Ready to get your groove on? Ready to bust a move? Ready to laugh? Ready to jam? Ready to............dance? STEP UP!
Graphics:
Very...very stylish. The graphics is really strong for this type of game. The environments and characters are colorful, vibrant, and full of life. The characters themselves look a little too perfect; but who cares, the dancing is all that matters here.
Menu interaction:
I normally don't talk about interaction with menus and practice modes; however Harmonix really put more thought into how the Kinect can be used to make playing the game better.
To be more accurate with the menu interaction part of this review I am going to rewind to my experience with the Dance Central 1 demo. I played the demo of Dance Central 1; because I was trying to decide which game I should get. I really liked the track list of the first game; however there were some things I noticed after playing the demo for hours. Dance Central 1 was really fun; however the break it down mode wasn't done very well. I would raise my hand to slow the move down; but it didn't always work. Plus there wasn't a lot of room for error either; because three mistakes will force you to move on to the next move despite your inability to nail it properly.
Another problem I noticed was there were times I did a move properly; but the game said I didn't. I guess the timing was really strict or there was something I was missing cause the break it down mode didn't help me point out the problem very well.
Now I would like to tell you what makes the interaction in Dance Central 2 so much more superior to the previous game. Harmonix really paid attention to the reactions to DC 1 and made sure they better understood the Kinect in order to make a better experience. In Dance Central 2 you can use the Kinect's ability to react to voice commands. This one option was very well done; because you can use it to quickly navigate the menus, select songs, and even up your game in break it down mode. For instance, I can tell the game to slowdown the move and even use video playback to compare and observe my dancing with the avatar character.
Gameplay:
The game is similar to all of the other dance games out there using some form of body motion. You see the avatar perform the moves and you have to mimic those moves. There are cue cards that can be used to help you know and memorize what move to do. The more accurate your moves are the better your score will get. You will know how good you are doing; because the arms and legs of the avatar will light up red if you are doing something wrong and the screen changes into some really flashy backgrounds when you are hitting consecutive moves in stride.
The great thing about this game is it doesn't require as much practice as the first game, so you can learn as you go more than usual. Some moves will still require practice; however when playing with other people flow will not be ruined due to the constant need to practice before every competition or coop play. The game feels like it is a bit more forgiving; but you still have to do the moves properly. The gameplay itself is really fun this time around.
The track list of this game is pretty solid. You have a mix of old and new school. And the dance routines are well done and some of the moves are pretty complex. And if about 44 songs isn't enough there is DLC in the works to help keep the boogie alive. Some of the moves can be a bit embarrassing to do in public for me and other males; however it didn't stop me from trying to remix those moves so I don't look too girly. No offense to our female gamers out there. I will leave a world wide apology to my female gamers out there if I offended any of you in some way.
"I am sorry. I will dance to TOXIC to show just how sorry I am."
Yeah. Better get back on track here. Moving on to the next part of this review.
Game Modes:
Based on what I have read and the videos I have watched the lack of multiplayer modes is what somewhat hurt the last game despite its popularity and success. Thanks to DC 2 that problem is no more.
There is a mode that resembles a bit of a story mode. The story mode is about a crazed dancer and it is your job to gain the respect of the crews of DC 2 and defeat the dancing fiend by.........you guessed it.............dancing. Its pretty basic. Its a lot like other games. You have to complete so many songs until you are ready to face the bad dancers. The cool thing about this mode is you don't have to go in alone. You can have a friend or family member tag along with you, so you can both shred the dance floor together.
There is a dance competition mode as well. It plays very well and is really fun. As you are both dancing there are random changes of pace as the song plays. There are single player spotlight moments were a segment of the song is reserved for each player. There are also moments when you and your opponent have to race to see who can complete the most moves before time is it up and the dancer who completed the most moves gets the points racked up. Talking about pressure.
There is also a fitness mode; which can be used to set up consecutive songs to dance to and track the calories burned. I am not sure how accurate it is; but it is still cool to see. Lots go for the goal and hit a high calorie burning work out. I am sure Emilia will approve.
It is even said that the Kinect does a really good job in terms of allowing two players to dance together, even in small space. Fortunately, I was able to set up a spacious area; so I could ensure less accidents. After playing this with another person I can honestly say the Kinect read every movement near perfection.
Final Thoughts:
Pros:
+Cool, flashy effects and characters
+Very well done interface
+More refined Break It Down Mode
+Fun Multiplayer modes
+DLC keeps the boogie alive.
+Nice variety
+A bit more forgiving
+Much better body tracking
Cons: (Very hard to think of cons.)
-No online mode (I understood why there isn't one though.)
-Wish there was a bit more gameplay variety in the story mode.
-Not much content to unlock.
-Would have been nice to see about 50 to 60 tracks available at the start.
I never thought I would even consider getting a dance game; because I am not much of a dancer. But after playing Dance Central 2 I realized I have fairly decent rhythm cause I never really tried to dance.......until now. I even feel like some of these moves can actually be used at the club. And based on my experience with the Dance Central 1 demo and plenty of online research is clear that Dance Central 2 is far superior. Now that I have DC 2 and am looking forward to getting DC 1 so I can import those tracks on DC 2 and burn up the dance floor.
I highly recommend all Kinect owners to get this game. You will not be disappointed. I give this game 9 out of 10 disco balls. Harmonix knows how to lay it down.