I'm finally back online! Thanks to the network trouble, I missed out on the launch hype of Taiko Wii U (though I was following the updates from another public location) and could not do anything. I apologize for my sudden absence. Many thanks to Lokamp for helping out with the Wii U update post, unlock guide and songlist while I was gone!
That said, Taiko Wii U has been out for five days, and aside from being the very first fully HD console Taiko, does quite a few things that are different from previous games in the series:
-Miiverse connections. Two major points stand out here: the ability to send pictures of your Don-chan(s) in costumes to Miiverse, and the comments that show up on the songlist. Personally I feel the costume-sharing aspect is a bit gimmicky; much like the costume contests the Taiko Team regularly organize for the arcade. It's nice that costumes are there, but there's only so much interesting stuff you can see on Miiverse, even with the extensive customization here on Wii U (which I must admit, is pretty cool). The comments for each song and chart in the list is the better of the two implementations, and goes in line with most other Wii U games (like stage comments for New Super Mario Bros U)
-Multiplayer modes. Regular four-way play is back, and with the expectedly vast number of control options offered by Taiko Wii U, you won't even need more than one Gamepad to play if you have Wiimotes/Tatacons lying around. It boils down to which controller you prefer (Gamepad touchscreen control appears to be very tempting, though I have not been able to try it out for myself). The Baton Pass mode is also an interesting use of the Gamepad, though it could be done with any other controller.
-Songlist. Great selection and balance of original and licensed songs this time around, even though the initial number (70) is a bit underwhelming considering we've been drip-fed with two Wii Taikos that both have massive quantities of songs. But then again, there's DLC songs. The best part is that licensed songs can be free as well! The first batch is all free (even the all-new Invader Invader), and it contains two Uras. Great value already, and it's only the first month! No new 2000 song, though that's not the immediate concern.
-Unlockables. Status quo here, though one thing annoys me: the addition of the sixth digit to the Don Counter. It was there for 3DS but it wasn't needed for anything special. Here, all ten in-game Ura charts must be unlocked from 200,000 hits onwards. It's quite a chore especially when all you want to do is sit down and challenge yourself to the toughest charts this game has to offer.
Now, if only all of us could afford Japanese Wii Us to play this...I'm just about as disappointed about the region-lock as anyone else reading this blog, but we can't really do much about it.
What do you think of Taiko Wii U?
