Written by Derrick Sanskrit
This hip urban lifestyle is killing me. Even though I walk a couple miles each day going to and from various places, I spend at least three hours a day sitting in place on trains as they scuttle my person between points A and R. Three hours! I'd probably go crazy or fall asleep and get mugged if it weren't for portable games. The problem is carrying games that can hold my interest for an extended period of time. Almost all of the most compelling DS games have little to no replay value (the Ace Attorney series, Hotel Dusk: Room 215) and many of the other better games require such precise stylus control that a simple jostle of the train car can ruin the entire experience (Elite Beat Agents, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass). What am I supposed to play?
Thanks to importers and the region-free DS, I have found my answer: Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Touch de Dokodon!, aka "Taiko Drum Master DS". It keeps all the familiar elements of the popular arcade and home console Taiko Drum Master games (J-pop and classical songs play, cute cartoon characters dance, you beat the shit out of a big-ass drum) and makes it portable. Is there a story? Damned if I know, I just know that I get a more visceral thrill out of pounding a cartoon drum than I do shooting an AK-47 at Nazis.
If I'm waiting at the station, it's fun to rest the DS in my lap and pull out the twin styli (included with the game) to tap out beats on the touch screen. When the train's in motion and I'm shoulder-to-shoulder with disgruntled strangers, I switch to the buttons (face buttons for the drum skin, shoulders for the drum edge). It takes some getting used to the two control schemes, but it’s still a very satisfying, if mindless, experience. For all I know, all these J-Pop songs could be about sodomy, but as long as I don't understand the words and I can dress my cartoon drum up as a punk rocker, circus clown, geisha, or Santa Claus, I'm going to keep my headphones on and a smile on my face, continuing to freak out the old lady in the opposite seat.