Dance Central has been one of the most anticipated games for Kinect. The ability to learn real dance moves and get evaluated by the game is one of the unique things it has to offer players who are willing to learn how to dance. With the Kinect and Dance Central now available in stores, does the game live up to the hype?
At a price of $49.99, can dancers and players alike consider Dance Central to be their own personal dance choreographer? Let’s take a look at the HOTs and NOTs of the game.
HOT
Awesome Dance Moves
Dance Central offers more than a hundred dance moves and over thirty songs, varying from old disco club tunes to recent hits such as Lady Gaga’s Poker Face. Each of the songs in the game have thier own unique moves, but all songs share some common dance moves. The good thing about the dance moves in Dance Central is that they fit the rhythm of the music, which makes dancing a blast. Harmonix claims that Dance Central contains dance moves choreographed by real choreographers, and players will notice this immediately.
Accuracy is the Key
Thanks to the technology of the Kinect sensor, players will no longer have to hold a peripheral to capture their movements. With the precise tracking of the Kinect sensor, players will have to perform the moves correctly; otherwise the game will tell the player which body part needs tweaking. To learn the moves of a certain song, a flash card will appear on screen showing a dance move, all of which can be learned in the Breakdown option where the game teaches the player the necessary steps to succeed. While Just Dance on the Nintendo Wii only tracks the movement with the Wii Remote on the player’s hand, Dance Central tracks the way the player moves the body, arms and legs. Think of the Kinect sensor as a choreographer watching and teaching you to do the dance moves perfectly.
Downloadable Content – New Dance Songs
Similar to other music games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, Dance Central will have weekly downloadable dance tracks. As a debut DLC for the release of Dance Central, three songs are now available: Because of You by Ne-Yo, Temperature by Sean Paul, and I Got You Dancing. Expect more songs to arrive every week for Dance Central.
Workout Mode
Dance Central also has a Workout mode for players who want to use it to burn some calories. When the Workout mode is chosen, the game will ask the player for their weight and the game will count the calories being burned by performing the dance. Whether the workout mode is enabled or not, it is expected that players will burn calories when performing some of the hottest dance moves within the game.
Dance with Friends
Dance Central is a great game to play with friends. The dance routines in the game can be done with up to three people all at once. Two of them can be backup dancers while one person will be the lead. Just like when dancing solo, the Kinect sensor will pick up the movements for the other two behind the lead dancer.
NOT
No Career Mode and Very Few Unlockables
As with every other game that Harmonix released, there is always a career mode. In Dance Central, all of the songs are unlocked by the time the player starts the game. There is no story behind the game, which is all about getting those routines learned. Since all of the songs are already available by the time the player starts the game, the only unlockables the player has to look forward to are different characters.
VERDICT
Dance Central is easily the best dance game ever released on a console. It is a perfect game for anyone who loves dancing and it’s a great way to start a party with friends. While the lack of a story in career mode and vey few unlockables are disappointing, the accuracy that players will experience with Dance Central is something that players will appreciate. Dance Central is a must-buy for players who want to dance or learn how to bust a move, and it really shows the potential of the Kinect sensor.
