Who are you and what are you doing here?
Like I'd ever tell anyone my real name, outside of whoever's following me on Facebook :P I will tell you though, that I live in Malaysia, where there are quite a decent number of Taiko no Tatsujin arcade machines, albeit a lot of outdated, broken ones. I'm the head admin of Taiko Time, and I run the site, make articles, and mediate everything else by other site contributors.
When did you start playing Taiko?
July 2007, when Taiko no Tatsujin DS 1 was released. I decided to give it a go since I've heard quite a few things about the PS2 games in the past. Recognized the Pokemon theme song 'Together' and the Mario Bros. Medley. Those two brought me into Taiko easily.
What was your first console Taiko version?
Taiko DS1, like I said.
What was your first Taiko arcade version?
Taiko no Tatsujin 8, which I found lying at a nearby mall five months after I played DS1. It introduced me to a wider world of Taiko mastery.
What are the versions of Taiko you've played before then?
Console: DS1, 2, 3, Wii1, 2, 3, 4, 5, PSP DX, 3DS1, 3DS2
Arcade: 8, 10, 11, 12 Asia, 12.5, 13, 14, Momoiro, Kimidori
What's your favorite console/arcade version?
Wii3 for consoles because of the grand songlist and crazy challenging songs, some of which are completely new. Gotta love Black Rose Apostle. Also, any Taiko version with Kimi no Akari in it is a winner in my book. As for the arcade, it's common sense to like the latest version with the newest songs and bigger variety, so Kimidori.
What's your favorite control method?
Anything that doesn't involve shoulder buttons. Four fingers are much more difficult to coordinate than just using your thumbs. Besides, if I used the shoulder buttons to play Taiko DS, they would have been long broken by now (they're flimsy). As for the Wii version, I don't have a Classic Controller, so I rule the game on sideways Wiimote.
What about on the arcade?
I'm a lefty, and prefer the left drum. I have my own set of drumsticks made out of a broom stick, and they're much lighter. Made clearing the hardest songs a lot easier
How long do you usually play Taiko?
About an hour on average on console, and ten songs on the arcade in one go.
What's your favorite genre?
Do I even need to say it? Namco Original! The one with the toughest songs and the most fan service! Not to mention a lot of the songs are actually well-composed.
What's your favorite song and why?
Challenging and tough songs actually make for good listening, but none come close to Kimi no Akari, the ending theme of Taiko 13. It's a 5* difficulty song, quite easy, but very sweet and touching. You simply have to listen to it to know why I like it so much. It's the kind of memorable song you'd expect to play at a graduation ceremony, or the end of a long romantic movie.
What's the song that gives you the most trouble?
Can't I say Joubutsu 2000? Okay, that's the one song which would frustrate anyone and everyone, so I'll pick another. I'll go with Rotter Tarmination Ura. Although passing it is within my limits, I simply can't get a great score on this thing because of how damn tiring it is, especially on arcade. I can see the ending streams but by then I'll be too tired to even try hitting them. And I hate two-by-two note clusters. They're the most confusing things in ever.
What's your least favorite song?
This is an easy choice...Youkai Dochuu Ki Ondo. Worst sounding Namco Original song ever made, lousy music and the middle part is completely incomprehensible. Negaigoto Puzzle, also in Namco Original, comes a close second for spamming notes without making any sense at all.
Do you actually like any of the side modes/minigames in Taiko?
I do, actually. The boss battles in Taiko Wii 2 and the RPG story mode in DS3 were great fun!
What do you want to see from Taiko in the future?
I say we're good as it is :) Just keep on bringing the new songs and I'll be happy. If there's one little thing I want though, it's for the song Punishment to make it into a console version of Taiko, and for the arcade versions to gain more popularity outside of Japan/HK.
