Customer Reviews

In The Groove

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From a business-ethics standpoint, I should hate this game. Roxor Games, the developer, took the concept of Konami's Dance Dance Revolution and copied it almost pixel for pixel to make In the Groove - even using the DDR cabinets in the arcade for its game (that stupid move got the company slammed with a lawsuit).

But in a way, Konami asked for it. Though DDR is dead in Japan, it continues to grow in popularity in the U.S., and Konami has not addressed that fact. It has not released a new arcade version since 2002.

This left the hardcore DDR fans clamoring for more, and Roxor Games stepped in, creating an arcade game by and for the hardcore players. Personally, I'm glad they did, because it revived a dying DDR fan base.

Now we have the nearly identical home version of that arcade game, and though it's not flawless, it's definitely a step up from the DDR home releases, which target the casual player.

You'll be lucky if you recognize one or two of the songs on In the Groove's songlist - but as far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing. Who wants to play video games to the same old junk that's on the radio? Most of the songs in In the Groove are interesting, diverse and highly listenable, and I plan on buying the soundtrack CD as soon as it's available.

The graphics are noticably crisper than DDR's, though the videos in the background are nondescript. Not a big deal, though.

The difficulty is where some casual fans may run into problems. This game is a step up in difficulty from any available version of DDR anywhere, and even the easier songs tend to be harder than easy DDR songs. The hardest songs, most players will find impossible, even the top players, especially without the arcade bar to lean on.

The addition of "hands" (three or four arrows at once) and "mines" (which force you to avoid certain arrows) are welcome gameplay features, and the first real innovation in the genre since DDR's 6th mix introduced the freeze arrow. In the Groove has about four times as many "mods" (ways to change the appearance and scrolling of the arrows) as any DDR game, but most of them are pointless, and I never use them.

In the Groove offers a marathon mode, pretty much identical to Nonstop mode in DDR, except random mods turn on and off during your game. I never liked nonstop and I'll probably never play marathon courses, but some like them.

A plus for ITG is that it's a statistician's dream, presenting you with all kinds of numbers and charts after each song to show your progress. This is opposed to DDR's nebulous scoring system that makes no sense and is never explained in any game.

In the Groove has a few glaring flaws in programming, unlike the DDR games. For one, load times are absurdly long... up to 10 seconds between screens sometimes. If DDR can get away with NO loading time, even for songs with full-motion video, I don't understand why this load time is necessary.

Also, once in a while, the frame rate will skip a bit during songs... very distracting. Not much thought was given to the practice mode, and it's quite difficult to figure out which buttons do what, and to find the menu you want.

But those who are losing satisfaction in DDR will not care. If Konami ever decides to create a new arcade mix, they are going to have to work very hard to top the innovations that In the Groove has brought to the genre.

In The Groove (ITG) is for hardcore players of Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) that are tired of the same old songs at the arcade to play. It's probably the best and most challenge for your buck, leaving you with months frustration and sore legs from trying to master all the combos. It is also probably the worst produced game I've ever seen in my lifetime. This review is a direct comparison to my experiences from playing DDR, and ITG, since ITG is pretty much a mimic copy of DDR with a few bells and whistles, I will use compare and contrast examples from the two.

Taking a look at Roxor's game web site pretty much shows they are a brand new company of game developers which are funded and employed by Red Octane to sell their dance pads. Roxor's success depends on re-building a dying market of dance games that are becoming mega popular in the US despite lacking sales in Japan where the dance game craze first started.
In The Groove is America's answer to capitalizing on a good idea Konami, the makers of DDR, brought over, attempting to improve it, and making it our own while reaping all the benefits of the money.

Firstly, you will obviously need dance pads to play this game, otherwise you're missing the point of playing. Beginners are recommended to buy cheap 20 dollar dance pads to start with, but wont hold up to punishing combos on Hard or Expert mode. Advanced players are encouraged to purchase metal pads from either Red Octane or Playasia.

In The Groove hastily puts together a 70 song lineup with medicore graphics and bad licensing. None of the artists on the lineup are signed to any major record label, or for the most part are any good. Very few tracks will stand, and at times almost sound like bad imitations of some DDR tracks. Most of the groups on the song list are from California, or are bad game music designers. You'll be hard pressed to hear good artist alias like Naoki or Dj Taka from DDR.



The music aside, the steps in ITG are incredible. THis is probably the best part of the game because the steps were specifically designed to be smooth and in-depth. Songs from Easy mode to Expert all have a certain rhythm to them that can be heard when playing. THe arrows are all color coded according to the length of the steps. 1/4th, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64th are all colored orange, red, green, and purple respectivley. This is similar to SOLO mode in DDR, and really helps the player read the arrows.

Personally I was impressed by the challenge ITG brings. While Hard mode is what most seasoned DDR veterans will tackle first, Expert mode is where the game takes Dance games to the next level. The songs are incredibly hard, and incredibly frustrating. I found myself tiring out halfway through a song, or failing from stepping on too many bombs and 4-step simultaneous parts I am not used to (using hands and feet). Expert players will spend countless hours pulling out their hair trying to beat an 11 or 12 difficulty song, and I believe it's well worth the money for that alone.

Despite all that, after playing ITG for a couple of hours, I only felt the need to pop in a mix of DDR instead. The songs on DDR were more enjoyable, and at some points challenging yet not ludicrously hard to master as expert steps in ITG were. ITG felt more like a warm-up game in order to play DDR than the other way around. ITG isn't really a game for someone just getting into the dane game genre either. It's not as enjoyable or feels as fun as DDR. Mostly because there isn't an announcer calling out your combos or crowd noises cheering/booing you on. The game is niched at hardcore players. And while there may be a market right now for that type of genre, no one can really call out how long this fad will last.

Obviously Roxor is going to continue to try and release more mixes. In The Groove 2 is already out in the arcades with a console release planned for some time next year. Hopefully the second mix, while only played by a few fanatics that have been able to locate an arcade machine, will be better polished than this first mix.

Fans of DDR will definately buy ITG and say how incredibly awesome it is. Casual onlookers will say this game sucks and will probably want to play DDR instead. The choice is ultimately yours, the reader whether or not forking over the dough for this game is going to be worth it. I can't help but think this hastily put together dance mix was only done in order to promote Red Octane's dance pad sales which has recently been waning due to DDR's lack of new releases. Long loading times, glitches with the save system, and lack of flare can all attest to a fast release. Can Roxor keep the dance genre alive though? Definately not with ITG, but maybe with a sequel.

In the Groove is part of the "Dance Dance Revolution" genre, made by Red Octane (instead of Konami, which made all the other DDR games). As a new publisher, the game has a very different flavor from other DDR installments.

Music-wise, there is a lot more trance/eurodance music, with a few syntho-classics (like a synthetic William Tell's overture). Step-wise, the dancing has a lot more variety than the DDR installments. Each song has 5 difficulty settings (instead of DDR's 3). Additionally, one gets the feeling that much mroe time was spent developing the dancing patterns for each song. They are much more varied than DDR - and while you can still master them all, a player who can beat 7-footers in DDR will take more time initially to master the variety of different patterns, which he hasn't seen in DDR.

While the music is catchy (which I define as songs that keep bouncing around in your head), the vocals in general are softer and not as distinctive as in DDR.

Play-wise, most of the songs have a more intuitive feel to them than DDR as a whole. When you play a song for the first time, it is easier to "catch the beat" of the steps, as the songs are catchy and comprehensible (even on the goofy songs, which might have a 5/3 beat).

The game adds two new things to previous DDR installments. There are "mines", which are in an arrow position, but penalize you if you are on that arrow position. As simple as it sounds, this adds a surprising degree of challenge to the game. Secondly, there are "3/4" arrows, where you have to use your hand, in addition to your feet. This concept was intimidating at first, but the progressive difficulty levels build on this slowly. Songs around 6/7 might have 2 feet on a freeze, and then another arrow for your hand occasionally.

Graphically, In the Groove is slightly inferior to DDR. The arrows are slightly smaller, and the eight-notes (and sixteenth notes) are spaced a bit oddly, so it is more difficult to recognize the step than in DDR. There are no videos either, as in DDR.

Mode-wise, ITG has vastly improved over the old DDR. In Marathon mode, there are a lot more courses than in DDR. In endless mode, you can select a difficulty, and the game produces a random course for you, filled with songs of that difficulty.

For any person who already enjoys DDR, In the Groove is a must-add to your collection. For someone who has never played this Genre, your best bet might be to start with Konami's DDR Max 2.

This is basically Dance Dance Revolution, and therefore it's basically awesome. If you want to learn about the general qualities of this game, then read a review for one of the many versions of that one.

What remains are the subtle differences. In the Groove seems to focus on tricky challenges and technical skill more than Dance Dance Revolution does, and from the perspective of an experienced player, this is what shines forth. The high-level step arrangements are denser and more demanding than those in Dance Dance Revolution, and they generally seem to be quite well made. I first encountered In the Groove's bombs and handplants in StepMania, whose community-created step charts often abuse those elements; thus as I played this game, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that bombs can actually be used well. The StepMania community could stand to learn from these folks.

But In the Groove hardly begins to address dance games' greatest failing: their shallow music. I can pass songs in double mode on difficulty level 9 fairly consistently, and I think that I could work my way up to level 12 if I really tried, although my knees would not be pleased to come along. The trouble is that the frontier of ever-faster and ever-more-cluttered step charts is not a very interesting one to explore, for me and probably for most other people. I don't dance to gain levels--I dance to enjoy the beauty of dancing. I think that puts me in a minority amongst dance-game players; most people who feel the way I do would simply dance with other people, instead of playing a video game. The reasons why I break that pattern are outside the scope of this review; but I do, and therefore I want better, deeper music, not incredibly intricate step charts. The PlayStation 2 is not a good enough choreographer to push me toward better dancing through step charts alone, but it can certainly play better music, and my ears and brain can take over from there.

In the Groove's music is not bad. For the most part, it's similar to the music in Dance Dance Revolution, with a little more darkness and somewhat less professionalism. (Standouts for me include the wonderful cleverness of MC Frontalot, and the gorgeous voice of Missing Heart's singer.) And that means it's generally sugary and vacuous, without even crazy Japanese polish to keep me interested in it. I don't want to dance to endless 4/4 synth-drums or poppy songs about nothing in particular. I want to dance to Duke Ellington, or the Beastie Boys, or Pulp. In the Groove adds some interesting things to the dance-game formula, but it doesn't add that.

My friend first showed me this game back in the spring, and I was very skeptical, mostly because it seemed to be exactly like Konami's DDR. I didn't even think Konami would allow the game to be produced, but lo and behold, here it is. my friend and I are seasoned DDR vets, and expected this to be just another set of fun songs with no real challenge. Our previous experience gave us enough confidence to try the songs on their hardest difficulty. Then the Mines hit us, and we knew we were in trouble.

What we surmised from Roxor's game was this: In the Groove is a deliberate challenge to Konami's DDR. They are trying to show Konami that their DDR routines have become stale, with nothing remarkable added to the formula since hold arrows, circa DDR Max.

What In the Groove is, is a dancing game for DDR fans. On the whole the routines are harder on every difficulty, and the dificulty setup is different too. In the Groove's "Bars" vs. DDR's "Footers." When making the conversion for a DDR fan, an In the Groove song's difficulty is equivalent to the number of bars + 1 in DDR footers. Some In the Groove songs are equal to 12 footers in DDR, which don't exist. In layman's terms: hard mode is REALLY hard.

I'd have to say that In The Groove is a very fun rithym game for those allready very experienced with them. A novice will become easily frustrated with this game. The songs are really nice, but the lineup lacks the starpower that DDR has, so chances are, you will never have heard any of these songs. Bouff is my personal favorite. So if you are getting bored with DDR, I reccomend In the Groove.

The arrow-stomping dance game genre has been stagnating as of late. Konami, maker of DDR, releases a mix a year, a good chunk of which is reruns of songs from previous mixes. While these games are still fun, and I look forward to each one, there is little that's fresh about them overall.

Enter "In The Groove." Admittedly, this game rides on DDR's coattails - and Konami's legal staff would say that that's a gross understatement. However, from a player's standpoint ITG is DDR, but with a new spin that gives it a fresh taste. It has a huge array of new mods, an all-new songlist, and tricks like hands and mines to give DDR veterans new challenges. The difficulties go up to 13, so those who have mastered DDR's 10-footers won't be bored. Its background movies do not camouflage the arrows, something which is a great mercy on the harder levels. The songs are longer - about two minutes versus DDR's minute and a half - so you get more of a workout.

This game is not perfect. The songlist leans heavily on techno. Some of the step patterns have a repetitive, cut-and-paste feel. A few of the songs are clumsily censored, the words either garbled or whole lyrics scrambled around. My biggest complaint, however, is that the workout mode does not count calories correctly. I am not athletic enough to burn off 62 calories in two minutes without breaking a sweat!

This game is not perfect, but I would call it a worthy addition to the genre. The makers listened to what American fans wanted, and put it into the game. They certainly won my heart with the 2.5x speed mod, the humor of some of the songs, and the comparitive lack of sappy pastel love songs.

Ok, the game is really fun. The graphics are perfectly clear and superior to all other DDR games. The music selection is really cool because it spans everything from trance to gabber to metal to Irish stepdance. However, the game does have some minor flaws that the other DDR games don't share. For example, when you get a grade after completing a song, the grade does not show up on the song menu the next time. Instead it shows the % (score) you got, but the scoring system is somewhat confusing. I would rather just see the letter grade I need to beat to get the new high score. Second, it takes longer to load than the other DDR games. The graphics are better, but the loading time is annoying. It isn't too long, but its dissapointing after playing this game in the arcade for so long. Third, for some reason, it doesn't seem to grasp the fun party-like mood DDR does. For example, there aren't any videos in the backround. (Even though the backround designes are very cool.) It just doesn't seem as interesting. Also, the voices that narrated the DDR games have dissapeared. All is silent exept for the music. Some people may find this less annoying, but I liked the guy in the backround yelling "good job" and "100 combo!". The songs aren't as happy either. A lot of the music is darker than that on DDR. The soundtrack is actually really interesting, and I like most of the songs because it is a good contrast to DDR, but I do miss the fun bouncy songs such as "Wonderland" and "Dream a Dream". On the positive side, the graphics are superior to DDR by far. Also, the crazy options menu provides amazing challenges. The arrows come up in completely different ways to really play with your mind. It is a lot of fun. In general, the game is great and I would reccomend it for any DDR fan, but I prefer DDR Max 1, Max 2, And Extreme over this newer addition.

I've been playing Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) for over three years now. I love it, but what bugs me is the music selection in their recent releases. Most of the music is just more of the same sounding stuff with re-used songs from previous mixes. Much of the music I would not even consider dance music.

In The Groove has music which will get you going and is a perfect break from DDR. With longer songs, different set-up and feel, and different arrow colors, it is a nice change from the monotony I have seen in DDR. The game was made by fans for fans. Give it a try, it's Fantastic!

Probably my favorite feature of this game, which I haven't seen addressed in most of the reviews, is that you can set it to Fitness mode and go on for long intervals non-stop (well, except for a few seconds pause between songs, which is useful for catching your breath and/or re-hydrating). If your goal is time (or you can choose calories), you can go up to 60 minutes, so it's a fun way to get a good, sustained cardio workout. Particularly in the challenging levels, the time can go by pretty quickly, and you end up having burned some serious calories. I have yet to figure out how to do this in DDR, if it's even possible. And as many have mentioned, it's kind of refreshing to play along to songs that aren't commonly-known; many are pretty catchy and fun to listen to.

DDR is a great way to burn off some extra weight, but RoXor has just stepped into this genre.

Well, actually, they have been doing this for almost 2 years now, probably, and they have been providing experiences to people who have finally reached the next level of DDR. Problem is, that DDR can only reach a certain level before something needs to take it to a new level. I think In The Groove has hit this new level, and then some. I just ordered this game, and it is one of the most addicting games around. One thing to say, is that it is NOT for the weak at heart! Except for the fact that DDR has been around for a much longer time than ITG, and has made many different versions, I think ITG is the start of a new Revolution in dance simulation gaming. With it's wide variety of song choice, it features a difficulty range that takes a minute to learn, yet a lifetime to master.
The only thing that I can find with ITG that could be changed are the fairly long loading times. Even with their low-priority graphics, somehow it still manages to take about 10 seconds to go from screen to screen. It probably also wouldn't hurt to have some songs in this game that people might actually know! Maybe that's why it is an addicting game, though. It provides a totally new experience to gamers that adds a new aspect to the gaming world. The fact that some songs require you to get down on hands and feet just to hit all of the arrows also interests me, considering DDR keeps your upper-body clinging for dear life onto the bar behind you.
All in all, I think it is an excellent game. If you are a long-term DDR fan in search of a new twist on things, this is definetly the game for you. If you are new to this genre, you might want to try out DDR Supernova, and then get this game, which also has great song selections, but again, possibly takes a step back from ITG.