Dance! Dance! Dance!

DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

Copyright © Konami/KCE Shinjuku
Sony PlayStation (1 CD-ROM)
Dancing Simulation
1-2 Players
Dual Shock Compatible
SCPS 45345
¥5800
Available now in Japan
Where to buy
Codes

—by Maria M. Rider

With the popularity of games such as PARAPPA THE RAPPER and BUST A MOVE, there are many other video game companies jumping on the bandwagon. This time, it's Konami and their newest dance game, DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! for the Sony PlayStation.
The goal of the game is simple; hit a series of buttons on the controller, keeping time with the musical beat of the game, and create dance combinations that will score higher points than the computer or another player. If you fail to do so, you have to start from the beginning and create a whole new combo. DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! gives you a choice of seven characters ranging in dance styles from around the world. The Samba, Jazz, and Hip Hop are just some of the types of dance moves that are used in this game.
There are four modes you can set the game to: Free Mode, Trace Mode, Story Mode, and Challenge Mode. In Free Mode you can make up your own dance combination to the many different dance paths available. In Trace Mode, you must mimic the moves of the computer player or another player. In Story Mode, your character follows a set story where he/she interacts with other dance characters in the game. In Challenge Mode, you can change the CD in the drive and battle against the computer.
DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! is remarkably different from its cousin, BUST A MOVE, in both looks and gameplay. Compared with the characters in BUST A MOVE, these are stiff and blocky. And instead of following two or three combinations, there are 6 or 7 combinations as choices. Also, the gameplay is a bit awkward and hard to keep up with because the beat is not consistent with the music. There is no true combination path to follow—trying to keep with the beat and creating high scoring dance combos is a bit frustrating to the first time player.
The music itself is neither as professional sounding nor as appealing to this reviewer. The game has its moments with the Hip Hop level and the Jazz level, but overall the soundtrack is quite boring. One interesting feature that may appease some fans is that they can input their own music CDs into the game with an option that allows the player to switch CDs before they play the game.
This option in itself is very interesting and gives the game a bit more gameplay than it has on its own, which is close to none. I tried it and, although the beat didn't exactly match, it was amusing to play the game with different music. Dance games like this one are getting quite popular, and with the sequel to the successful BUST A MOVE out in April, games like DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! get blown to the wayside without so much as a bat of the eye. In my honest opinion, DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! pales in comparison to the other dance games out there and I'd much rather replay BUST A MOVE than play more of this game.

Rating: 3.8/10