New content is always unlocked after beating each stage and while I like lots of unlockable goodies, there is a little problem with the system. Instead of using a summarised form of telling you what’s been unlocked, it prompts you with one item after the other. This wouldn’t be so bad if you could skip the text quickly but you can’t. You have to wait for the short chime to finish first so when you happen to unlock multiple items, you’ll find yourself tapping on the screen and waiting for quite a bit. It can become very tedious.


Nodame’s version of Taiko Drum Master.

Nodame DS is also made up of a few mini games, unlocked as you beat each stage on the map. You’ll find Bandai-Namco included a simplified version of their other popular rhythm title “Taiko Drum Master”. Again, just like the original you have to fill a meter pass a certain point by timing your drum beats. There are only two types of notes as opposed to the four or five in the Sony console versions but my guess is they’re really just doing a bit of in-game advertising for the (at the time of writing) upcoming full DS title.

Other mini games include “Uraken Cooking Battle” where you have to memorise ingredients quickly before dropping them into a pan, “Assault on the Psycho’s Den, Room 201” where you have to sort out Nodame’s messy room and “Purigorotai Gogo” which is a sort of platformer. They’re fairly fun to play through but just like the main rhythm part of the game, there’s no score keeping so there’s really not much replayability in Nodame DS. Having a record of scores and ranks is a pretty standard affair so I don’t see why they didn’t include such a system.


Meet Chiaki and Nodame.

On the presentation side of things, backgrounds are clean simple and artwork such as character designs remain true to the original, as does the dialogue. It’s not a rehash of the original story so if you’ve been watching or reading the series you won’t find yourself playing through the same scenes all over again. Nodame fans will probably be glad to know there’s a gallery of illustrations and short Manga panels which are unlocked gradually as you play as well as character profiles. Those who find themselves with an increased interest in classical music while playing can even read up background information about the great selection of songs featured in the game, the composers and the various instruments used in orchestras.

Rhythm games are well known for their replayablilty thanks to a good selection of songs and a score ranking system. However, in the case of “Nodame Cantabile” you’re missing the latter which means you’re most likely going to play through it once and leave it. Those looking for another rhythm game that will offer as much challenge as Ouendan should stay away from this one as the songs are very easy to beat. On the other hand, this game may appeal to Nodame fans or if you’re looking for an Ouendan game with classical music, this is as close as it gets.
I would say it’s very import friendly because all you have to do is tap on a stage, beat the song or mini game and you can play on. There’s no need to figure out what to do next or where to go. It’s all very self-explanatory thanks to its ample use of pictures.

• Great selection of classical music.
  
• Small collection of mini games including simple version of Taiko Drum Master.
  
• Unlockable illustrations for Nodame fans.
  
• Information on composers, songs and instruments.

• Needs a better scoring or ranking system for replayability.
  
• Should summarise unlocked items after each stage.
  
• Lasts for around 6 hours only.
  
• One difficulty level.