1st announcement: Taiko no Tatsujin Portable DX, the first PSP Taiko game released in five years with a huge songlist and an even huger list of download songs. New packs of songs are still being released monthly as we speak!
2nd announcement: Ponta & Lawson collaboration. More of a complementary gift with Portable DX, this one is a package of one song and a costume together with a preorder of that game.
3rd announcement: Banafest Taiko-theme. Namco's virtual life game gets a special Taiko matsuri locale and lots of Taiko-themed furniture and costumes.
4th announcement: 2011 Taiko tournament. Disappointingly we never had a chance to track the tournament all the way to its finale in September, but together with the tournament was the software update for Taiko 14 and five new songs for it, bringing joy to Taiko fans everywhere.
5th announcement: Taiko no Tatsujin arcade scale model. This miniature replica of Taiko no Tatsujin 1 went on sale sometime in December last year. Who's bought it yet? Looks like it's set to become a great collector's item.
6th announcement: Taiko no Tatsujin HD. Bearing the same name as the very first arcade in 2002, it's called Taiko 0 on this site to avoid confusion. With a HD screen, upgraded performance and sound system, and full network compatibility and online firmware updates, it's the ultimate arcade Taiko.
7th announcement: Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Ketteiban. The 4th and probably final Wii Taiko no Tatsujin is a 'best hits' compilation of old and new songs totaling 105, the largest non-DLC songlist in a console.
8th announcement: Double soundtracks 'Donderful' and 'Full Combo'. Giant albums of more than 60 songs per album, some of them new full versions and unreleased tracks! Donderful released first in November, while Full Combo trailed in 4 months later.
9th announcement: AKB48 collaboration. Like the Lawson collab before it, this is a complementary to Taiko Wii 4, and the other Nintendo Taiko games before it. Buyers get an AKB48 poster and cards, and Taiko 0 players can send their results and get feedback from members of the band.
10th announcement: Taiko no Tatsujin 3DS: Chibi Dragon to Fushigi na Orb. Taiko's first step into the 8th console cycle is on a handheld, and with over 50 songs, is going to be released this July. Not much else is known about it at the moment.
So what do we get? 3 console games, one new arcade release, one pair of soundtracks, and a few other things. With the general frequency of release being 1.5 console games per year, this is double the usual number so Namco has been putting out a lot of effort there, and in making the new arcade as momentous as possible for its release. Though, the collab announcements were rather disappointing. Not only did they not offer much for fans outside Japan, those who were eligible to take advantage of them didn't get that much either, and pale in comparison to the larger offerings.
And it seemed like the final announcement was rather rushed, as if Namco wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. If you've been reading the blog updates on their official site you get what I mean. There's a lot less of that kind of enthusiasm coming from them on the reveal, though the countdown built up a lot of hype.
And then there are the remaining things on our wishlist we wanted to see on the 10 big announcements that just didn't make it. A PS3 version of Taiko? An eighth PS2 game or 4th DS game? More weird and wonderful gifts? What did you want from the 10th anniversary but didn't get to see? What's your overall thoughts on the year? Let's hear it!
