Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: MTV Games

Developer: Harmonix

Release date: November 4, 2010

Genre: Rhythm

Price: $40

Dance Central is the second dance game I’ve ever played. With that said, it’s the only one that requires the player to actually get up and really dance. If you think you can find an easy way out of getting into it – you’re wrong. Dance Central can be used as a party starter or a tool for a fun night with friends and family. To use Dance Central, you must have the Kinect. The Kinect is used to read your body as you imitate the avatars moves on the screen. With each move, cards will appear to the right hand side of the screen. This is to let the gamer know what dance moves are coming up next (kind of like Tetris).There are several songs on the playlist (from hits such as Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” to Soulja Boy “Crank That”). Like most games, there are levels of difficulties for the gamer to choose from. My recommendation is that you start from easy then move your way up.

For this game, I choose my lazy 14 year old nephew to preview the game with me. My nephew (who’s a gamer) at first glance choose Beenie Man “King of the Dancehall” which was in the moderately difficult category. As he previewed the moves he then realized that he may need to start off with easy. I also tried this game with my 7 year old daughter who loves to dance. Unfortunately, my no rhythm daughter couldn’t get all of the moves but she still had fun trying. So, even if you are a dancer or a non-dancer, you too can learn to play this game. Take note that the moves in the music videos are not exactly the same on the game. The game will add moves that will be relative to the songs lyrics but not familiar to someone who has seen the music video. Dance Central has a Break It Down option. This option helps the gamer with a run through of the moves they’ll be doing in their song choice. Players have the option to slow down the move until they are able to perform the steps. A flaw to this game – if you fail a move the maximum times allowed, the game pushes you go on to the next move. There is not an option to choose a specific move to work on. If you need more help you would have to do the whole preview again – that part stinks. The creators of Dance Central should have made it easier to access the slow motion or some sort of aide to help the boogie (dancing) challenged. Another option is the Workout mode. I really don’t know why this was added. If you do enough songs you’ll feel the same burn as the workout mode. Players enter in their weight and the game keeps track of their calories burned during their session. The disappointing part of Dance Central is the limited amount of song options and the characters. However, if you go to www.dancecentral.com you could request song options to the company. They also have new songs added by DLC. The characters were very limited but colorful in terms of personality. In my opinion, the creators should have added the option of creating your own character (from customizing the voice straight down to the style). The only thing to look forward to is the unlockable venues and clothes. The best way to unlock these features is to play with someone – you’ll get them faster. Overall, I had a blast playing Dance Central, especially when I have a dance partner to go up against. I personally loved the freestyle section of the songs. Its pretty funny watching your moves in a fast motion. Final Score: This game gets an 8 out of 10

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