Believe it—Britney’s Dance Beat offers just the kind of challenge that PaRappa and Bust-A-Groove fans crave. You might scoff at the teenybopper license, but this game actually delivers. Players assume the role of a dancer auditioning for Britney’s upcoming tour. If you wanna make the cut, you’ll have to prove that you can hit the buttons to the rhythm. That starts out easy but gets pleasantly difficult as the game progresses. You’re always competing against another hopeful, and as you build combos, you’ll automatically send small attacks over to their side to make them mess up—and vice versa, of course. Button icons that shift and change moments before you tap them crank the skill factor and make the game surprisingly rewarding. Players also earn backstage passes that unlock 360-degree concert movies (a cool trick) and behind-the-scenes footage. The graphics look clean but aren’t pushing the PS2’s capabilities. Britney herself shows up as a hi-res digital model if you do really well, but your visual focus has to remain on the icons or you’ll fail. As a result, players never actually get to see the big payoff for their skills. The game also features real Britney choreography from her most recent tour, but fans of Bust-A-Groove will spot one or two familiar moves—the two games share the same developer. Swift button skills are crucial (and pay off—no control problems here), but the game makes it nearly impossible to use a dance pad since most of the gameplay calls for button presses mixed with occasional directionals—pretty much the opposite of what dance pads are designed for. Britney’s videos play in the background but aren’t, um, in sync with the soundtrack, which is comprised solely of Britney hits and remixes. Britney will chime in to offer encouragement like “Don’t stop!” in her slight drawl, too. Put your prejudices aside and focus on the gameplay. Britney’s Dance Beat is one of the better dance/rhythm games out there, and with so many unlockable goodies, it’ll make Britney fans want to consistently play it, baby, one more time. As A personal note, I did not write this particular write up. As a guy I wouldnt dream of playing this game.
