approach the machine thinking how easy it must be to conquer a game that’s so
limited. After all, your thumbs have been beating games with six- and
eight-button controllers for over a decade. No four-button dance pad is going
to get you down.
Twenty minutes later you’re out of breath, wondering what the heck happened.
You’re tired. You’re sweaty. Your heart is beating faster than you could
imagine – even faster than the time you beat five Tekken masters in a cash
prize tournament. Yet you’re compelled to stay. You get back on the dance
pad, insert more quarters and force your legs to bust a move. You could be
sore for days because of this, but that’s not a concern you’ll waste time
having. The Dance Dance Revolution bug has sunk its teeth into your hardcore
soul and there’s nothing you can do except allow yourself to be consumed by
its calorie-burning gameplay.
Konami started a
worldwide revolution with its DDR series, leading the way for numerous
copycats, imitators, and several mini-games. With all this thievery going on,
it’d be easy (and in some cases wise) to say, "No more dance games! I’m
done! My obsession ends with DDR!"
Doing that now would mean
missing out on the first dance game developed for Nintendo GameCube, MC Groovz
Dance Craze. Don’t care? Then you probably think this is another clone.
Besides being a GameCube-exclusive and having its own song line-up (including
songs from modern pop and rap artists), MC Groovz Dance Craze has something
that no other American dance game has: eight directional arrows!
The eight arrows are
mapped out on your Mad Catz-developed dance pad, the first and only dance pad
available for GameCube. It may be a packaged deal (the game comes with the
pad and is not sold separately), but you’re not getting gypped. The GameCube
pad works as well as the ones Mad Catz designed for Xbox and PS2. No home pad
is ever going to perfectly match the quality of a $4,000 arcade machine, but
you won’t be disappointed by this pad’s responsiveness. It’s very accurate,
keeping the pace with every step you take and every move you make.
This is a soft dance pad,
which is great for storage because it can be folded up and stuffed in a closet
without taking up too much space. On the downside it has the same problem
that all soft pads have: go too fast, play on the wrong surface (a stiff rug
works better than soft carpet), or wear the wrong socks and the pad becomes
weak and slippery. Most people won’t have a problem so severe that it impairs
their game, but hardcore DDR players are going to wish they could use their
$200 metal pads instead.
Saying that this game
keeps you on your toes would be an understatement. Just Dance (the game’s
standard playing mode) has three difficulty settings, all of which can be
finished on the first try. Arrows will be missed for certain. No DDR master
can play through each and every song on the hardest difficulty setting without
missing a beat or two. And while the Workout mode might make you feel like a
weakling, Mad Catz’s intention was not to humiliate, but to encourage you to
play and make progress whether you win or lose. That’s why no matter what
happens in this game, you won’t lose.
I enjoyed this game a lot
and will play it just because I like to dance*. However, I have a real
problem with games that don’t set goals. If there is no consequence for not
doing your best, what’s the incentive for continuing? MC Groovz Dance Craze
has the advantage of being a music game that can easily become a daily workout
routine. You’ll enjoy the music, break a sweat, and if you’re playing Workout
mode, you’ll know exactly how many calories were burned.
This game also has the
advantage of being a great stepping-stone for gamers who want to be DDR
masters but don’t have the skills to play on the heavy difficulty setting.
Miss too many arrows in DDR and the song will end. Since that doesn’t happen
here, you can keep going, pushing yourself until you finally reach the point
where you could hit all the arrows if you had to.
GameCube’s audience is
presumably younger than its competitors, so once again this gives MC Groovz
Dance Craze an advantage. Newcomers to the genre should definitely start
here. They’ll save a lot of money learning the basics by playing a game that
doesn’t cost $1+ per game. Not having to re-start a song every time you miss
a few arrows is another plus for newcomers.
As you could imagine, all
these advantages work against the DDR masters of the world. If you’ve spent
eight months jamming your feet at the arcade, gaining high scores on the most
challenging songs, you’re not going to get much replay value out of this game.
*In a video game. No
gamer likes to dance for real. Real dancing is more frightening than going
outside on a sunny day.
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Gameplay: 7.5
Rewarding
eight-step gameplay that doesn’t reward you for performing well. It’s not so
much a game as it is the second greatest excuse to exercise (the first
greatest excuse is still Dance Dance Revolution). The song lineup isn’t as
catchy, and the arrows aren’t always matched with the songs’ beats. The
target audience can’t complain though. I really can’t either. I’m no DDR
master, and I’ll be playing this game long after I become one just to stay in
shape (if that day ever comes).
Graphics: 4
Not much to see.
Just a silhouette of a girl who thinks she can dance. Believe me she can’t.
I think it was intended to be sexy, but if they wanted to achieve sex appeal
they should have talked to the guys at Tecmo.
Sound: 7
The soundtrack is
geared at casual gamers (and perhaps MTV viewers), featuring music by Jewel
and Jessica Simpson. Those are the two biggest names on the soundtrack (among
those who are still making music).
Whether you like the
artists or not, the songs are a lot catchier when you’re dancing to them.
Difficulty: Easy
It might take you
a while to master every song, but with no goals or a significant reason to do
so, MC Groovz Dance Craze is not at all challenging.
Concept: 6.9
I love having
eight stepping points. I don’t love not having a goal.
Multiplayer: 7.5
The only
challenge you’ll find in this game is the one your friend creates. Two dance
pads aren’t necessary for multiplayer, but I think the GameCube controller is
a bit small to stand on, wouldn’t you agree?
Overall: 7.5
Fitness experts
say that it’s good to become distracted while working out. I suppose one of
the benefits of being distracted is that it helps relax your muscles. The
obvious benefit is that it makes you forget you’re working out. People hate
to work out because it has the word "work" in it. We don’t want to work.
It’s not fun. MC Groovz Dance Craze makes it fun just as DDR has. The
difference here is that you don’t have to work as hard with this game. You
can move at your own pace and work your way up to DDR’s level.
