The time for stalling is over, at last! Let's indulge ourselves in the 2023 that was...
1st Trimester
Sure enough, what is usually the sleepiest period of the year has been one of sudden anticipation... and for Western Taiko fans, of all audiences! If it felt like a pipe dream to have localized Taiko-enriched content with the third Mario Kart Arcade GP version years ago, we've heard many a game center across America running location tests of the 'general-Asia' Nijiiro Version firmware, not just any kind of somehow-gimped release (except for the lack of Banapassport/QR support, mind you)! Little did we know, that was just a warmup for foreign arcade-y action attempts...
On the more somber side, on the other hand, content delivery for 2022's The Drum Master for PC/xBox platforms has unceremoniously come to a halt with one final DLC load on January, with all digital-exclusive contents for non-Nintendo Switch system on the Mario-side of Taiko gaming gradually starting its descent into Lost Media territory, starting first with March 2023's eShop purchase closure. Also note-worthy to mention how nearly every downloadable content from V Version was axed in a similar way, by the start of March! The same month's very end has also seen what ended up being the very last collaboration content for the long-running Taiko Plus Shinkyoku Tori Houdai, for reasons that are going to be disclosed in due time.
Lok-approved:
- Game Center INTX, Taik-ou On! - The point of having more official Taiko releases in more countries has always been a notable point... moreso when it concerns some of the Western ones, in places where it's been notoriously swimming on the concern how arcade culture has truly been dead for the average person! Even just early location test scouting from a company means they're still willing to gauge diehard fans of a hobby growing more and more niche by the lusters, especially considering how Taiko no Tatsujin has always been an arcade-y franchise at heart!
Lok-abominables:
- The Drum Master... of Shutdowns - Being announced just as suddendly as it was figuratively discarded, what is arguably the most accessible official Taiko game (on a hardware-compatible perspective, at least) could only enjoy a full year of support, before being dropped by xBox Game Pass elegibility and being dropped in... relevance in general, really.
I'm no expert as to effectively pinpoint which factor/s may be behind The Drum Master's downfall between the lower visibility of the PC/xBox scene in its home soil or the middling features on display, but it's sad the same to pen how the ever-generous and unique support bolstered by Nintendo/Sony titles in the past didn't follow up into Bill Gates' debut drumming experience. Perhaps... next time...?
2nd Trimester
April to June appeared to be the more content-light months of the past year from Taiko, but nevertheless it also got its own share of enticing content to talk about. First and foremeost, we got word on Nijiiro Version cabinets also having their location tests all across China, with the major difference from the aforementioned America-focused forays being these being actually released in the same year during Fall, coupled with Taiko Team member-lead events and version-first songs to bolster!
The Japanese lifeline on the news spectrum was held up by the ongoing YouTube-lead livestreams with Etou and Kimizu, starting on the series' anniversary this year and marching on with June's announcement of the Taiko World Championship's return. Complete with yet another song-making contest for original tunes to boot! And another unique April Fools event, hooray!
Lok-approved:
- Endless Rhythm Festival - We've ragged on about the more-than-rocky Rhythm Festival launch season in 2022, but what was lacking on continued care for The Drum Master was supplied in spades all throughout the year, and then some! The most noxious bug affecting gameplay have been ironed out across the months (even though some newer ones appeared to let people play additional Ura Oni charts, ahead of release time) and standalone DLC packs were released over time, for both popular and some console exclusives/series debut treats. This Spring (and the month of December, later on) has even seen the addition of new modes as free software updates for everyone!
- Chen's Drumroll Terrorizes Even the West
- Obscure Buce Lee-sploitation movie reference aside, the return into mainland China for the Taiko franchise from the front door has meant the return of exclusive licenses to come, more than a decade away from the Asian-exclusive versions of the Taiko 11 and 12 cabinets! Not only that, said licenses were also shared across all regions as well, joined by even more hits from more Asian countries... and we should know, with this very blog being founded by a Malaysian and all that jazz!
3rd Trimester
In 2023, it finally happened- we've been around for as many years as members of the nameless Organization in Kingdom Hearts games. While either finding seven Drums of Light or changing my nickname into Plamxok isn't in our cards for sure, we're still in the same ever-grateful mood to our readers of all times for enduring our corner on the Web, especially considering the slower posting output on here these past years (as opposed to our Twitter account's steady pace). And wouldn't you know it, we've got another new Taiko experience to celebrate our Taiko Time 13th Anniversary with!
With a gradual release on Asian countreies since August's early days, Taiko no Tatsujin Rhythm Connect is set to usher a new way to let people of the tactile-screen-inclined brigade to enjoy Taiko like never before, starring a freemium model to access music and yet another monolytic launch version tracklist to boot. It's also time of renewed activities for the official Taiko no Tatsujin channels, mainly the YouTube account (with the return of certain prized vintage content) and shopping malls, with the opening of a second Taiko-themed amusement park in the Aichi prefecture's Nakagute city!
Lok-approved:
- Connected Portable Engagement - For sure, 2023 has been the year where literally ANYTHING that wasn't called The Drum Master has been thoroughlly supported, with the mobile games of Drummas Past and Present/Future being the frontrunners for the franchise. Rhythm Connect's reveal was supported with all sorts of varied engagements in social medias between update notices, campaigns of all sorts, cryptic emoji-based hints to the songs to come and even Q&As with Taiko Team members about everything surrounding the game! Even with the early concerns about the model and how it was communicated to the average players, it sure has been made a continued effort to keep everyone on the know.
The same mood also extends to the soon-discontinued Taiko Plus STH app, which kept on getting monthly song deliveries the same, up until September! Considering how game companies usually rush out closing-forever titles with a wimper rather than a bang (see also: every dying MMORPG/gacha game ever made), it's comforting how legacy content is sustained even after the service's leading closure, extending to even the old iOS song pack purchases! - Clay-y Stop Motion Revival - While it's true that original content on the official YouTube channel has been slowed down around July, it's also true how the intent of preserving the franchise's past from those at the helm of the franchise doesn't fade away the same! Case in point, around the same time we'd also see the revival of the official Taiko no Tatsujin Clay Anime, available for everyone not not-at-an-old-DVD-boxset's reach and with video-embeded subs the same!
It's good content for the youngest as well as for those wanting to hear more about the Taiko franchise's past, and considering it's for the very same IP holders's support at the low price of freely-broadcast video online, it's a win-win deal for both parties!
4th Trimester
With the November 1st update of Rhythm Connect, the app is considered to be 'officially released' at last, while housing an extra pluri-hundred spoonful of licensed songs on top of whatever's hot for the arcade branch at the time. Reoccurring arcade iDOLM@STER/Touhou events aside, let's not forget about the latest Ranking Dojo main courses' Ura-enriched newcomers from both unusual and familiar-sounding names!
Aside from that, there's not much to write home about 2023's ending on the news side, support for ongoing/fading-out games and new free gameplay mode for NS2 aside. We've also held the biggest Drumvent Calendar celebration yet and while I'm glad I could feature everyone for one year, considering the partial shift it had a toll on other blog schedules/personal for the near-future, perhaps I shall adjust my aim to something more feasable, next time...
Lok-approved:
- Heartfelt Developers' Engagement - We kinda give this for granted most of the times, but at least once under these lines might be a more fitting venue to talk about it. We're no shy to gush over the support we've received for running Taiko Time at the best of our capabilities, but I'm glad the same sentiment en large is also held by the main body of the Taiko Team's members going beyond the usual public-relations side you'd expect from people in a company towards the public.
Often times, they're glad to share the warm reception they receive while holding public venues, the livestreams runs and such -both online, in home-country and abroad events- while giving their all at the same time to engage with franchise fans of all ages and demographics. Time and again, we could tell how many of the public figures holding some of the series' reins still pour their own passion into it, not merely for getting a paycheck out of it! Really goes to show how Taiko no Tatsujin can be engaging on a number of different people... not distinguishing the players from the makers!
Lok-middling:
Lok-abominables:
-
Rhythm Connect's Infancy Months - Between the prerelease period and the "officialized" public version that has been out in the air, a lot has happened surrounding the latest mobile Taiko game, so much so that to dismiss it as a merely positive or negative thing is a disservice to either camp.
Like mentioned before, the amount of social media engagement to come forward to people playing the game and addressing some early concerns has been and still is very much welcome, especially considering the "social network"-y nature of the app between apparel and multi-user engagement. That said, mobile Taikos have always had a history of being on the buggy side and while this is no exception for RC, it might effectively hinder some's enjoyment of the game, particularly for the few istances of input-eating that might cost players an AD watch for a retry at best and wastiong valuable limited items on a song miss at most. Even other aspects like the early days' AD frequency/lenghty being incosistent and recycling Bingo card could tire people even after hours of cumulative app enjoyment. Let's hope the ongoing exchange between creators and players will end up in something to please both sides of the isle!
Lok-abominables:
- The Game Music Elephant in the Room - Rather than stating again how sorry and (more accurately) less original the stage of modern Game Music representation of the series is in 2023 outside of 2-to-3 main actors, let me just fill the remainder of this paragraph with a seemingly-unrelated short story of mine, instead. Let's see if the point gets across this way:
C.V. (Curriculum Vitae)
There I was, one day like many others, about to hit the road in the early morning. Today, however, was different. I got an invitation to a job interview for a stable positioning with a decent pay, so I couldn't afford to arrive there, later than expected. As if a time bomb was stapled on my back, I rushed to my car about an hour ahead the appointed meeting's start, foreseeing an urban striker causing a traffic jam via car accident. Luckily, I know by city like the back of my hand and I know how a slight detour through the alley might have avoided me such a hassle but aye, it was smooth drivin' via the main road the same that day, so that this course of action wasn't needed today. Besides, if running toward a difficulty like many would have been enough to stop me dead in my tracks, perhaps looking for a job might have been the least of my worries.
Not that the highway at the city's exit, familiar as it is for me, would have been something to be taken for granted after the city jam. You're always up to speedsters and stormers of all sorts, believing themselves to be the Master of Speed on their way to crush 'em all and cutting people to an abrupt stop, the second you move away your sights from the road ahead. While this might be the most dangerous game for many, I have both the mental fortitude and the horsepower to fight back; traversing the purple highway of daybreak as early as 4AM for a few months, I'm already well accustomed to both endurance and last-moment dodging of the occasional drunkard on wheels or the street courser who's constantly tailgating in order to save every single second like a Formula racer, so I already know how to move accordingly and prevent such hasty stunts to even happen on my watch. The fixer near my place might disagree on my driving approach, considering the few spoiler bumps and paint scratches I got in the past by gracing a few of these situations, but as he has his own job to do, so do I... or at least, I hoped so. The place of the meeting was a few minutes ahead, after all.
After the ordinary blazing vortex of burning tires that is the local highway stretch, I managed to meet my destination in a considerably early fashion, parking my car 35 minutes before the meeting. As much as I'm used to the morning traffic jam, a break time was in order for me not to give away any sign of residual tension from the hasty driving, so I hit up a nearby bar to order a black coffee and a cream-flavored croissant. Some funny fat guy served me at the bar that day and despite not having that much time to start a generic conversation, I could tell he was starting his morning on the right foot. "Hopefully I can be as cheerful as him, once I'm done with this interview", I thought to myself while leaving the joint with the receipt on my hand. "I mean, come on! you've studied far and long for that degree, right? It's an easy work! Just don't get ahead of yourself and listen to what the interviewers will be asking." These thoughts brought me down to the office appointed for the meeting, quickly shutting down as I lunged inside the building. I mean, I'm not one to enter in deep depression whenether something doesn't go my way; if I'll be rejected, I'll try again elsewhere one day. Some bust their asses out of unemployment for the reward and honor they get for their status as workers, while for me bumping my back towards a greater cause is enough to feel rewarded the same. Although yes, I was running out of money back then, so I couldn't live off by the comfort of "another good deed done" alone, even a good Samaritan must have had some source of income to be able to help a total stranger, after all.
Honestly, I don't remember how the job interview went. Not so much for the pressure as much of a more pressing urge for myself: taking it easy on my way home. Racing the storm together with dozens of other people in the morning might tick me off badly over time, so having a leisurely sunset runaway on a much-more deserted road became my own escape from crisis, sorrow and assorted anxiousness of the day. Just me, some slightly-dim road lights and a deserted road horizon with nothing but mountainside turns. The perfect sunset runaway for me to just chill out and think back to the memory of the passed day.
...Bottom line, while I really enjoy hearing the tunes of Priyo City one, two, three, four, five or even more times, isn't it time for other gaming series' turn to shine?!
And there you have it- Taiko gaming in 2023! Granted, this year we're having lesser points than usual because it's arguably detrimental to repeat ongoing issues/really-liked perks that were already elaborated in the past years. This of course runs both ways: news-drought periods and an over-reliance on digital distribution models that are very prone to series perma-deletion are still among the main issues modern Taiko gaming is facing every year, much the same as my ever-dwindling low free time to slow me down for blog-related productions, but listen: If the series' direction can improve, it's highly possible I can, too!
Let's hope for all parties for 2024 to be a roaring-development one... no matter if your 'role' in the Taiko scene is to write it, pen about it or just enjoying it! Until the next time, take care.
