Bust a Groove

Developer - Enix
Publisher - Sony
Players - 1-2
Extras - Memory card

The bit on the box

"Get funky!! Bust a Groove is a game like no other. In the vein of the best fighting games, the World's best dancers compete to be crowned "Ultimate Dancing Champion". With over 50 minutes of original music - 70s Funk, Disco, Soul, and the ultimate vibes of 90s House and tech no - it's the coolest game around, no competition!"

Graphics

Bust a Groove mostly resembles a fighting game with smoothly animated characters that each have their own themed dance stage/battleground. The dancers themselves are incredibly varied and strange looking, with street gang leaders, giant robots, break dancers and disco fiends among others, and all are incredibly motion captured to represent their individual dance styles. Each also has his or her own warm up routine before a bout which is a nice touch, and keeps in with the fighting feel of the game. Good use of polygons have been used both on the characters and backgrounds, and while they aren't as detailed as those seen in Tekken 3 they are just as smooth and realistic in their movements.

Sounds

If you aren't a fan of dance music then you sure won't like this game! Again the musical tracks featured all represent the various dance styles of the competitors, and all are well recorded and sound great and funky. This makes it easier to get into the game if you are a dance and/or music lover, and knowing how to follow the beat of such music will help in playing the game in the long run. Even though this is the European version of the game there is still a distinctly Japanese feel about the game, including the sound effects, music, and graphics (and in one of the songs the developers even chose to leave in the Japanese lyrics).

Gameplay

Well it's definitely different, especially for those who have never played Parappa the Rapper. Using a control system that is easy to learn but difficult to master the player must do button combinations and then either press X or O on the fourth beat of the song. Miss that beat and you start to lose the bout, which makes for some extremely entertaining two-player games, especially when "attack" moves (which can be performed twice in each dance and knock your opponent over) are utilized. Single player mode is also fun, but I found that if you lost a bout and chose to continue the difficulty level is dropped a notch, making it too easy to finish a game right through, even against the later opponents. There are a few modes of play including practice, which is highly recommended for those who have never played this type of rhythm oriented game before.

I feel a verdict coming on

Bust a Groove is one of the best party games available for PlayStation, with a single player mode that is still alot of fun if a little on the easy side. Get a group together and pump up the volume though and some hilarious moments can be had (especially if some of the competitors have had a little too much to drink). I suppose the game could have had some more secret characters to unlock (only two apart from the two main bosses and they are mostly palette changes only) but there is still a fair amount of gametime to be had, and alot more if you intend to learn all of the dance steps. Maybe Namco should think about putting dance modes into their fighting titles, so we can finally get to see the Mishima family shake their booties.

Review by D.R.T.Barrett