Taiko no Tatsujin Portable（太鼓の達人 ぽ〜たぶる）

The Taiko no Tatsujin games are pretty fun when you have a giant taiko to bang on, though Japanese arcades are always so loud that the fun is diminished cause you can't hear jack. However, on home consoles, it becomes a rather simplistic rhythm game that's pretty limited musically. I mean, there's only so much you can do with just BOOM and CLACK. I know next to nothing about real taiko drumming but I don't think these games are exactly an accurate representation.

I tried this on my PSP and now I need a new one #Patreon #HALP #$$$
While it's fine as a mainstream, newb rhythm game, I find it pretty lacking compared to oh say for example, Beatmania (#fuckKonami?). Now, don't get me wrong, it's not like the game only has super easy songs. I definitely can't clear some of the more difficult songs in Oni mode. However, the issue for me is that the base mechanics are a bit too basic. So when my Closet of Shame™ started running out of room and I had to purge some shit, the taiko games on the PSP were the first on the chopping block.

Some of the songs on the first portable version is for me a nostalgic trip back in time to 2005. Those were the years I was actually living in Tokyo so it's not even fake nostalgia. Songs like マツケンサンバ really takes me back.

Oh god, now I feel really old. Still damn catchy though.
Of course, I was ignorant gamer at the time so I was mostly busy working overtime and playing mainstream DS titles like animal crossing and brain age. I didn't even know about the PSP, so big FAIL on Sony's marketing division there.

While the 38 songs isn't exactly a terribly small list (the online songs are now all offline), most of the songs didn't really do it for me. It has the standard set of "classical" and Namco originals that are whatever and overall, the set was just meh for me. It doesn't help that Taiko sound effects don't really go well with most songs and the other sounds such as farts were not better. Not surprisingly, We will rock you was the best match for this type of game. For some reason, this one also has DBZ Head-cha-la. CHA LA! HEAD CHA LA! Ahem, excuse me, reflex.

Score: 2 I actually watched マツケンサンバ on TV (yeah, I'm a dinosaur) out of 5

There's nothing wrong with this game, it plays just fine and that would normally be good enough for a 3 average score but the rather lackluster song list brings it down a notch.

I unlocked all the songs, got up to Meijin rank, and cleared a fair chunk of songs on Oni difficulty mode and that's good enough for me. Now I have a little extra space to BUY BUY BUY some more games. Mission accomplished.

Scale
0 - Awful
1 - Bad and not worth your time
2 - Has some flaws but still enjoyable
3 - An average enjoyable experience
4 - A great game
5 - Masterpiece of a caliber only found very rarely