Why Is There Giant Slime in the New Wii Taiko Drum Master?

Namco Bandai shared first screenshots today for Taiko Drum Master Wii: Dodon to Ni-Dai-Me. The second Wii installment in the Taiko Drum Master series of drumming games hits on November 19, priced at ¥5,040 on its own, or ¥7,980 bundled with a taiko set.

The screens show some unexpected elements, including Slime and chibi versions of the Idol Masters. What's Slime doing in a Taiko Drum Master game?

Typical for the series, Namco Bandai has managed to get some major cross overs for the game's music. Game tie-ins include Dragon Quest IX's main theme song Prologue IX and Idol Master Dearly Stars' theme song Hello!!. The game also includes songs from Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, Naruto Shippuuden, Dragon Ball, and Keroro Gunsou. You can see a full list at 4Gamer.

In addition to having a host of new songs, this second Wii Taiko game incldues a new Boss Battle mode. This mode features your typical Taiko gameplay, but enemies will now come in and block your notes. You'll also find bomb notes which, if tapped, will give you damage.