GamesRadar+ Verdict
Pros
- +
Simple and compelling gameplay
- +
Uses the touch screen effectively
- +
Great range of J-pop
Cons
- -
Gets incredibly difficult
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No American release announced
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Some tracks aren't that catchy
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Sept 19, 2007
No other rhythm action game on DS has yet to use the touch screen as a single, real instrument, for the duration of the game. In Rhythm Tengoku you're banging objects, shooting arrows, and punching cans. In Ouendan you're tapping a few random balls whose shapes are abstract rather than musical in nature. In Taiko No Tatsujin DS, however, as in its former arcade incarnations and Donkey Konga (made by the same team), the game is all about a real instrument. Styluses become drumsticks, and the DS is your actual drum.
You're not just listening to a song and tapping random shapes on the touch screen in time (not that that can't be fun). More like Guitar Hero than Elite Beat Agents, there's an extra level of immersion because the premise is that you're playing the hardware as though it's a real instrument. The fact that you play it all out to insanely catchy J-pop makes it all the better.
