Do you like drumming games? Especially those at the arcades with actual drums for you to hit. I got hooked on them after Woon Ching introduced me to them. Sometimes we would go to nearby arcades at Ang Mo Kio and Yishun after school to play. Let's talk about our favourite two games: Percussion Master and Taiko no Tatsujin.

This is the first rhythm-based drumming game Woon Ching introduced to me. It can be found in Timezone arcades in Singapore. I find it more challenging compared to Taiko no Tatsujin as there are many combos used in the game.

The songs are mostly Chinese and English. There are even some children's songs which are cute and easier to play.



The arcade machine looks like this. There's 3 drums to be hit, with the round one being the main one. Sometimes i find my own hands flying up, down, left, right just to hit the drums. :D

It's much more fun playing in versus mode where you can challenge your friend (or some stranger). If you're playing with a friend, remember to let each other win once. Then both of you will get one extra round together in order to determine the winner. It makes the money more worthwhile when both of you play together.




I love Taiko no Tatsujin. Everything about this game screams cuteness!

This game is entirely Japanese. But players can figure out the basic buttons/options to get through the game. This game has lesser combos than Percussion Master. But the challenge lies in its speed.



There're 4 levels of difficulty for you to choose from. The higher the difficulty level, the speed increases and combinations get harder.

There's only one drum to hit. The rim of the drum is the 'blue' combo. The center is the 'red' combo. It's quite easy to remember.

KEY:
Small red drum face- Hit center once
Small blue drum face- Hit rim once
Big red drum face- Hit center with both sticks
Big blue drum face- Hit rims with both sticks
Balloon- Hit center once before hitting continuously to complete the number of hits required


This is how the game looks like. Cute, right? There are characters dancing around at the bottom while you play. There're 34 songs to choose from.

I have the game on my PSP too. It isn't as fun since you can't hit the drums like you do at the arcade. But you get to practice as many times you like. There're mini games too. But the whole game's in Japanese so i only know how to play and save. :(





I'm better at playing it on PSP. I've been playing game consoles and computer games since primary school so my fingers are somewhat conditioned. When playing Taiko no Tatsujin on my PSP, i use my right fingers for almost everything. Which is my major flaw when it comes to the arcade machine because you can't just rely on your right hand in drumming. If you see me in the arcade playing Taiko no Tatsujin, only my right hand is doing the beating. When it comes to the arcade machines, i lose to Woon Ching in both coordination and power. We have different strengths when it comes to drumming. :D

More arcade outings after the semester exams are over!!