Dance Central 2 Review

 

Dance Central 2 Review Publisher: Microsoft Corporation Developer: Harmonix Genres: Music Release Date: N Amer - 10/25/11 Platforms:Xbox 360 Teens

GameZone Rating 9.5

Dance Central is arguably the Kinect's best game. Not only did the game actually work at reading your movements successfully, it also dethroned Rock Band as the ultimate party game. Harmonix' answer to the best dancing game is the sequel to the best dancing game. Dance Central 2 takes pretty much everything that made the first game great and adds some much needed improvements that truly take it to the next level.
DC2 is still that dancing game you know and love. You will still be following on-screen dancers that are much better than you, while trying to anticipate upcoming moves from the scrolling flash cards on the side. You still have a great selection of music that includes hits that you hear on the radio, as well as some throwbacks that are still enjoyable to shake your booty to. Some of the tracks include Bruno Mars' 'Grenade', Sean Kingston's 'Fire Burning', and Lady GaGa's 'Bad Romance' and 'Born This Way', but Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'Baby Got Back' is a definite crowd pleaser. The total of 44 tracks can be found on the disc, with DLC undoubtedly available, as well.

One big addition to the game is its "Campaign" mode. Acting kind of like the story mode, you go through various sponsored dancing teams, and try to earn stars to rank up. Sure it's almost pointless, but I like appreciate that there is now a sense of progression through the game, instead of just picking a song, dancing your heart out, and waiting for a score.
The biggest and best addition to Dance Central 2 is the multiplayer. Two dancers no longer have to take turns during each song. Instead, they can now dance side by side in choreographed greatness. The game does a great job at sensing both of you at the same time. If anything, it brings out the competitive aspect of the game, something that was quite lackluster in the first.
The thing about Dance Central 2's expanded move list is that some of it, you honestly wouldn't be caught dead doing in a club. Much of these moves just look silly when you're doing them on your own, but throw in another person--hell, throw in three more behind you--and it all looks like a well choreographed dance number that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
The best thing is, you honestly don't have to be a great dancer to be good at this game (or let alone enjoy it) and I think I embody this more than anyone. A perfect example of this was when our resident App expert, Jessica, decided to throw down a challenge. Compare our two dancing skills and she is leagues above me, but somehow, Dance Central 2 put us both on level ground, and actually had me triumph over her skills, leading up to some "You Got Served" quotes, and much-deserved chest bumps (I swear, I'm really not that competitive).

Another feature that got quite the overhaul is the game's Break It Down mode, which lets you practice those hard to grasp moves in . Added is the ability to control the menus with your voice, which for some reason isn't as intuitive as it's been in other games. It takes me longer to navigate to what I want with my voice, rather than the simple swipe technique.
The game looks absolutely stylish, including its sleek menus, still controlled with the intuitive swipes. Even the venues you'll be dancing in exude an urban attitude, that magically turns into something you'd see in Tron as you pull off moves successfully.
As one of the most functional Kinect games, and most fun to boot, you'd be missing out if this wasn't in your collection.