09.06
style
Dance Central uses the Kinect technology to read the player's body as he or she follows a series of on-screen prompts that depict a dance routine. These "flash cards" each represent one move, and that move can range from a simple shuffle step to an advanced series of upper body motions. There are more than 30 songs in the game (ranging from new hits like "Evacuate the Dance Floor" by Cascada to classics like "Jungle Boogie" by Kool and the Gang) and each track has three different difficulties to play on, which must be unlocked in order.
Each difficulty level builds on the dance moves of the previous routine and the hard level material, once you unlock it, is genuinely tough stuff. I love to dance and I'd consider myself moderately able, but some of the moves in the hard routines were a serious challenge for me to pull off.
Luckily, there are a few helpful modes in Dance Central for new dancers (those that lack "the funk"). Break It Down is the only way to learn some of these routines, as it cycles through each move one at a time and gives players the option to slow down the move until the player is comfortable with the steps. This mode is complemented by a helpful announcer that actually shouts out the dance queues during the move, like "right, step, back, step" in time with the beat.
Break It Down is absolutely essential for the difficult dances, but it would be great if the mode was a little more flexible. As far as I can tell, there's no way to practice a specific move without going through the entire practice routine. And if you fail a move enough times, the announcer automatically ushers you on to the next move which you need to manually stop with a wave of the hand.
Workout mode is also a nice addition to the formula, though I'm not sure how many people will use it because Dance Central is mostly a party game. In this mode, players enter in their weight and the game keeps track of their calories burned over the course of the play session. I personally won't use this mode, but it's a solid part of the experience. Doing the routines is actually a workout in and of itself, which was apparent to me when I emerged from the IGN demo room covered in sweat (I do, admittedly, dance really hard).
I was impressed at how well Kinect and Dance Central read my body movements. One move made me raise my arms up in true robot fashion, bend forward at the waist, and then sit down in the air. I was originally frustrated at this move because the game wasn't registering my motions properly and I kept missing that portion of the dance. I thought it was Kinect's fault, but as it turns out I just wasn't bending at the waist far enough. This punctuated my realization that Dance Central offered legitimate dancing, though there are times when you'll pull off a move well and it just doesn't register. But for the most part, you really have to get moving if you want to master a routine and you can't fake it -- lest you want a crappy score.
These routines are realistic for the average person. There aren't any back flips or handstands in Dance Central, but there are moves that will take a lot of practice, especially for someone uncomfortable with dancing. Generally, I found the routines extremely entertaining, especially if you practice and aim for mastering a hard level routine. Most of the moves are also totally applicable to the real world dance floor, so you might even find yourself picking up a new technique to employ at the club.
Overall, Dance Central is lots of fun, especially with a big group of people that are willing to get a little goofy and give it their all. It's also a fantastic workout if you put effort into your moves, but the experience is far from perfect. Menu navigation, which is handled by waving your hands, takes some getting used to, and I noticed that there were some technical bugs with the lip-synching of the on-screen characters.
The most disappointing part of Dance Central is the overall feature set. It's just not as much as you'd expect from the developer of Rock Band. Although there are a few unlocks in terms of costumes and dance venues, there's no actual career mode to play through -- every song is available from the start, with the exception of special mash-up challenges. This is a wise design choice for people jumping right into a party, but it's less rewarding for those dancing solo.
And for those parties I keep going on about, it would have been nice to have some sort of tournament support or shuffle mode where different people could jump in and out of the competition quickly and with minimal menu navigation, but as it stands right now every dance battle must be set up manually. Dance battles are fun, where players trade on and off during a routine and compete for points, but I would have liked to see more. After all, once the drinks start flowing, people will not want to worry about "menus" or "accuracy" or "dignity."
Closing Comments
Dance Central is great fun, it gets you moving, and it's absolutely perfect for parties. Although it's disappointing to see so few features and unlocks included, the actual song selection, dance routines, and the accuracy of the Kinect implementation is what makes Dance Central worth a look. Dancing is one of my favorite things besides video games, and Dance Central combines those two pastimes beautifully.
by: Ryan Clements
Posted in: Music
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