Taiko!

I appear to be developing a fondness for rhythm action games at a quickening, almost worrisome pace. If you exclude Okami and Kimishine, all the games I want to get in the next six months are either rhythm action games (Gitaroo Man, Donkey Konga, Samba De Amigo, Amplitude, DDR), or games which use a bongo as a controller (Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Odama, Donkey Konga again).

I regret keeping them at arm's length for so long, because they're rad. Samba, Sega's crazy maracas game, is my new Radiant Silvergun -- that unattainable, legendary game that sets my heart afire with every promotional monkey graphic.

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Did you see that? I just used a horizontal rule. Is that okay? Anyhow, that was supposed to be a brief intro, and it got out of hand. This post is about Taiko Drum Master, our Friday night impulse buy. It's a rhythm game that comes with a taiko drum peripheral. You may remember the arcade version of this game in Lost In Translation. Suffice to say that if your expression is not the one represented by this emoticon:

:D

then you are not playing Taiko.

We had SM over on Saturday to play the game. If you don't know SM, he's a 6'6" man-child with an enthusiasm unmatched this side of the Kool-Aid Man. Seriously thought he was going to break the new drum, but what could we do but watch? It would be like ripping meat out of a werewolf's paws. Think, Zack. He's going to beat on something. Better to lose the drums and save yourself, Zack. Think about that. Luckily the drums are pretty sturdy.