With the release of the Kinect controller for Xbox 360 came its flagship release, Dance Central by Harmonix. The developer that wanted to turn gamers into musicians now wants us to get our backs up off the wall.
From the first time starting up, Dance Central's presentation is slick. The interface is clean and easily the best in the initial crop of Kinect games. Starting up a song is as easy as going through an iTunes playlist, and you never need to touch a game pad (other than to skip the intro movie...what's up with that? Edit: last night I actually found that you can swipe and skip the intro scene. My bad for not getting it right before.) Seriously, every other piece of Kinect software has a lot to learn from Dance Central's menus, including the Xbox 360 dashboard. Those silly buttons that make you hold your hand in the air for three seconds are gone, replaced with a quick swipe of the hand. It'll make you want to swing your hips just for good measure.
Dance Central starts off with a few songs on Easy mode to get you going. You're forced to go through songs on easier settings before unlocking the harder settings, which might be a drag for experienced dancers. I feel similar to the first time I played Guitar Hero; I'm learning a new gameplay style and new skills, and I'm okay with some hand-holding in the process. In all the tracking feels accurate. Following the on-screen dancer would show me what I needed to be doing, and when I made a mistake it was clearly my bad move and not a fault of the Kinect sensor. I had some issues while wearing a loose pair of cargo shorts, so I do recommend some form-fitting trousers so as to not confuse the camera.
After a few dances there is a noticeable upward curve in difficulty. The first move that I couldn't figure out just by looking at it was the Jazz Square (cross, back, right, front.) This is where the Break It Down feature comes in. This mode is your in-game dance instructor. Break It Down will go through each dance move that's used in a song individually. If you mess up a move it'll have you do it again, and if you're just not getting it then the instructor will go through each particular motion, all with fully-voiced coaching. Within a few tries, I was producing competent if not perfect Jazz Squares. With enough practice, anyone could build up enough skill and body awareness that they could bring what they learn to a club floor.
Workout mode is a nice extra, if a little limited. Based on which song you pick and how much you weigh, the game will keep track of how many calories you're burning as you dance. Since there's nothing connected to your body to take measurements, your results are just an estimation. I already work out with heavy cardio on a regular basis, so I don't find the game very strenuous. If you're starting from zero, you might find yourself building up a bit of a sweat. I love statistics, so I'll still turn on Workout mode every time I play. My one minor annoyance is having to declare my weight with every new play session. The Kinect can recognize faces, so why not just have my weight tied to my user profile, and then I could change that in the options if I gain or lose a few pounds.
Even with that first-batch feel, Dance Central is an excellent debut for Kinect. Give it a fair shake, and you may find yourself swept up, looking to perfect your moves and best your friends on the score leaderboards. It's a showcase for what the Kinect can offer, and there's just no other way to do a dance game quite the same. This is not just an update to Dance Dance Revolution; Dance Central is in a category on its own. A steady stream of downloadable songs will keep this game alive until the inevitable sequel. Assuming a few improvements are made, I'll definitely be looking to partner up again.
What I'm Playing:
From the first time starting up, Dance Central's presentation is slick. The interface is clean and easily the best in the initial crop of Kinect games. Starting up a song is as easy as going through an iTunes playlist, and you never need to touch a game pad (other than to skip the intro movie...what's up with that? Edit: last night I actually found that you can swipe and skip the intro scene. My bad for not getting it right before.) Seriously, every other piece of Kinect software has a lot to learn from Dance Central's menus, including the Xbox 360 dashboard. Those silly buttons that make you hold your hand in the air for three seconds are gone, replaced with a quick swipe of the hand. It'll make you want to swing your hips just for good measure.
Dance Central starts off with a few songs on Easy mode to get you going. You're forced to go through songs on easier settings before unlocking the harder settings, which might be a drag for experienced dancers. I feel similar to the first time I played Guitar Hero; I'm learning a new gameplay style and new skills, and I'm okay with some hand-holding in the process. In all the tracking feels accurate. Following the on-screen dancer would show me what I needed to be doing, and when I made a mistake it was clearly my bad move and not a fault of the Kinect sensor. I had some issues while wearing a loose pair of cargo shorts, so I do recommend some form-fitting trousers so as to not confuse the camera.After a few dances there is a noticeable upward curve in difficulty. The first move that I couldn't figure out just by looking at it was the Jazz Square (cross, back, right, front.) This is where the Break It Down feature comes in. This mode is your in-game dance instructor. Break It Down will go through each dance move that's used in a song individually. If you mess up a move it'll have you do it again, and if you're just not getting it then the instructor will go through each particular motion, all with fully-voiced coaching. Within a few tries, I was producing competent if not perfect Jazz Squares. With enough practice, anyone could build up enough skill and body awareness that they could bring what they learn to a club floor.
Workout mode is a nice extra, if a little limited. Based on which song you pick and how much you weigh, the game will keep track of how many calories you're burning as you dance. Since there's nothing connected to your body to take measurements, your results are just an estimation. I already work out with heavy cardio on a regular basis, so I don't find the game very strenuous. If you're starting from zero, you might find yourself building up a bit of a sweat. I love statistics, so I'll still turn on Workout mode every time I play. My one minor annoyance is having to declare my weight with every new play session. The Kinect can recognize faces, so why not just have my weight tied to my user profile, and then I could change that in the options if I gain or lose a few pounds.
Even with that first-batch feel, Dance Central is an excellent debut for Kinect. Give it a fair shake, and you may find yourself swept up, looking to perfect your moves and best your friends on the score leaderboards. It's a showcase for what the Kinect can offer, and there's just no other way to do a dance game quite the same. This is not just an update to Dance Dance Revolution; Dance Central is in a category on its own. A steady stream of downloadable songs will keep this game alive until the inevitable sequel. Assuming a few improvements are made, I'll definitely be looking to partner up again.
What I'm Playing:
- Main Campaign: Dance Central, Mass Effect, Need For Speed Hot Pursuit
- Side Quest: Soul Calibur 4, Rock Band 3
No comments:
Post a Comment