The third Taiko no Tatsujin
(Drum Master) rhythm game bops over to the PS2 towards the
winter of 2003. Play mechanics are simple, with five basic
moves to tap on the TataCon drum controller as the on-screen
smiley face cues scroll across the screen. The color and
expression of the smiley triggers any one of the following
drum moves:
Red Smiley - Hit the surface
of the TataCon
Blue Smiley - Smack the edge of the TataCon
Red Laugh - Blast a strong surface thump with both sticks
Blue Laugh - Hit both edges of the TataCon simultaneously
Smiley Overlaps Frame - Fire off rapid staccato with both
sticks
To help the uncoordinated
masses with the basics of drum rhythm, a Beginner mode
taught by professor Bachio tutors tyros on the basics of the
game and how to read the cue signals.
Musical selections in the
game include 39 new songs out of 103 total which range the
J-Pop spectrum from recent favorites to chart topping hits
such as "Good Bye Summer," "Door to Tomorrow," "One Night
Carnival," "True Blue," "UFO," and then there are even
Namco's own classics such as the theme from Galaga '88 and
"Soul Calibur II Brave Sword, Braver Soul."
A new mini-game mode may
also be enjoyed where two rhythm-ready dogs raise and lower
flags in time to your drum beats, which in turn are
triggered by following onscreen cues. Three other mini-games
are also available which test the mettle of rhythm artists
with a penchant for banging the drum. Clearing two or three
mini-games successfully will unlock additional mini-games
for further deployment.
