The first arcade machine ever released, and the first in the series. Released in February 2001, with three difficulty levels, Kantan, Futsuu and Muzukashii. It uses the first and oldest graphics engine for Taiko (obviously). There are no song previews on the song selection screen in Taiko 1. The genre arrangement was also different from what we have now. The anime and J-Pop section was already fully formed, however variety songs and Namco Originals were grouped based on their musical genres, like pop, rock, ska and so on. Game music and classic songs had yet to be introduced to the series.
The only song to survive from Taiko 1 and made it all the way up to the current versions is Anpanman no March. Most of the rest have slid into obscurity, however a few select songs like Taiyou mo Yapapa, Jigoku no Taiko Jiten and Off Rock are slowly being revived and given new notecharts on console Taiko versions.
The songs are arranged based on their old genres, with the current genre right next to it. Songs not seen outside of Taiko 1 also have new genres, classified by Namco.
Note: Except for Lupan Sansei no Theme '78 and Doraemon Ondo, all the songs have only one difficulty each. There's a few songs for Kantan, a few for Futsuu, and the rest are Muzukashii. Kantan counts up to 3 stars of difficulty, and Futsuu/Muzukashii up to 5. (thank you, crystalsuicune)
The best video to show the interface of the old Taiko is Taiyou ni Hoero no Theme. High quality capture of the entire thing. No, really!
| No. of songs | 25 |
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