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Rating:
6.9 Fair
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Curve: 30 minutes
From soda to sneakers, pop sensation Britney Spears has lent her likeness to
virtually every youth-oriented consumer product known to humankind. Now,
following in the footsteps of former pop queens The Spice Girls, Britney is
starring in her very own rhythm game. But unlike the ill-conceived Spice
World, Britney's Dance Beat can actually provide an enjoyable if short-lived
experience, and it serves as a good introduction for the uninitiated to the
world of rhythm games.
This might come as a surprise, but you never actually play as Britney Spears
in Britney's Dance Beat. Instead, you play as one of eight dancers
auditioning for a spot as one of Britney's backup dancers. The gameplay in
Britney's Dance Beat is highly reminiscent of the gameplay of Enix's Bust A
Groove franchise, in that you'll compete in a series of head-to-head dance
competitions against either the computer or another player. The focus of
your attention while playing the game will be the rhythm wheel, which is a
circular field where various controller commands appear. You must execute
these commands in time with the music. If you make more mistakes than your
opponent, you lose. The longer you go without making a mistake, the harder
things will get for your opponent, as commands will start popping up, moving
around, and changing into other commands at random. Your opponent, of
course, can do the same to you by performing well.
Notably, Britney's Dance Beat is one of the select few rhythm games out
there that can be played with a standard controller and a dance mat, and
unlike most other games that support both peripherals, Britney's Dance Beat
is pretty enjoyable either way. It's a relatively easy rhythm game to pick
up, and while the difficulty markedly increases as you progress through the
game, it will present little challenge for players familiar with games like
Parappa the Rapper, DDR, or Bust A Groove.
The first thing you'll probably notice while watching Britney's Dance Beat
is the fluidity with which the dancers move. The House of Moves, a studio
that specializes in video game motion-capture, handled all of the dancers'
movements in the game, and the results look incredibly natural. Not only do
the dancers move well, but they also look good, and the digital version of
Britney Spears that appears in the game looks uncannily like the real thing.
The stages you'll perform your dance routines on capably reflect the feel of
each individual song, and they wouldn't look out of place in Britney's stage
show or one of her videos. During each stage, the song's music video will
play in the background, but oddly, the video is never in sync with the music
itself. You initially might not notice this while you're playing the game,
but it's rather obvious to spectators, and it definitely detracts from the
experience soon enough. Another distraction is the game's overuse of
lighting and particle effects, which can sometimes make it hard to keep
track of your place on the rhythm wheel.
Sadly, the biggest shortcoming in Britney's Dance Beat comes in the area of
sound. The game consists of five of Britney's higher-profile singles:
"...Baby One More Time," "Oops!...I Did It Again," "Stronger,"
"Overprotected," and "I'm a Slave 4 U." They're some of the best songs in
Britney's catalog, and they're all catchy, well-crafted pop songs in their
own right, but five songs simply aren't enough to carry an entire game, and
unless you have an undying love for Ms. Spears, they can quickly become
repetitive. To date, Britney has produced more than 10 music videos, so
there's really no reason why other singles like "(You Drive Me) Crazy" and
"Lucky" aren't included here.
The shortage of music and the relative simplicity of the gameplay in
Britney's Dance Beat will keep it from truly appealing to rhythm game
enthusiasts, or anyone who isn't thoroughly enraptured by the young pop
star. However, if you are a fan, then you're in for a treat, as there is no
shortage of Britney in this game--despite the fact that you don't play as
her. Aside from getting to interact with the music, there is an abundance of
unlockable goodies, including "immersive video" of Britney in concert, which
uses proprietary technology that lets you pan the camera 360 degrees in real
time, as well as a ton of behind-the-scenes video. These extras will be of
little consolation for someone looking for a rhythm game with some legs, but
Britney fanatics will undoubtedly walk away with a smile.
Review issued by: Ryan Davis,
Gamespot.com
Reported by Dana Bennett - WoB North
American News Correspondent |
updated: 05-23-2002 16:50
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