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| - I would never have thought that I would find myself having fun slapping air. I also would never have thought I would dance with maracas along with a dancing monkey to Ricky Martin either, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised at what I come to enjoy when I get my hands on new peripherals. After breaking boards, spinning UFOs, and slapping ghosts silly I've come to master the art of rhythm. While Dance Dance Revolution trained my feet to keep with the beat, EyeToy: Groove worked my upper body as I slapped the beejezus out of the air to the sounds of Sister Sledge, Jamiroquai, Earth Wind & Fire, and more. With over 20 tracks immediately available and more unlockable gamers will be able to play through some classics - and some that aren't so much - on easy, medium, hard, dynamic, or through their own custom routines alone or with friends. The game will also track how many calories are burned per song by taking into account how much weight the player enters in if they wish to use that feature - it's called a mode, but it isn't anywhere as near as complete as the similar function found in DDR titles. The team play is for up to four people, with the ability to play two at a time in some modes; team play is good fun, but a significant amount of free space is needed so that no one is inadvertently hit or trips. Teams can play in a variation of Tug of War, Battle Sync (this is where the game allows for four people to face off), Team Sync (mentioned earlier), and in a tournament; the tournament features four mini games - Tag (playing whenever your picture appears), Frenzy (keep up with the sped up dance icons), Perfection (a test of one's accuracy), and Copycat (memorizing and repeating a sequence) - and is said to be a dance exercise program - since I don't have someone readily available to jump up and look insane with me, I do wish this exercise program would've been a focus for single play. Those going solo have one, and only one, option: Solo Groove Mode. The Solo Groove Mode will no doubt get the most play, unless you're very | |||||
social and have access to a PlayStation 2 when necessary. This is where the characters select their song, difficulty, and then have at it. Like in team play, the screen has six buttons, placed around the edge of the screen, and a dance icon that goes towards each. Similar to the original, the player gets more points the closer the icon gets to the center of the buttons. Adding some spice to the formula are wave icons that expand and take up multiple buttons; motion quota buttons that require the player to keep motion on a button until all of the icon goes inside; directional icons that require the player to sweep their hand in the direction the icons are pointing to; pose icons that have the player, well, pose; and freestyle sections that take away the HUD and let the player get creative. There are judges that watch the player's performance and rank them on how well they do, but players are also judged by how much motion they make during a song and if they had good timing with the dance icons. Players can also perform combos by doing flawlessly, and they will also be treated to a video whenever they fill their groove bar up completely. Doing well in single player is important because if you suck, the game ends. Yeah, it's a little anticlimactic, working up a sweat and being booted out to the song selection screen, but it's an effective method in keeping players focused. Players will also want to do well because they will be photographed during their routines; during freestyle events, they will even be recorded. For those who get something that's too funny or impressive to throw away, they can add them to their photo album. This is definitely a cool feature. The ability to create routines is also a pretty interesting addition, especially for those who want to create something tailored to their style and speed; although, I have to say that I was surprised at how much more involved my routines were after finishing them and trying them out. Another feature taking advantage of the camera is the ability to send recorded messages; they eat up quite a bit of memory, but are sure to come in handy in a variety of situations. Dual Shock support was also added, saving newcomers and veterans alike from aching wrists - previously, gamers had no alternative to shaking their wrist to select an icon. None of these are necessary, nor do they add any substantial amount of replay value, but they are nice additions nonetheless. Those
with an EyeToy will no doubt want something new to play with. For them,
and for those who have multiple parties and found this to be an interesting way
to spend an evening, Groove will hold some appeal. However, I found the song selection
pretty limited for an expansion, not to mention not very good, and the play modes
way too few. Many of the interesting modes were reserved for team play, but that
was a pretty significant downfall - especially for me since I don't have that
many friends all that willing to continue jumping around with me in front of a
television, but am always willing to work in gaming and burning off some extra
calories. When comparing Groove to a sequel/expansion in the DDR
series - which may not be completely sound, but they have strong similarities,
especially with Groove being based on music - this release just doesn't
stack up. Overall:
6.5/10 [ top ] |
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