Waku anime Matsuri) (18 December 2003)
- 太鼓の達人 あつまれ！祭りだ！四代目 (Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumare! Matsuri da!! Yondaime) (22 July 2004)
- 太鼓の達人 TAIKO DRUM MASTER (Taiko no Tatsujin: Taiko Drum Master) (Oct 26, 2004)
- 太鼓の達人 ゴー！ゴー！五代目 (Taiko no Tatsujin: Go! Go! Godaime) (9 December 2004)
- 太鼓の達人 とびっきり！アニメスペシャル (Taiko no Tatsujin: Tobikkiri! Anime Special) (4 August 2005)
- 太鼓の達人 わいわいハッピー！六代目 (Taiko no Tatsujin: Wai Wai Happy! Rokudaime) (8 December 2005)
- 太鼓の達人 ドンカッ！と大盛り七代目 (Taiko no Tatsujin: DON-KA! to Oomori Nanadaime) (7 December 2006)
PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
- 太鼓の達人 ぽ～たぶる (Taiko no Tatsujin: PortableTaiko no Tatsujin: Portableis a rhythm video game for PlayStation Portable. It was released on August 4, 2005 in Japan. It was the first Taiko game in handheld gaming console.-Gameplay:...
) (4 August 2005) - 太鼓の達人 ぽ～たぶる2 (Taiko no Tatsujin: Portable 2Taiko no Tatsujin: Portable 2is a rhythm video game for PlayStation Portable. It was released on September 7, 2006 in Japan. It is the sequel to Taiko no Tatsujin: Portable. It was also known to have the biggest download songs library in its site.-Gameplay:...
) (7 September 2006) - 太鼓の達人 ぽ～たぶるDX (Taiko no Tatsujin: Portable DXTaiko no Tatsujin: Portable DXis a rhythm video game for PlayStation Portable. It was released on July 14, 2011 in Japan. It is the third installment of the Taiko Portable series. This game is a part of the Taiko franchise's 10th anniversary.- Download Content :...
) (14 July 2011)
iOS
- 太鼓の達人 (Taiko no Tatsujin) (February 1, 2010, only in Japan)
- 太鼓の達人 2(Taiko no Tatsujin 2) (2010, only in Japan)
- 太鼓の達人 +(Taiko no Tatsujin +) (May 28, 2010, in Japan and Hong Kong)
Android
- 太鼓の達人 AR (Taiko no Tatsujin AR) (only in Japan)
- 太鼓の達人 AR 妖怪バトル(Taiko no Tatsujin Youkai Battle) (Spring 2011, only in Japan)
- 太鼓の達人 +(Taiko no Tatsujin +) (Coming Soon)
Advanced Pico Beena
Advanced Pico Beena
The Advanced Pico Beena, also known as Beena is an educational console system targeted at young children sold by Sega Toys, released on August 6, 2005 in Japan. It is the successor to the Pico. The toy is designed for ages 2–8 around the concept children can learn while they play...
- 太鼓の達人 Beena (Taiko no Tatsujin Beena) (14 April 2005)
Mobile Phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
- 太鼓之達人 流行月租 (Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Monthly) (2 January 2008, only for TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
) - 太鼓の達人 もばいる (Taiko no Tatsujin Mobile) (20 March 2008, only for JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
)
Spin-offs
From 2005, Kids StationKids Station
Kids Station is a Japanese children's television channel showing animation and other cartoon material. Kids Station also airs some anime aimed at adults during the night, such as Narutaru, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Genshiken, Kujibiki Unbalance and "Rosario + Vampire". It is broadcast on...
broadcast 3-minute shorts of the Taiko no Tatsujin characters in clay anime. A manga version of the series was also serialized in Comic Bom Bom
Comic Bom Bom
was a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Kodansha and targeted at elementary school boys. Each issue had 700+ pages, with 80 of them being full-color advertisements. Similar to its rival CoroCoro Comic, it featured tie-ins with game makers and toy makers but toward the end of its run had...
.
Mini versions of the game appear in the Namco game Tales of the World:Narikiri Dungeon 3 when the main characters is equipped with a costume resembling a drum, and in the Nintendo DS game Nodame Cantabile
Nodame Cantabile
is a manga by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized in Japan by Kodansha in the magazine Kiss from July 2001 to October 2009 and collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. A two-volume sequel, called Nodame Cantabile: Opera Chapter, which began serialization in the 10 December 2009 issue of Kiss, was released...
.
Trivia
- The Kamen Rider Hibiki video game included an Bonus Disc with the Opening an Ending of the Show, which can use the TaTaCon controller.
- The arcade version of the game is featured in the films Lost in TranslationLost in Translation (film)Lost in Translation is a 2003 American film written and directed by Sofia Coppola; her second feature film after The Virgin Suicides and it stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson...
and WasabiWasabi (film)Wasabi is a 2001 movie directed by Gérard Krawczyk, written and produced by Luc Besson and starring Jean Reno, Michel Muller and Ryōko Hirosue...
. - The ninth arcade version of the game is also featured in episode 2 of the anime Lucky Star. Obs.: The music is Hare Hare Yukai from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. In response, NAMCO added Lucky Star's opening theme "Motteke! Sailor Fuku" into the 10th edition.
- The ninth arcade version of the game is also featured in episode 13 of the anime Nodame CantabileNodame Cantabileis a manga by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized in Japan by Kodansha in the magazine Kiss from July 2001 to October 2009 and collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. A two-volume sequel, called Nodame Cantabile: Opera Chapter, which began serialization in the 10 December 2009 issue of Kiss, was released...
. - The mini version of Taiko no Tatsujin was featured on Nodame CantabileNodame Cantabileis a manga by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized in Japan by Kodansha in the magazine Kiss from July 2001 to October 2009 and collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. A two-volume sequel, called Nodame Cantabile: Opera Chapter, which began serialization in the 10 December 2009 issue of Kiss, was released...
Game on Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... - In the documentary Global MetalGlobal MetalGlobal Metal is a 2008 documentary film directed by Scot McFadyen and Canadian anthropologist Sam Dunn. It is a followup to their successful 2005 documentary, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. The film's international premiere took place at the Bergen International Film Festival on October 17th 2007...
, anthropologist Sam DunnSam DunnSam Dunn is a Canadian anthropologist and film-maker whose work focuses on the culture of heavy metal. Together with Scot McFadyen, Dunn owns Toronto-based production company Banger Films, Inc.-Metal: A Headbanger's Journey:...
can be seen playing it while in Japan - Taiko no Tatsujin's famous song, Saitama 2000, is featured in the acrade music game Music GunGun.
- The thirteenth arcade version of the game is featured in episode 3 of the anime Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga NaiOre no Imoto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, also known as or for short, is a Japanese light novel series written by Tsukasa Fushimi, with illustrations provided by Hiro Kanzaki. Nine volumes have been published since August 2008. A manga adaptation drawn by Sakura Ikeda was serialized in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Magazine. A...
. - The ninth arcade version of the game is featured in one episode of the anime Idolmaster.
External links
- Official Website (Japanese)
- Table of music tracks by version of the game (in Japanese)
- Taiko no Tatsujin Asian Version (in Chinese)