Taiko Drum Master

Game Chronicles

I don't care what you read anywhere else. This is a MUST HAVE game for anyone who likes music and owns a PS2. Admit it; at one time in your life you fancied yourself a drummer, beating on pots and pans or anything else that made noise. Now you can live out those fantasies and actually sound pretty good doing it.

Gaming Age

For music enthusiasts, picking up both games is a given, as Donkey Konga is worth playing, but for the more selective crowd, this Japanese drum should be the one you go home banging on your way out of the store.

Cinescape

Easily one of the most addictive party games I have ever played.

netjak

A rhythm game lives and dies by its music. Taiko Drum Master is packed with songs that you can find yourself playing for hours, and get a decent upper-body workout from too (hey, you try pounding through Oni mode for a couple hours without burning some calories).

GameZone

While the game could have used a bigger selection of pop songs (even those that are modified) in the unlockable areas, there is little doubt that the songs offered here are very cool, and a lot of fun to drum along to. This can be an intense workout, but the game is very enjoyable, and it's a certified winner.

GameSpy

There's something very satisfying about playing Taiko Drum Master. That something is spending the entire game hitting things. And creating sweet, sweet music, of course, but the feeling of bringing those plastic drumsticks down on the taiko controller is something that you don't normally get from a home video game.

GamingTrend

Put plainly, this is a very welcome distraction from all the running, jumping, and silly key and coin collecting that you can enjoy with your friends and family.

Gaming Nexus

Rhythm games usually wear out their welcomes after a few weeks, but Taiko’s hands-on addictiveness provides months and months of wholesome family entertainment.

Game Over Online

Peripheral issues aside, Taiko Drum Master is probably one of the first rhythm games in a while to actually provide some amount of creativity to the genre.

PGNx Media

The drum is big, (sort-of) bulky and very loud, but it is pretty enjoyable and does register your strokes well.

1UP

The most distinctive thing about the Taiko games is the bizarre cast of characters Namco has invented for the series.

games(TM)

It's doubtful that anyone is hard-hearted enough to not instantly fall in love with the cylindrical, part-watermelon drum dog that acts as your host, and his equally bizarre pals all do a superb job of dancing around in a distracting manner as you attempt to pump out an amazingly complex drum solo. [Oct 2004, p.111]

Worth Playing

It even plays a lot better than "Donkey Konga."

Yahoo! Games

If you don't mind a lot of banging around, and are looking to expose your family to some musical challenges, Taiko: Drum Master is a good choice.

GMR Magazine

Taiko: Drum Master's surreal happy-happy smiling drums and their friends are much more charming and should easily win over the hearts of music-loving PS2 gamers across the globe. [Dec 2004, p.132]

Stuff

Bonus points: "My Sharona," the greatest freakin' song of all time, is one of 30 tracks in the game. Oh, my little pretty one!

G4 TV

If you have the choice, it holds many advantages over "Donkey Konga." The graphics and song list are superior. However, drumming requires a bit more coordination than playing the bongos.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Very fun, and the graphics are incredibly endearing. [Dec 2004, p.106]

Game Informer

This has a great song list and gives you what a good music title should: a taste of what it's like to play the instrument in real life. [Dec 2004, p.177]

IGN

Playing through the 31 songs and mastering them is well worth the money if you're looking for a good rhythm game with some intricate drum patterns and a whole lot of ready made drumming practice.

Detroit Free Press

If you're willing to take turns with friends and family, the frolicking oddballs of Taiko Drum Master -- dancing cats, drums, chicks, goldfish, turtles and, no joke, fluffy cotton-candy critters that cheer you on -- will happily keep you banging the drum well past bedtime.

TotalPlayStation

Taiko's patterns can be incredibly addictive, often sending mixed signals to your brain like every good challenging rhythm game, but once you nail a string of rapid-fire sixteenth notes with rimshots buried in the middle, the game will hook you with that classic "just one more try" addiction.

Next Level Gaming

And with the exception of the fact that the mini-games suck, the game on a whole is pretty cool, and the concept is well executed.

Gaming Target

Taiko Drum Master finally brings percussion to the video game music craze, but the cool factor that made Guitar Hero popular has fled this game on account of its cute presentation.

GameSpot

A game that you can't help but have fun with, but which might be best rented for parties and suchlike given its bundled-with-a-peripheral price tag and somewhat limited single-player appeal.

The New York Times

Play the pounding ''My Sharona'' on the Taiko peripheral and you may feel as though you are doing more than just beating a gimmicky peripheral in time with the music. You may feel as if you are grooving with the band, achieving oneness with your video game.

DailyGame

One of those games that's good, but it suffers from being too niche to ensure it broad acceptance from gamers. Couple that with the fact that the Taiko Drum is yet another specialized controller that'll probably never see use again.

Warcry

A rhythmically sound game, Taiko Drum Master doesn't break the same ground Donkey Konga did, but it is fun in its own right.

PSM Magazine

The selection of 30+ songs is a bit uneven, but the game is still a blast, and even has a few off-kilter, non-musical mini-games. [Holiday 2004, p.98]

GameShark

Like "Donkey Konga," Taiko Drum Master ultimately suffers from being a one-trick pony that grows a bit boring after playing the included songs enough times.

GamerFeed

The skill levels are very well balanced, meaning you'll probably beat the easy songs and then get destroyed when you switch to the hardest difficulties, but that's definitely a good thing.

eToychest

The game, while fully localized, is rich with Japanese iconography that gives it a decidedly Asian feel. The dog/watermelon/drum characters that dominate the on-screen activity are so bizarre that they cannot help but be endearing. The rest of the game's cast of characters is just as off-the-wall, and it is this offbeat cast that helps to further separate it from the competition.

PSX Nation

A lot of fun, offers great music but could use a more sensitive, less frustrating controller.

Game Revolution

For one hundred dollars you could buy a keg, a stripper, a clown, or make a down payment on a bouncy castle. Now THAT'S a party. While Taiko Drum Master's novelty value is clear, you might want to skip this beat in favor of a cheaper groove.

GameCritics

Too much effort was spent trying to force loveable, quirky characters down my throat with all the believability of The DaVinci Code's plotline.