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[BuddyC]

there was a bit there were taiko and konga were both due out near the end of september. but when i reserved taiko earlier today (thank you gamerush - $30 for a $60 game), they informed me of a late october ship date.

i checked it out when i got home, and sure enough it's legit.

did i just completely overlook this news, or are we slacking here?

i can wait another month, but i don't want to


Extra Taiko: $39.99 (!)


Extra Bongo: $34.99

 

[AniHawk]

there was a bit there were taiko and konga were both due out near the end of september. but when i reserved taiko earlier today (thank you gamerush - $30 for a $60 game), they informed me of a late october ship date.

i checked it out when i got home, and sure enough it's legit.

did i just completely overlook this news, or are we slacking here?

i can wait another month, but i don't want to

I thought it was always an October title, but an early October title (1st or 2nd week).

 

[RevenantKioku]

I've had it marked in my calendar as late October for quite some time now. (like a month after konga)
Oh well, makes it easier to buy both. The buying SMT3 and Konga on the same day, now that's a pain.

 

[BuddyC]

perhaps it was. i just remember rhythm fans complaining that namco was crowding the market in later september/early october. first post has pics now, because, it should.

 

[AniHawk]

WTF?! SIXTY DOLLARS!??

 

[BuddyC]

WTF?! SIXTY DOLLARS!??

it's supposed to come with a taiko, drum sticks and a stand, so it really isn't all that bad. especially considering that additional taikos are $40.

 

[AniHawk]

it's supposed to come with a taiko, drum sticks and a stand, so it really isn't all that bad. especially considering that additional taikos are $40.

I guess I've been spoiled since the end of the N64 days.

 

[cvxfreak]

Will the Taiko game be sold on its own? I've been thinking of importing Waku Waku Anime Masturi with the drums and just getting Drum Master separately.

 

[Miburou]

Why did Namco wait so long to release Taiko? They seem to have shot themselves in the foot releasing it after Konga.

 

[BuddyC]

I guess I've been spoiled since the end of the N64 days.

considering i paid $120 for konga (plus extra bongo) last winter and $100 for a dance pad years before that, not to mention steel battalion and two sets of Samba de Amigo maracas, i'm on the opposite end of the spectrum here.

 

[cvxfreak]

considering i paid $120 for konga (plus extra bongo) last winter and a $100 dance pad years before that, not to mention steel battalion and two sets of Samba de Amigo maracas, i'm on the opposite end of the spectrum here.

:O

I paid 3980 Yen for Konga in Japan, brand spankin new. An extra bongo would have netted me 2000 Yen. Ah well.

 

[BuddyC]

:O

I paid 3980 Yen for Konga in Japan, brand spankin new. An extra bongo would have netted me 2000 Yen. Ah well.

it was the shipping that jacked up the price there, adding $20 or $30 bucks. Konga itself was $55, the extra bongo was $40. no matter where i looked it was almost the same total after shipping.

 

[Vlad]

I'm still trying to decide between Konga and Taiko, myself. I've heard that Konga is a bit on the easy side which really is making me lean towards Taiko. However, it seems that Taiko only really has two inputs, the middle of the drum and the edge, while Konga has left, right, both, and clap.

I remember seeing some videos for Taiko that someone posted a while back that showcased a bunch of neat looking little mini-games, which could give some nice variety to just playing the songs. Does Konga have any mini-games? How does the selection compare to Taiko?

 

[BuddyC]

I'm still trying to decide between Konga and Taiko, myself. I've heard that Konga is a bit on the easy side which really is making me lean towards Taiko. However, it seems that Taiko only really has two inputs, the middle of the drum and the edge, while Konga has left, right, both, and clap.

taiko has four inputs - left side. right side. left rim. right rim. not to mention the times you have to hit both sides.

i'm more concerned about taiko than konga. i've already played konga, and taiko isn't receiving nearly as large a push and may be that much tougher to find in the future. plus you've got katamari rock in taiko.

and yea, konga was kinda easy...even on hard. but hey, that's not always a bad thing.

 

[RevenantKioku]

My only problem with Taiko is that its really different playing on the small PS2 drum as compared to the big ass arcade drum. I tried the ps2 version, and it was fun, but just not the same. Plus, I doubt we'll get the Doraemon theme song

 

[Defensor]

Plus, I doubt we'll get the Doraemon theme song

Nor the Dekaranger song

 

[explodet]

I've got DDR Extreme to buy in September, but Konga and Taiko look SOOOOOOO tempting...

 

[bobbyconover]

taiko has four inputs - left side. right side. left rim. right rim. not to mention the times you have to hit both sides.

Yes but it never actually uses the left-right inputs. Even the times when you're supposed to hit both sides are irrelevant since it lets you do a single-sided hit without penalty. Technically the inputs exist for both sides, but if the game never requires specific use of one side or the other, it's irrelevant. At least until a future mix implements side-specific notes to hit, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be happening any time soon.

And Vlad, I'd say both Taiko and Konga are about equal difficulty-wise. Easy. If I had to choose just one I'd go with Konga over Taiko because of the (actually fun) party modes, the far superior controller, and the far better song list. Sorry Katamari on the Rock!

Konga does have mini-games also, but I don't think they're as good as the ones in Taiko. Of course, even the ones in Taiko are just cute little distractions that you probably won't play more than a couple times each, as awesome as those couple of times will be.

 

[BuddyC]

way to kill my hype bobby

 

[Vlad]

Yes but it never actually uses the left-right inputs. Even the times when you're supposed to hit both sides are irrelevant since it lets you do a single-sided hit without penalty. Technically the inputs exist for both sides, but if the game never requires specific use of one side or the other, it's irrelevant. At least until a future mix implements side-specific notes to hit, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be happening any time soon.

Yeah, that's what I was referring to. It's kinda disappointing to hear that you don't even have to hit both sides on the "both sides" cue... seems to defeat the purpose.

And Vlad, I'd say both Taiko and Konga are about equal difficulty-wise. Easy. If I had to choose just one I'd go with Konga over Taiko because of the (actually fun) party modes, the far superior controller, and the far better song list. Sorry Katamari on the Rock!

Well, I don't see myself ponying up for multiple sets of bongos any time soon, not to mention the fact that I know nobody locally who plays games at all, so any multiplayer modes are going to be pretty much lost on me. You're the first person who I've heard say that the difficulty is pretty even. I've always heard that Konga was way on the easy side and Taiko was more difficult. When you say that they're equal, are they both equally difficult or equally easy?

Look at it this way, the only real experience I've had with any rythm games has been Frequency and Amplitude. I've beaten the hardest difficulty in Frequency, and am currently working through the last few songs on the hardest difficulty in Amplitude, and I think that that's a nice challenging difficulty level, without being overkill. I've seen videos of those games in Japan (the names escape this rythm game newbie at the moment) where there's like nine buttons and a whole mess of notes flying down the screen at once. I consider that sort of thing "hard" (or at least it looks like it). That said, how do Konga and Taiko stack up in the genre?

Konga does have mini-games also, but I don't think they're as good as the ones in Taiko. Of course, even the ones in Taiko are just cute little distractions that you probably won't play more than a couple times each, as awesome as those couple of times will be.

You'd be surprised how easily entertained I can be by "little distractions"

I actually got the chance to try Konga at a Circuit City the other day, and while the bongos had an excellent feel to them, the inaudible volume of the TV combined with the uncomfortably low mounting of the bongos made it hard to really judge the experience. That, and the fact that slapping the sides of the bongos didn't always make the "clap" register, so I cut my demo time short when I realized that I was beating the hell out of the sides of the bongos in order to avoid clapping in the middle of the store...

 

[Bobety]

They're still brothers, just not twins

 

[BreakyBoy]

I've seen videos of those games in Japan (the names escape this rythm game newbie at the moment) where there's like nine buttons and a whole mess of notes flying down the screen at once.

I might be wrong, but that sounds like Pop'n Music to me.

 

[Alcibiades]

I also thought it was the same week at first, but I checked a week ago at ebgames.com for the date, and it was Octoboer, as some people here had kinda made notions about...

 

[Ninja Scooter]

nobody has asked the important question? How'd you get if for $30, corksmoker?

 

[BuddyC]

nobody has asked the important question? How'd you get if for $30, corksmoker?

the "trade in any game and get any new release for $29.99" promo at Blockbuster/Gamerush.

with that, my 1 cent copy of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance ended up knocking $38 off the price.

 

[impirius]

Taiko is in Gamerush's system?? Okay, which two of my games are the most expendable...

 

[bobbyconover]

You're the first person who I've heard say that the difficulty is pretty even. I've always heard that Konga was way on the easy side and Taiko was more difficult. When you say that they're equal, are they both equally difficult or equally easy?

Look at it this way, the only real experience I've had with any rythm games has been Frequency and Amplitude. I've beaten the hardest difficulty in Frequency, and am currently working through the last few songs on the hardest difficulty in Amplitude, and I think that that's a nice challenging difficulty level, without being overkill. I've seen videos of those games in Japan (the names escape this rythm game newbie at the moment) where there's like nine buttons and a whole mess of notes flying down the screen at once. I consider that sort of thing "hard" (or at least it looks like it). That said, how do Konga and Taiko stack up in the genre?

I hate to say it, since I'm a big supporter of Taiko and Konga, but if you're that good at Frequency and Amplitude you will absolutely CRUSH both Taiko and Konga. Using your scale, with Frequency and Amplitude as "normal" and Pop'n Music as "hard," Taiko and Konga are equally "ridiculously easy." Anyone with actual rhythm game experience will be able to at least pass, and possibly even full-combo before long, every song on the hardest difficulty within a couple of days. Trust me. Pop'n Music, the 9-key game you're thinking of, has a far higher difficulty level than both Konga/Taiko and Frequency/Amplitude on its harder levels. Pop'n Music, Beatmania IIDX, Drum Mania and other BEMANI games have quite a few songs that it could take months or years for even a seasoned rhythm game player to do well on.

I also hate to say that the Taiko controller flat-out sucks compared to many other rhythm controllers. I can't tell you how many times people have asked me if their controller was broken right out of the box, simply because it misses every 20th note (or so) no matter how accurately you hit it. It's basically just a design flaw that can't be avoided, as far as I can tell. It's also made of a not-too-friendly firm plastic that makes a loud, unpleasant smacking sound every time you hit it. It's so loud that it drowns out the music being played and could very easily annoy your neighbors. That said, it's also one of the more affordable home rhythm controllers, and it gets the job done if nothing else. It's just painfully obvious that Namco put affordability over quality.

I'd still recommend strongly that you pick up one or both of the games, as they're both a lot of fun. It's just a more casual type of fun, not at all hardcore like the BEMANI games or Frequency and Amplitude. If you're interested in moving up to the big leagues of rhythm, though, you should definitely head in the direction of games like Drum Mania, Beatmania IIDX, Guitar Freaks, Pop'n Music, etc.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

the "trade in any game and get any new release for $29.99" promo at Blockbuster/Gamerush.

with that, my 1 cent copy of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance ended up knocking $38 off the price.

just one game, or 2? Cause there's a coupon in the latest EGM for that same deal, but it requires TWO games traded in. Did you need a coupon at all?

 

[BuddyC]

edit:

Ninja - just one game, no coupon required. there was some confusion as to whether or not the promotion ended this past monday or on 10/10 though, so take another game and the coupon just in case.

 

[B'z-chan]

Thank you Buddy C you have saved me money..... (i'm going to Gamerush tommorrow) wait you need a coupon? Damnit where did i put the coupons i have for this place? Blah now i can get Konga and have my Katamari goodness.

 

[Prospero]

I also hate to say that the Taiko controller flat-out sucks compared to many other rhythm controllers. I can't tell you how many times people have asked me if their controller was broken right out of the box, simply because it misses every 20th note (or so) no matter how accurately you hit it. It's basically just a design flaw that can't be avoided, as far as I can tell. It's also made of a not-too-friendly firm plastic that makes a loud, unpleasant smacking sound every time you hit it. It's so loud that it drowns out the music being played and could very easily annoy your neighbors. That said, it's also one of the more affordable home rhythm controllers, and it gets the job done if nothing else. It's just painfully obvious that Namco put affordability over quality.

Well, that saves me from pre-ordering this game--it'll just be Donkey Konga for me.

 

[Vlad]

I hate to say it, since I'm a big supporter of Taiko and Konga, but if you're that good at Frequency and Amplitude you will absolutely CRUSH both Taiko and Konga. Using your scale, with Frequency and Amplitude as "normal" and Pop'n Music as "hard," Taiko and Konga are equally "ridiculously easy." Anyone with actual rhythm game experience will be able to at least pass, and possibly even full-combo before long, every song on the hardest difficulty within a couple of days. Trust me. Pop'n Music, the 9-key game you're thinking of, has a far higher difficulty level than both Konga/Taiko and Frequency/Amplitude on its harder levels. Pop'n Music, Beatmania IIDX, Drum Mania and other BEMANI games have quite a few songs that it could take months or years for even a seasoned rhythm game player to do well on.

Thing is, I'm reasonably sure that I'm not interested in that level of difficulty. It's like how I lose interest in fighting games once I get to the point where I need to count frames or something to get any better. Besides, aren't all of those import titles? I really have no interest in modding my PS2, especially considering how I'm always hearing how breakable they are. I'd rather do everything I can to keep the thing in running condition.

I also hate to say that the Taiko controller flat-out sucks compared to many other rhythm controllers. I can't tell you how many times people have asked me if their controller was broken right out of the box, simply because it misses every 20th note (or so) no matter how accurately you hit it. It's basically just a design flaw that can't be avoided, as far as I can tell. It's also made of a not-too-friendly firm plastic that makes a loud, unpleasant smacking sound every time you hit it. It's so loud that it drowns out the music being played and could very easily annoy your neighbors. That said, it's also one of the more affordable home rhythm controllers, and it gets the job done if nothing else. It's just painfully obvious that Namco put affordability over quality.

...and that's the other question I had been meaning to ask, and plain forgot about in my previous posts...

I was always curious how the drums for both games felt. I always figured that they'd both be made from that material that you see practice drums made from, a sort of hard rubber that doesn't really have a whole lot of give to it, but doesn't make a lot of noise when you hit it. It sucks to hear that hitting the drum makes that much of a sound. From what I could tell, the Konga drums were made quite well, had a good feel to them, and were pretty responsive.

And the fact that the Taiko drum just plain doesn't register hits sometime pretty much kills any chances of me picking it up, really. I don't want to have to worry about the drum randomly not recognizing any hits, while contending with the noise that hitting it makes. Heck, I get massively irritated with the occasional framerate drops in Amplitude, which tend to always mess up my streak, I don't want to think of the irritation caused by a crappy controller.

I'd still recommend strongly that you pick up one or both of the games, as they're both a lot of fun. It's just a more casual type of fun, not at all hardcore like the BEMANI games or Frequency and Amplitude. If you're interested in moving up to the big leagues of rhythm, though, you should definitely head in the direction of games like Drum Mania, Beatmania IIDX, Guitar Freaks, Pop'n Music, etc.

I'll probably end up sticking with the minor leagues of rythm games, actually. What else is out there, that's not insanely hard? I've seen clips of some game where you're a kid playing a guitar, and the gameplay screen is basically this little track-looking thing winding around in all these different directions, and I'm guessing you have to point the analog stick in that direction. Is that one Guitar Freaks?

 

[JasoNsider]

Well this has pretty much killed any anticipation I had for Taiko. I already have Donkey Konga and a second set of conga drums coming, but I thought Taiko Drum Master sounded really cool. The conga drums were really awesome when I got to use them at E3. Felt very sturdy, and had a nice padded feeling at the top with just the right amount of firmness. Slamming on them in Jungle Beat was perfect.

 

[Semjaza Azazel]

Bobby's comments on the difficulty of Konga sadden me... but I will get it because I know my girlfriend would enjoy it. I'm not getting it so much to be challenged as much as I'm getting it to just have fun with people who normally don't care about games.

Also, at Best Buy, they have a GameCube coupon book. I found a bunch just sitting near the demo kiosks. $5 off random games like MP2, Donkey Konga, Pikmin 2, Paper Mario, etc. Another one for $3 off a spare Konga.

And man, we really need a a Gamerush in Chicago.

 

[Prospero]

I'm not getting it so much to be challenged as much as I'm getting it to just have fun with people who normally don't care about games.

That's pretty much the reason I'm getting it as well. If you have people over visiting or you're throwing a party, and you hand someone a Gamecube controller, then they'll look at you like you're nuts; on the other hand, if you hand them a miniature pair of bongo drums, now we're talkin'.

 

[Diomedeskun]

I'll probably end up sticking with the minor leagues of rythm games, actually. What else is out there, that's not insanely hard? I've seen clips of some game where you're a kid playing a guitar, and the gameplay screen is basically this little track-looking thing winding around in all these different directions, and I'm guessing you have to point the analog stick in that direction. Is that one Guitar Freaks?

That is probably Gitaroo Man. Very fun game with a very funny story.

 

[Belfast]

I've always been a proponent of Taiko over Konga. To be honest, the games aren't *that* far apart from eachother in any aspect. But I can't freakin' STAND Donkey Kong. I just really dislike the characters and the art direction for Konga.

 

[bobbyconover]

Thing is, I'm reasonably sure that I'm not interested in that level of difficulty. It's like how I lose interest in fighting games once I get to the point where I need to count frames or something to get any better. Besides, aren't all of those import titles?

It's not really like that, though. The BEMANI games have very high difficulty songs available, but they also have very easy and medium-range songs and modes as well. It's just that you have the option to play the insanely hard ones once you've mastered the easier ones, and honestly once you get to that point they don't seem nearly as insane as you might think. I'm not into memorizing notes and whatnot either, and stuff like Drum Mania doesn't really require that you do so. You just have to get good at 'reading' the notes on easier difficulty levels, and learn how the songs go, and before long you'll be slamming through harder songs without trouble. They're tough but fair.

Of course, this is all moot if you're not interested in modding your PS2.

I was always curious how the drums for both games felt. I always figured that they'd both be made from that material that you see practice drums made from, a sort of hard rubber that doesn't really have a whole lot of give to it, but doesn't make a lot of noise when you hit it. It sucks to hear that hitting the drum makes that much of a sound. From what I could tell, the Konga drums were made quite well, had a good feel to them, and were pretty responsive.

Yeah, the Konga drums are exceptional. The Taiko drum isn't THAT bad - I feel kinda bad now, since my intent wasn't really to drive people away from the game - it's just not perfect, or as good as the TaruKonga. The game is still a lot of fun, though, and in fact I really enjoy playing Taiko with the plain old Dual Shock.

Bobby's comments on the difficulty of Konga sadden me... but I will get it because I know my girlfriend would enjoy it. I'm not getting it so much to be challenged as much as I'm getting it to just have fun with people who normally don't care about games.

Don't be too sad! Konga is perfect for what you just described, and then some. I've been knee-deep in rhythm games since '98 and yet I still managed to have a ton of fun with Konga regardless of the difficulty. I plan to buy the Japanese sequel, the US release, and even the PAL version if it has an NTSC mode. The games are a blast!

 

[SiegfriedFM]

Gitaroo Man is like Parappa, it's completely pad based, very silly and very fun. GM has better music too. Guitar rock/J-pop >>>>> silly rap.

Try Mad Maestro as well. It's even more simple, you just need to keep track of timing and button pressure (any button) as you direct an orchestra.

As for the Bemani games, Pop'n Music and Guitar Freaks/Drum Mania are the most fun. However, the Pop'n Controller is around $70, an original Konami guitar (3rd party ones SUCK, I've broken four already!) is $50 and the drum set is probably at $100. Coupled with the need for a chipped or imported PS2 and shipping costs, not to mention that the older games are fairly rare and the new ones sell for $65, well... Bemani isn't cheap.

All the Bemani games have ridiculously easy songs to start out with, but get extremely hard towards the end. Unlike Konga/Taiko that start out easy and never get any harder.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Bullshit, I just fuck around with Konga during breaks at work and I do great, but I can't even beat the basic songs of Beatmania.
Keyboardmania nearly made me cry though. That was just impossible for me.

 

[Superbone]

Gitaroo Man is excellent and has great music. But, I did find it quite hard and I'm a musician. I finally finished it the other day after not having played it for a long time. I really struggled with the "day of the dead" level. When I finally got to the final level, and first tried it, I thought I'd never be able to beat it. But, 4 days and approx. 100 tries later, I finally got it.

 

[Belfast]

Its because Bemani games have more complex input patterns. Taiko/Konga are fairly simple in this respect, as they have a "back-and-forth" mentality. In Taiko's case, its "hit one side of the pad or hit the other, and then any combination of these two options." In the case of Pop'N music, at the easiest settings, you're playing with 5 buttons. While the songs intended for beginners are easy, it does require you to learn a few more buttons off the bat, and any extra button in addition extrapolates the number of potential patterns you'll encounter. It doesn't mean that Bemani games on their easiest levels are hard, its just that the learning curve itself is a little higher since its input is initially more complex. So, you'll encounter more potentialy patterns and more buttons to keep track of, but note frequency and reading speed will not be drastically different from songs in Taiko/Konga.

 

[impirius]

Sweet, got Taiko preordered for $30.. thank you GameRush!

MP2, RE4, GTA:SA, R&C:UYA, Donkey Konga, Halo 2 LE, and now Taiko... GameRush is beautiful