Step Rhythm to Beyond the Next Level.
The first thing I noticed were the graphics. The colors of everything just work together unbelievably well. The metallic blue scheme is eye candy everytime I load up the game and prepare to lose 3 pounds of water weight. In the actual gameplay, the graphics only get better. Although limited, the background movies are some of the best I've seen. One of my favorite songs, Vertex, had some unrivaled movies that made the song even more fun to play. Again, although they're limited, you can't say anything bad about the amount of them. Another key point is the arrow update. 2D arrows in DDR are now unbearable to play with. The polygonal arrows in In the Groove move up in such vivid flow at 60FPS. A last note on the graphics is just the little touches they've done. 3D ratings, instead of just boring letters that try to look good by scrolling up and down, beautiful and easy-to-navigate menus, flawless transitions, just an amazing piece of work.
Next, we go to everything else. I'll try to get this review wrapped up as soon as possible, but it is a challenge considering how much this game offer. I'll start off with saying that these stepcharts are some of the BEST I have ever played. If you're not good enough to pass some 12 and 13 footers, try some of them with a controller. Euphoria on challenge is one of the gems that only a company like RoXoR could bring out. Compared to DDR, these step-charts flow flawlessly. Repeating is a rare sight in this game, RoXoR made sure that the steps were fun throughout the whole song. One of the favorites is Anubis, it brought some very new steps that I've never seen done before. I literally tripped off my pad due to the steps, like the game owned me, they are the best!
In this finishing paragraph, I'll try to combine some minor (yet big) details into one section. Firstly, I'll discuss the sound. Everything in this game seemed to be recorded at the highest quality all the time. My 2.1 system kept me attracted to play this game even more, if I had to say anything, I'd say it sounds a lot better than the arcade. Next, I'd like to point out some of the challenging modes they throw at you. The non-stop mode (4 songs without stopping.) Sound familiar? Oh man, DDR had that totally. But wait! There is something different! The songs actually have mods pre-built into the songs that have them synched with the actual song! Wicked move by RoXoR, and the experience of that can't be beat. It makes the game have very nice replay value. Lastly, I want to discuss the actual music. Sorry about this paragraph being so random, but I'm getting really sleepy. The music in the game is mainly techno-based. I feel this is not a bad thing at all. It sure beats the US versions of DDR, often whored with fake versions of old popular songs. The last mix of DDR I liked was Max 2, I thought it was the best US mix. In the Groove's techno is different from DDR, it feels almost surreal when you play it. I hate to point out the song again, but Euphoria's slow down part blew me out of my mind. It makes the song's fun level jump up off the scale. Some other favorites are the smooth beats of Delirium, Tribal Style's hard beat, Tell's classic techno remix, and more.
Overall, I feel that this game deserves a 10. I feel Konami should expand their home versions of game like In the Groove did. No more excuses, they need to add a new level. A new interface every mix just doesn't cut it anymore, they need more unique elements, and graphic improvements to pass In the Groove. My mindset says this game is a 10, so that is what I'm going to give it. Congrats RoXoR, you built up a winner here. How you crammed it onto a DVD, I don't know, but man... thank you.