Twitter Snippets (31 October 2017) - The 4th Otogesai's Other Phase 2 Songs

【告知】第四回天下一音ゲ祭ブロック決勝大会に向けた新曲「Taiko Drum Monster / steμ feat. siroa」が11/2(木)より天下一音ゲ祭参加店舗様の太鼓の達人 イエローVer.に収録決定！
詳細：https://t.co/KgIbQCRH9i pic.twitter.com/nicXn757I9

— 太鼓チーム (@taiko_team) 31 ottobre 2017

As expected, the notice of the other songs' venture for the latest edition of the Tenkaichi Otogesai didn't fail to pop up after yesterday's reveal, as the leftover parties decided to spill out the beans about their release. After the jump, the Groove Coaster and SOUND VOLTEX tracks are also mentioned!

Twitter Snippets (30 October 2017) - CHUNITHM's Tenkaichi Otogesai Primer

【11/2(木)「第四回 天下一音ゲ祭」楽曲＆マップ追加！】天下一音ゲ祭・開幕！！交換楽曲3曲＆ブロック大会楽曲「Xevel / Tatsh」収録に加え、MAYA描き下ろしキャラクターが手に入るマップも登場！ #チュウニズムSTAR https://t.co/zTLCtjBUSY pic.twitter.com/24WxXoiVK9

— チュウニズム公式@11/2楽曲追加！ (@chunithm) 30 ottobre 2017

We already knew that the CHUNITHM side of the Tenkaichi Otogesai tournament would have been addressed on a later date than the other participants, but today we've come to know that there's going to be a little something more behind it! Together with the Phase 1 cross-over additions, in fact, is also the Tenkaichi-spawn song for this year's edition of the Otogesai: Xevel by Tatsh. (...is it going to be related to the likes of Xepher and Xa, perhaps?)

With the first of the Phase 2 songs getting its release date announced, it's highly probable that the other tracks' reveal isn't that much far off from now. However, will all these songs be shared among all the participants?

Song of the Week! 28 October 2017

Another double-header Anime feature hits our shores! Let's take a gander at both the (recent) past and the future of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise.

[From the New Songs] (27 October 2017) - MOES pt.2

今日もまさかの太鼓の達人新曲収録だったよ😋😋😋
MOES一押し作詞家「相楽つき」さん
歌唱「海保えりか」さん
の3ショットってことは？🤔
控えめにいって期待していいよ💕 pic.twitter.com/79h3VH6SeC

— MOES1024-25FreeBGMUP (@mirrorofes) 26 ottobre 2017

With all the new-console-Taiko buzz behind our heads, MOES comes back on social media to share the rest of the people who are involved in his next commissioned Namco Original work.

Lyricised and arranged by independent songwriter Tsuki Sagara (相楽つき), this will be the third track by the CreoFUGA-spawn artist to feature Erika Kaiho (海保えりか) as the singer, after Tokyo Tokkyo Kyo Kyokakyoku Kyokucho!! and Princess of Donder

Namco Taiko Blog (26 October 2017) - Session de Dodon ga Don Now Out!

The release day for the first PS4 Taiko videogame has come! With that is also a handy recap post from the Taiko Team about the going-ons on both the console and arcade front that are made in order to celebrate said launch day.

As there's nothing new or highly note-worthy to mention on top of our pre-acquired knowledge on the subject matter, we're just leaving an abridged version under these lines, leaving the side visuals to the original blog entry:

1. Enjoy the Day 1 DLC content for the PS4 game, including the first Donder Pack (and the Vol. 1-6 preorder bonus), the store-exclusive tracks, the early-bird free song downloads and the Deemo-related crossover content;
2. Have a taste of the game's brand new Namco Originals on Yellow Version, with the theme song being permanently added and two DLC tracks being added from today to November 5th;
3. Try Session de Dodon ga Don in advance, with either the public demo or one of the kiosk stations that have been set up in over 400 stores in Japan! Said kiosks' demo version is the same as the former PS Plus-exclusive, with the addition of Zen Zen Zense and Natsu Matsuri as playable tracks.

Link to original post

Session de Dodon ga Don - Launch Window Update Post

Taiko no Tatsujin's PS4 debut is upon us! For this instance of new-Taiko-title coverage, we're trying out a new format to give out a more tidy visual overview of the newcoming tracks. If other note-worthy details deserve a mention (ie. new gameplay features/unlockable tracks, ...), these will be placed below the new songs's grid.

Last update: 26/10/2017
Oni/Ura Oni video footage: 14/14 + 3/3 (DLC)
No. of Updates: 4 (FINAL)

[From the New Songs] (23 October 2017) - MOES (+ Previous Artists)

本日、バンダイナムコスタジオさんのレコーディングスタジオで新曲収録してきました😊💕💕💕💕💕💕 pic.twitter.com/6veDxHCYN1

— MOES10/24　何かアップする! (@mirrorofes) 23 ottobre 2017

Hopeful that Dvorak won't roll on his grave due to us lending the title of one of his works as a punny device for a new sub-feature introduction, we're starting to signal the Taiko Team's notice for new/returning artists' early-advice contributions over on Twitter!

Opening our newly-titled notice corner is MOES, the creator of the CreoFUGA-winning Dokidoki Munekyun Omatsuri Time, in a tweet from yesterday where the artist has shared with the rest of the Internet the finish point of his latest recording session at Bandai Namco's headquarters. When will the final result be released in a playable state?

-------------------------------------------

As a side-note to put a kind-of close to the whole "Random Composer Facts" sub-corner, here are the artists that were formerly revealing in advance tidbits about their next song/s, with the eventual final product being shown off on the side (with links when available).

Oct 6, 2016 - unmo -> Sotsu Omeshiki Full (そつおめしき・ふる)
Oct 14, 2016 - Go Takuro -> Konamono☆ (コナモノ☆)
Oct 14, 2016 - Honoka/Kikuo Inoue -> ???
Nov 24, 2016 - Harunaba/Chihiro Ishiguro -> Kaichu Teien o Motsu Shoujo (懐中庭園を持つ少女)
Mar 6, 2017 - Miko Tsujibayashi/Go Takuro -> Konamono☆ (コナモノ☆)
Oct 7, 2017 - Honoka Inoue -> ???

Across Japan (24 October 2017) - Taiko PS4's AC ports

In line with the Japanese arcades, general Asia Yellow Version are going to get the same songs that are tied with Session de Dodon ga Don's launch day! This also includes the two time-limited inclusions from the first two Donder Pack DLC sets.

New Songs: October 26 2017
 Saika Same day as Japan
　　　「DEEMO」より
 つながれ！ひろがれ！打ちあがれ！ Tsunagare! Hirogare! Uchi-agare! Same day as Japan
　　　「太鼓の達人 セッションでドドンがドン！」テーマソング Taiko no Tatsujin Session de Dodon ga Don! Theme Song
 懐中庭園を持つ少女 Kaichu Teien o Motsu Shoujo Same day as Japan (limited: 10/26~11/05)
　　　はるなば feat. 石黒千尋 Harunaba feat. Chihiro Ishiguro
 コナモノ☆ Konamono☆ Same day as Japan (limited: 10/26~11/05)
　　　郷拓郎 Takurou Gou

Link to original post

Gunslinger Cinderella Lyrics

Composition, Arrangement: TiS of Cineraria Studio
Lyrics, Vocal: Hisui Rika (ヒスイリカ)

Japanese lyrics sourced from official YouTube preview dated March 15 2016

Taiko Goofs: The HD Cabinet From Dummyland

If you have been with us long enough, you might have remembered the Taiko Goofs series, all to featuring the wonky seams that Taiko no Tatsujin games sometimes left showing. Here we are bringing back the branding to take a look at other glitches and bugs that pop up from time to time.

Today we have this peculiar specimen of a Taiko AC0 arcade cabinet that at least two Twitter users have got the pleasure (?) of experience and the mobile data to share with the world.

Song of the Week! 21 October 2017

It's time for another mono-themed Anime double feature on the Song of the Week shores, as we take a closer look at a series that doesn't shy away from giving more than a wink to nerd/geek pop culture...

[COLLAB] Taiko no Tatsujin x MS Gundam Thunderbolt Collaboration

The collaboration train doesn't know where to stop in Taiko no Tatsujin land! The latest campaign being revealed online will tie in the music series's arcade branch with the Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt series... or more specifically, with its related feature-length movie, BANDIT FLOWER.

Sonority Scouts - SEGA Sign「Washing Machine King」

As we're headed towards the next week-end, we have another Sonority Scouts post in a row to make our reading base aware that the 9th Anniversary version of Cirno's Perfect Math Class has finally reached all the initially-scheduled music game series for porting means. They're both series that are handled by SEGA, no less!

On the top we have a no-hit HQ video of the song on maimai, where the song has landed last Tuesday with video visuals, like what we've already seen in Synchronica grounds. Below these lines, on the other hand, is a no-hit HQ video recording of the song in CHUNITHM, set at the hardest difficulty as well. This last port was released yesterday, for the record.

Now that the circle is closed, the SotW entry for this song will now hold all the videos for the non-Taiko music game series as well!

Sonority Scouts - Never Left Without Saying Da-Don

Deemo's 3.1 update has just went live, and with that is the collaboration-fueled port of Taiko no Tatsujin's Hyakka Ryouran. Watch as one early-trooper player perfects this Level 8-rated Hard mode!

Namco Taiko Blog (19 October 2017) - Behind the Notechart: HARDCORE no Kokoroe

This week's Thursday blog entry features the latest seasonal Rewards Shop song's Oni chart analysis, as introduced by the usual Yamaguchi and told by a brand new member to the Taiko Team...

Namco Taiko Blog (18 October 2017) - A3! x Taiko no Tatsujin Collaboration, the Full Primer

We've already seen the collaboration song in action, and now it's time to see what else is in storm for the latest Taiko no Tatsujin collaborative effort with another mobile gaming series!

First Video: MANKAI☆Kaika Sengen

 MANKAI☆Kaika Sengen (MANKAI☆開花宣言) (2/4/4/5, 361 notes on Oni)
As part of the now-beginning A3! collaboration with Taiko no Tatsujin, one of the game's songs got ported today to Yellow Versions arcade, featuring yet another custom dancers set that only has two fixed settings between before/after the Norma Clear Soul Gauge quota and a 5* chart that is very reminiscent to the ones of the same tier in the Anime genre. Interestingly enough, this is also the first Game Music track to be playable in the Issho ni Waiwai Ensou mode!

Song of the Week! 14 October 2017

It's time, once again, to take a trip to Meme Land, in order to find out that there's more that meets the eye, when it comes to the history of the artist behind one of the latest international Internet viral hits...

First Video: Tenkaichi Otogesai 4 Cross-inclusions

Kicking off at select AOU participating stores is the fourth Tenkaichi Otogesai collab-tourney with the addition of the cross-inclusion songs. Spoilers: all three are harder than Sacred Ruin, that's for sure.

Gameplay videos from today's crossovers in the other two freshly-updated music series are also supplied!

PS4 Update: Newcomer DLC NO Preview Showcase and Donder Packs Vol. 3-6

Before the usual Thursday blog entry, we're having quite the website update for Session de Dodon ga Don! Not only the DLC section has been updated with the inclusion of the preview clips for the two newcomer Namco Originals from the Donder Packs Vol.1 and 2 (Kaichu Teien o Motsu Shoujo and Konamono☆), but packs from Vol.3 to 6 have been also revealed as well, complete with release date!

We'll see you after the jump for the whole song reveal...

First Video: Yellow ver. G/V 7.11 Licensed Showcase

Here come the five licensed additions on today's firmware version update for the Yellow ver. arcade version.

The Actually-free Free Trial Version of PS4-1 Abound

Now that the PlayStation Plus exclusive Trial Version has ended, we transition to the "public" Trial Version that everyone with a PS4 can download and enjoy, which gives you a hands-on play on these songs:

PS4-1 Session de Dodon ga Don Trial Version: October 10 2017
カルメン 組曲一番終曲 Carmen Prelude
EAT'EM UP!
つながれ！ひろがれ！打ち上がれ！ Tsunagare Hirogare! Uchi-agare!

...okay that's not different songs than the last Trial Version, just less songs. I guess them loyal supporters get a bit more for their buck.

We do have a 15-second television commercial spot now. Not that it has new information but it is something.

Zero no Rhapsody Lyrics

Composition, Lyrics: kyo
Vocals: Sariya-jin (サリヤ人)

Song of the Week! 7 October 2017

Last week, somehow, we made it to reach the 1.000 followers milestone for our Facebook page! Truly, it's another proof to the sentiment that we couldn't have make it thus far with this blog without  such a loyal audience.

Let's celebrate with a song feature that really loves to break the 3-digit boundary!

The Two Firsts with the PS4-1 Limited Trial Version

Now that people have had some time to tinker with the Session de Dodon ga Don PlayStation Plus-exclusive Trial Version, here is a few keynote innovations already available in this smaller version.

New Modifier: Support
Is Yuugen no Ran/Mada Saitama 2000/(insert personal hurdle here) too hard for you? The new Support (サポート) modifier tunes the core difficulty down for it to be easier. It comes in three different levels to suit how much help you need:
Support Lv1: Note judgement is more lenient
Support Lv2: Note judgement is more lenient + No differentiation between dons and kats (so you can hit with either inputs)
Support Lv3: Note judgement is more lenient + Spirit gauge doesn't drop from misses

While the Support modifier does give you much of a leg-up in clearing some of your hurdles, it must be noted that all scores played with Support are not recorded, and you only get a dainty bronze "Support Clear" (サポートクリア) crown no matter how great you did there.

Support Lv2 in action, with Doron, Yonbai and Detarame. Note that despite actually being randomized, without don/kat differentiation you could have played like the normal notechart.

The State of Ura Notecharts
Compared with past console Taiko no Tatsujin games, Ura notecharts are finally not shown as separate songs on PS4-1, and are available as the Oni difficulty board flipped back with additional directional button presses, matching to the current HD arcades.

But that's not all: on PS4-1 when one player flips up for Ura Oni, the other player can stay on regular Oni for his/her difficulty selection. This is news even over AC0, where if the Ura Oni are flipped up for one player to play, the other side would not be able to choose the regular Oni.

また、今まで出来なかった、裏表を分けてプレイも可能になっている。
これはAC版でも無かった機能なはず。 pic.twitter.com/z5t0NPnIqJ

— miichi2012＠雑垢 (@PASUTERU2012) October 3, 2017

Other Notable Features

• Doron is now a separate modifier category from "Special" (including the likes of Kanpeki and Tokkun)
• Training Mode and Best Play Mode are selected from further options in the main Performance Game mode, instead of a separate mode on the main menu.
• Training Mode has that gimmicky rewind jumble we talked about.
• Thanks Spotty from the chatbox for the find.
  If your PlayStation 4 system language is anything other than Japanese, Traditional Chinese, English or Korean, the game may default to English (except Simplified Chinese which probably defaults to Traditional Chinese). We currently only have Italian footage to confirm, but feel free to confirm otherwise.

A Final Note re: Trial Versions
Yes, "versions" is plural here. As this PlayStation Plus-exclusive Trial Version ends its promotional period at October 9 23:59 (JPT) and becomes unplayable, a different Trial Version with a different song line-up will take its place on the PlayStation Store starting October 10 (that likely doesn't need PSPlus this time). Stay tuned then for another fresh preview look of the game!

Source:  PlayStation Store Japan

Namco Taiko Blog (October 5 2017): One Update for the Weeks to Come! Yellow ver. G/V 7.xx Update

This version update is good until weeks later, and should have nicely covered your arcade excursion plans for the rest of the month. Let's first open with the massive 13 slated song releases and then we'll talk about the rest.

Taiko Plus/STH - October '17 GTH Additions

Yes, here we have another timely coverage of the latest iOS/Android GTH song delivery, as opposed to weeks/months of delay from our part... and yes, I'm pinching my cheeks to confirm to myself that no, this is not a dream.

Gakkyoku Tori Houdai Adds: October 4

 Ai Uta (愛唄)
 Sukina Hito ga Iro Koto (好きな人がいること)
 Joyful (じょいふる)
 Inu no Omawari-san (いぬのおまわりさん)
 Densetsu no Matsuri (伝説の祭り)
 Break Line (ブレイクライン)

Twitter Snippets (4 October 2017) - The Harvest Moon's Limited Bounty

【お知らせ】毎年恒例(?)、楽曲「月下美人」を、中秋の名月の本日より、月が出ている10月19日いっぱいまで期間限定解放いたします！
この機会に是非プレイしてみてください。#taiko765 pic.twitter.com/8TmbjiXp1T

— 太鼓チーム (@taiko_team) 4 ottobre 2017

Together with the yearly-recurring limited release of Unagi no Tamashii Rock, the Fall season's harvest moon has been decreed as yet another time frame for arcade Taiko goers to receive a limited-to-play song, as Gekkabijin will be available from today until said lunar-related occurrence is over, on October 19th.

[COLLAB] - INSPION's 2017 Autumn Auditions (feat. Taiko no Tatsujin)

The Taiko no Tatsujin shenanigans with newcomer sound unit company INSPION are far from being over, as the latest public effort from both sides is bound to find emerging talents among the many of the Youtube userbase crowd!

Sonority Scouts - Coaster Sign「Tap Blizzard」

The latest multiple-music-games-crossing mass Touhou arrangement sensation has found another place to call home today, as the 9th anniversary of Cirno's Perfect Math Class has landed in Taito's Groove Coaster arcade branch earlier today. While video playback is not one of this music series's features, its backgrounds surely don't fail to quote the song's Youtube PV in many places!

Just like for Taiko and Synchronica, the song's coming in Groove Coaster has brought up a Touhou-themed mini event, in which players not only can rack up points to unlock limited customization flairs of all sorts (all Cirno-themed for this particular event), but can also try out another Touhou arrangement that is related to the ice fairy, also a part of IOSYS's 9th anniversary song celebration.

Twitter Snippets (2 October 2017) - Early-October's RCFs

新曲の準備カッ！？どうなるのか楽しみだドーン！ https://t.co/VseUHktr6T

— 太鼓チーム (@taiko_team) 2 ottobre 2017

As "early Twitter reveals of new songs from several composers" is becoming quite the trend for Taiko-related stuff, we might as well abbreviate the usual "Random Composer Facts" label on these kinds of posts into something shorter! (...at least until we come up with better terms, that is)

The latest early reveal is about Honoka Inoue's future involvement into a new Namco Original track, whose details were discussed with Taiko series representatives at a cafe! From the looks of a subsequently-retweeted message, it must have been a vintage diner, no less.

Game Music Showcase: Puzzle & Dragons

Developed by GungHo Online Entertainement, the original Puzzle & Dragons game is an hybrid RPG/match-three puzzle game for both iOS and Android, originally released in Japan on February 20th, 2012 as an Android exclusive with ports for multiple devices and geographical areas in the subsequent years. In this game, the action is divided into the two vertical halves of the screen, with the lower half being made up of colored jewels; players drag one of them around to form same-color rows or columns to defeat the monsters in the upper screen by using the elemental attacks of the player's very own team of creatures. You get to recruit the monsters encountered by either receiving their eggs as dungeon drops or as prizes of the game's gacha machine system, and can be raised/evolved through different material-collection tasks, as a staple to the mobile gacha game genre.

The game is currently among the highest-grossing iOS and Android applications in the world, with 16 million downloads in Japan only and a monthly revenue between 62 and 84 million dollars, making GungHo quite the financial juggernaut to be reckoned with! As for any other gaming success story, many alternate titles and spin-offs have been paired with the (still running) original app, including 2014's arcade puzzle title Puzzle & Dragons Battle Tournament (パズドラ バトルトーナメント), a 2015 trading card game and three different titles for the Nintendo 3DS.

One of the defining traits of this long-lasting mobile sensation is the franchise's open-minded set to host a number of cross-over events and collaboration with many different franchises and brands embracing both Japanese culture and the West! The Taiko no Tatsujin series has been one of the very first supporters of the collaboration fanfare, leading to a number of special occasions in which titlkes from both series could enjoy some promotional content. For the Taiko series' case, this more than often resulted in the sharing of many of the fan-dubbed 'Pazudora' series's collective soundtrack.