Twitter Snippets (30 June 2015) - Unlock no Ran and V Version DLC poll teaser

「え？ビタッとソングキャンペーンで人気だったからあの曲もこの曲もVバージョンに収録していいドン！？」「ほんとにほんとカッ？」（公式HP : http://t.co/3D263KKSku ） pic.twitter.com/ZYU7VnPhRL

— 太鼓の達人 Ｖバージョン公式アカウント (@taiko_Vver) 30 Giugno 2015

What on Earth has made the plushie Don-Chan so shocked to hold the phone on his face in that way? For today's short bit of news, it turns out that one of the most voted songs from the DLC poll of last month is actually already in V Version's starting songlist! It just happens to be one of the tracks who haven't been officially revealed on the website as of today. As expected, nothing else has been said on the subject matter; we'll have to wait this Thursday for the whole story...

On a side note, tomorrow's Murasaki Version update will also bring Yuugen no Ran's alternative unlocking methods that have been awarded during the last livestream session, as reported by the tweet below.

【お知らせ】太鼓の達人世界大会開催決定＆6/25ニコ生10万コメント達成記念！楽曲「幽玄ノ乱」をごほうびショップへ追加します！7/1～登場予定です！（明日じゃん！）その他詳細については、開発日記に後日掲載予定ですので、続報をお待ちください！ #taiko765

— 太鼓チーム (@taiko_team) 30 Giugno 2015

Twitter Snippets (June 29 2015): The Other G1

【お知らせ】新日本プロレスのレスラーが太鼓の達人とシンクロニカを体験！ 新日本プロレスリング：7月1日(水)23:30～FIGHTING TV サムライ『新日本プロレス大作戦DX #37』 http://t.co/58yRMXB3UD pic.twitter.com/rD8OTC88BU

— 太鼓チーム (@taiko_team) June 29, 2015

Coming from New Japan Pro Wrestling, the first G1 of course mean the G1 Climax tournament. What about the other G1? (video) Games, duh.

In quick summary, pro wrestlers will be playing Taiko no Tatsujin (and Synchronica) in a TV programme from July 1st, on the fighting sport-centric channel Fighting TV Samurai. For further details that we cannot deliver, check out the links in the tweet!

Site Announcement: Title Fix, As the V Version TVCM Bonus Says

Quick announcement on a few song title corrections from the past livestream (recap here). From the special bonus featuring Erika Suzuki reading all the titles, we are finally informed of some of the correct names of song titles (totally blaming V Version for being all grown-up and not labeling readings on the site):
 黒神クロニクル Kurokami Chronicle → Kokushin Chronicle
 イオシス秋の肉食祭2014 IOSYS Aki no Nikushokusai 2014 → IOSYS Aki no Nikushoku Matsuri 2014

And while we are on it, with some etymological attention to our newest hidden song:

 女帝～インバラトゥーラ～ Nyotei ~Imbarato-ura~ → Jotei ~Imbiratuula~

Imbiratuula (إمبراطورة) means "empress" in Arabic (may throw a bit off as the Japanese uses "imbara-"), which is also what Jotei means in Japanese. Now that we don't know whether this takes the route of the Season Dragons and be read as only "Imbiratuula", but this is what we'll settle for now based on dictionary evidence.

The 15th Anniversary Livestream Extravaganza (28/06/15)

Fifteen years ago, a humble new rhythm game made by Namco was sent to arcades nationwide in Japan. It wasn't very good at first, but it had a strong niche; using a traditional Japanese music instrument in a more contemporary setting, and of course, the overall cute and colorful vibe.

Fifteen years after that fateful event, the Taiko no Tatsujin games still prove to be strongly popular and worthy of huge events in order to celebrate its success, and last Thursday's livestream was here to be the front-runner for some of the biggest deals in 2015 and beyond. It's finally time to spill the beans and find out what the livestream was fully about!

Song of the Week! 27 June 2015

If you're coming from the future and you are reading these very lines, chances are you are unaware of a big mistake from our part.

My original plans for closing the Taiko 3DS 2 theme month was having a feature said game's theme song, Choujikuu Adventure. While we made the original SotW entry as usual, we forgot that we already featured said song on September 2014, effectively leaving a feature duplicate for more than 3 months. Again, we are sorry that we messed up in duplicating SotW features, effectively owing you guys one feature.

Let us fix that with a redux against that... oh I don't know... wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff?

Quick Takeaways: June 25 Livestream

This post might be removed when the full coverage is ready. Meanwhile, feel free to contribute screenshots and information to help out!

Livestream

• All comment goals met
• 50K goal: Twitter icon and Smartphone wallpaper.
• 76.5K goal: title part Fo' sho (せやな).
• 100K goal: Yuugen no Ran unlockable through Rewards Shop or by clearing the Oni mode of the 'no Mai' and 'Rose' series' songs; new boss song for the winner of the Taiko World Championship 2016 tournament.

Taiko no Tatsujin 15th Anniversary

• Collaboration with Studio Ghibli, featuring promo art and animation (video) for the main Donder page and the 15th Anniversary mini-website.
• Collaboration with selected members of Japanese band EXILE; details to be announced soon.
• New Taiko arcade tournament scheduled to begin in 2016, under the name of Taiko no Tatsujin Donder! World Playoff 2016 (太鼓の達人　ドンだー!世界一決定戦2016). The tourney is open to all Taiko players from Asia.
• New Taiko song-making contest on CreoFuga, open from August 1st to September 30th. The winning songs will be used for the Taiko World Championship 2016 tournament.

Murasaki ver.

• Short preview clip from Tanqun Democracy's Natsumono☆ from the next update.
• July 1st update to add content for a collaboration with Taiko V Version, lasting from July 9th to August 30th.

V Version

• First live multiplayer section, featuring early Oni ratings for some of the new songs: 7* Oni for GM track BLAZING VORTEX, 8* Oni for Anime only my railgun and Namco Original Megamina Sekai I.
• New Namco Original song played during the segment: Nyotei ～Imbarato-ura～ (女帝～インバラトゥーラ～). 9* Oni.
• Behind-the-scenes V Version CM reveals X-DAY2000 as part of the songlist.

Twitter Snippets (26 July 2015) - Ace Combat Infinity x Taiko no Tatsujin collab!

【お知らせ】本日6/26から【エースコンバットインフィニティ×太鼓の達人】コラボキャンペーン開催。 記念エンブレム5種類入手のチャンス。集めて戦闘機に貼りつけよう！ http://t.co/Pubf9Q1Rvv pic.twitter.com/QvmAr9vRkE

— 太鼓チーム (@taiko_team) 26 Giugno 2015

While we're busy trying to figure out an excuse about why it's taking so long for us to post the Quick Takeaways for yesterday's stream (sorry about that), it's our duty to report yet another Taiko collaboration with another Bandai Namco title.

From today until July 14th, the PS3 free-to-play Ace Combat Infinity will feature elements from the Taiko games as emblems for the series' 15th anniversary, with 4 of these being available to everyone and the 15th Anniversary logo being the reward for clearing a special mission during the campaign. Check the link in the description to learn more about the event (in Japanese)!

Taiko Plus - Version 3.0.0 and New Subscription System!

Summer has just begun, yet we're receiving a tidal wave of news from Taiko games right before their highly anticipated 15th Anniversary livestream! The last of which concerns the always-popular app for i-devices, introducing an alternate system to enjoy its songs.

Getting the 15th Annivesary On: Taiko no Tatsujin Donder Page Revamp and...Oh My Goodness

If we didn't say in the title you might never guess this is the legitimate official new design for the main hub website Donder Page (ドンだーページ) for the Taiko no Tatsujin series. While the layout is rearranged a bit into a more modern design, the sections of the old site are still here. In time for the big 15th Anniversary, there is also a new Journey of Taiko no Tatsujin (太鼓の達人の歩み) history section that lists all the major releases in a timeline. Pretty snazzy.

That's not the best part though. So what is? Well I don't know about you, but what about...

V Version Update: In Which More Characters Are Introduced

In this installment of V Version Update: the least number of songs announced in a single regular Thursday update.

Namco Taiko Blog (June 25 2015): Guess Who's Back! Wii U2 June DLC and Murasaki ver. July News

 

Oh, the title? Because every song to be mentioned today is a returning song. Here is the double Namco Taiko Blog posts for today!

Across Japan: Expected Departures

Not a overly surprising move, since Japan is going to do the same the very same day, but six licensed songs will leave Murasaki ver. Asian on July 1st. We never got the Puzzle & Dragons themes to be removed so we technically have empirically less damage than our fellow Japanese Donders. It's however you put it, man.

Cheer up though, because Shugaku Travelers will be arriving on time! Embark on a graduation trip in the mind with the past month's DonChare pick, all while contemplating whatever song it will be for July's DonChare.

Link to original post

Twitter Snippets: Japan Confirms Video Game is Art? At least Taiko is involved.

【お知らせ】本日6月24日(水)から8月31日(月)まで、六本木の国立新美術館での企画展「ニッポンのマンガ＊アニメ＊ゲーム」にて、太鼓の達人が出展されています。 http://t.co/BQA5ZJystY ※プレイできます(タケモト pic.twitter.com/PK4q5rSqw9

— 太鼓チーム (@taiko_team) June 24, 2015

In a unexpected twist, Taiko no Tatsujin is featured in a exhibition at The National Art Centre, Tokyo in Roppongi titled Manga＊Anime＊Games from Japan (ニッポンのマンガ＊アニメ＊ゲーム), opening today up to August 31. Among other iconic games in Japanese culture is a whole stack of past Taiko no Tatsujin console boxes, a little set up of Wii U Tokumori and a cabinet of Murasaki ver.

And yes, before you ask, the Wii U2 and Murasaki on either side are playable! (subject to exhibitor's arrangements)

Exhibition details at The National Art Centre website

V Version Update: Chain Chronicle, and Don-chan on a Stick?

太鼓の達人 Ｖバージョン（PSvita版）にチェンクロの曲が登場！！ フィーナ着せ替えもあるよ！ さらにチェンクロＶで使える コラボ武器ももらえる？！ 7月9日発売日に詳細が明らかに！！ #チェンクロＶ pic.twitter.com/Y7CGEEU4GX

— チェインクロニクルV公式 (@chainchroniclev) June 22, 2015

Remember the mobile RPG Chain Chronicle? That Taiko no Tatsujin crashed their party at the past New Year's Eve livestream event? In a non-party-crashing manner, Chain Chronicle embarks on a publicly available collaboration, featuring the song Chain Chronicle Normal Battle Medley (チェインクロニクル 通常バトルメドレー) and outfit items portraying Phoena and Pirika from the series.

Also this is the second time that Don-chan is hoisted on a stick and used as a weapon! This Don-chan Hammer V (どんちゃんハンマーV) weapon will soon be made available in the PS Vita version Chain Chronicle V. But how to get it? You will have to check inside V Version.

Song of the Week! 20 June 2015

Our third week for this corner's portable-themed month is about downloadable songs on Taiko 3DS 2, which -together with many others- have been enhanced for their latest outing in some fashion or another from their previous appearances in Taiko games.

V Version Updates: Pre-order Campaigns Demystified!

Are you confused with the pre-order antics we have been reporting? We are too, to some extent! Let's try to have them settled with today's V Version main site update! But first...

Namco Taiko Blog (June 18 2015) - Murasaki Version Up (V4.08) and Solo Livestream (Jun 26)

Welcome to the weekly Namco Taiko Blog feature, where the title should have hinted you about the July 1st update coming to Murasaki ver., and the other livestream for the month of June where we ditch Synchronica. Yay!

First Video: TRUTH and Kirame Kirari's new Oni charts

It's Midnight in the land of the Rising Sun, which means it's time for the penultimate round of DLC songs for Don and Katsu's Space/Time Adventure, featuring new Oni modes for two older Taiko songs. The first of which is TRUTH, which checks in with a 7* Oni mode featuring many clusters and a restless Go-Go Time section.

The other song of the couple is the fan-favorite Kirame Kirari, coming back with a brand new Oni mode consisting of 691 notes and lots of the modern Im@s charting tropes we have seen plenty of in the last 30 days (Call notecharts, GGT bursts, scrolling speed-ups for single giant notes,...).

For those who are nostalgic of the older Oni mode, keep in mind that this piece of DLC comes with the original Oni mode as the new Ura Oni, as the Taiko Team explained a few weeks ago in one of their blog entries (link).

V Version Updates: TV Commercial and Pre-Order Song Leak?

Unlike what has been said last Friday, V Version's website got an update 2 days earlier, as the game's short TV Commercial has been published on Bandai Namco's Youtube account.

However, that *might* not be the biggest piece of news for today...

vバージョンのGEOの特典(画像右下) No way backのプロダクトコードらしい pic.twitter.com/qUycDIZFZJ

— ruin (@ruin326317260) 15 Giugno 2015

Someone in Japan has found promotional advertisement for the game in-store with additional information about the pre-order free download songs, mentioning that No Way Back will make its return for the already-meaty Game Music genre. That's the third portable Sony game in a row including the song, if this in-store AD being shared via Twitter is proven to be true!

Synchro no Tatsujin (12/06/15)

Despite all the (sometimes questionable) gaming hype around the yearly, American Electronic Entertainment Expo, the flow of fresh Taiko news from Japan not only runs uninterrupted, but in double portions as well!

Last Friday we had the first of June's scheduled Taiko Team livestreams, which bundles very exotic guests for the introduction of both series-affiliated songs and newborne arcade rhythm games alike.

Song of the Week! 13 June 2015

Taiko 3DS 2 tribute month is still going strong! This week, we are going to take a look at a couple of songs which had their console debut in the latest Nintendo portable Taiko game.

Quick Takeaways: June 12 Livestream

This post might be removed when the full coverage is ready. Meanwhile, feel free to contribute screenshots and information to help out!

Synchronica

• Out on June 18th, 2015
• Single and Co-operative 2-player gameplay through touchscreen inputs
• Supplies a Banapassport-compatible user profile online (like the Donder Hiroba)
• Ten songs to be added throughout next July
• Official website and Twitter pages now available

Taiko no Tatsujin

• New 2000 song title revealed: Norudon 2000 (ノるどん2000). (video)
• 3DS 2 June DLC: Variety song TRUTH will have revamped notecharts
• V Version: Over 16.000 votes for the DLC Suggestion Poll; the other two pre-order songs expected to be from the Vocaloid and Game Music genres respectively; Linda AI-Cue as helper in the game's Donder Quest
• Taiko Plus/Tori Houdai: Nippon Elekitel Rengo collaboration for the two games; limited outfit/background unlocks until June 30th

V Version Updates: Collaboration Goodness and More Pre-order Pitter-patter

Against contrary belief, tomorrow's promised V Version talk in the next livestream doesn't prevent its website to have a Thursday update! Here's what's new this time around.

Namco Taiko Blog 2 - June's SECOND Taiko Livestream

Short things short, today's surprise second blog update proves us wrong on an assumption we made about tomorrow's stream. As Etou speaks up, it turns out that the Synchronica/Taiko stream is not supposed to be the delayed stream of May '15! That one is also coming this very month...

That's right: two livestreams on this June! The now re-scheduled May livestream is planned to air on Nicovideo on June 26th, from 7 pm for about 3 hours, for an extended look at the Taiko Team's plans for Taiko no Tatsujin's 15th Anniversary event. There's nothing more to say as details have to be decided yet, but it's quite expectable: we are going to see the very same team tomorrow!

Link to original post

Taiko 3DS 2 Korean Localization Announced!

While the latest of the Taiko portable games on Nintendo platforms is coming to an end of its DLC distribution, it turns out that its legacy is not going to be concluded so easily! In one of the most recent Press Release online issues, Nintendo of Korea has announced that Don and Katsu's Space/Time Adventure will be fully localized in Korean by NoK themselves, stealing the Ps Vita thunder for the first Japan-born Taiko game getting released outside of its homelands! The document hints at a 2015 release, but no word about its DLC content has been spread so far.

Thanks to chatbox user stex for the find!

Source

Namco Taiko Blog (11 June 2015) - Murasaki Version's First Goodbye Songs

The pre-livestream news silence mold is being interrupted by some sad removals from Murasaki Version arcades' songlist, which are scheduled to kick-in next month.

Fist Video: Majide...!?

After some news-less days on Taiko grounds, Murasaki Version is finally getting the last song of the Idolm@ster 10th Anniversary collaboration; and wouldn't you know it, its Oni mode isn't even the highest-rated one of the newer releases!

Lyricized by Etou and Kuboken, the newborne Majide!? (3/5/6/8) feels comfortable to rely on the modern notechart tropes introduced by the many Im@s songs before this one in the collaboration, such as the Call charts and the very frequent speed-ups/Go-Go Time burst.

Song of the Week! 6 June 2015

As the spring is leaning towards its final days with waves of future exciting Taiko stuff ahead of us, so does the latest 3DS Taiko videogame's life span, with the last set of DLC songs bound to be gradually released during this month. Let's salute Don and Katsu's Space/Time Adventure with a whole month of Song of the Week features about its huge songlist!

To kick things off, let's start from one of the game's boss battle tracks.

Twitter Snippets (4 June 2015) - Big Screen Stream Troopers

【6/12ニコ生】シンクロニカ&太鼓の達人合同公式生放送で7/25公開予定の映画「脳漿炸裂ガール」応援タイム開催決定！超豪華ゲストと共にお送りします！ ゲスト（予定）：柏木ひなたさん（私立恵比寿中学）、竹富聖花さん、れるりりさん 詳細→http://t.co/j469yyA9X2

— 太鼓チーム＠台湾出張なう (@taiko_team) 4 Giugno 2015

Surprisingly enough, last Wednesday's blog entry about next week's stream session has been updated throughout the day in order to reveal in advance the special guests being scheduled for the broadcast. If you are a Vocaloid novel fan, this will surely be great news to you...

Named after the namesake song, the visual novel Noushou Sakuretsu Girl is going to be turned into a full-fledged movie; since the song is already a Taiko staple from years (and also scheduled for the newborne Synchronica), it makes sense to let some of their actors shine on this stream!

The two main actresses pictured above -Hinata Kashiwagi (柏木ひなた) and Kiyoshitama Taketomi (竹富聖花)- will pop up during the stream to tell something about the movie and (probably) to try out the song that inspired the novel's creation on both Bandai Namco rhythm games, together with its composer rerulili (れるりり).

Namco Taiko Blog (June 4 2015) - Finale de la 3DS2 DLC, and What's the Deal with Idolm@ster Notechart Revamp

Double blog posts today! We check out the (sadly) final 3DS2 DLC, and Etou giving a full account on why and how Idolm@ster has and will be (re)-introduced as of the recent antics.

V Version Updates: Yo Dawg, I Heard You Like Ridge Racer...

... so we put more Ridge on your Racers so you can have more Ridge Racer in one Ridge Racer!

*A-hem* In other words, a new V Version website update is up.

Across Japan: June Facebook Tournament, Getting Real Purple

 

With the last time we share a tournament with Japan, the announcement for the ongoing Battle of Purple Flames (紫煌の陣) should have made you think, and here it is.

The Oni department of June's Asia ver. Facebook Tournament shares the above-mentioned challenge, asking for the best totals among Shikou no Ran (10★), Purple Rose Fusion (10★) and Necrofantasia ～ Arr. Demetori (10★). The Muzukashii department also calls back to that tournament's Futsuu im@s collab extravaganza, by designating the very fresh June 4th addition Machiuke Prince (5★, rating covered for spoilers at FB posting).

This tourney installment runs from June 6~14, and the results comes June 17.

Link to original post

First Video: Machiuke Prince

 待ち受けプリンス 「アイドルマスター」より
Machiuke Prince from The Idolm@ster (3/5/5/9; 600 notes on Oni)

6th new song for the im@s collab! The notechart is a rightful 9★ with a multitude of long mixed 16th streams, dashes of 24th peppered in, and rather common high-speed overtaking large notes and drumrolls.

3DS2 DLC Mahou no Kakete now available!

Quick news that June 4th's DLC for 3DS2 is the new notechart for  Mahou no Kakete! (魔法をかけて！), which is already available now as UTC+9 that Japan runs on just passed midnight.

And as to what this Read More is for...?

Namco Taiko Blog (3 June 2015) - June's Fusion Bandai Namco livestream

Still upset about the sudden delay for past May's livestream? Put your worries to rest, as Etou fills us in about its delay and unveils a new broadcasting date for this June.

First Video: Shugaku Travelers

 シューガク トラベラーズ うちやえゆか
Shugaku Travelers Yuka Uchiyae (4/5/5/8; 721 notes on Oni)

Gonna resonate with all you graduating students well, the soaring breeze ambience of the brand new Namco Original sure relieves of the studious pressure finally and off to a light-hearted graduation trip. If the composition feels familiar to you, it is probably because it is contributed by the high-res pop group blue marble's Shock Tarou and TonCHAN (source).

Slightly less "light" is the chart, which takes a hefty route into an abundance of 5-hits, especially the rushes of them in the Go-go Time without rest.