dance central

Dance Central Review

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I was sold on Dance Central the moment I saw the first E3 live demo of it in action. I always trust in Harmonix to make a quality game, but watching this girl break it down to one of my favourite songs took it over the top for me. Video games based on real dancing aren’t necessarily new, but up until this point, no one had made a dancing game where every body movement mattered. I’ve been waiting for this type of game for quite some time, and I was ready to pay anything for it.

Well, almost anything. I wasn’t ready to buy a Kinect at $150 just for this game, and I anxiously awaited for the day when I could get a Kinect for less than full price. That day happened, and I’ve since cranked that Soulja Boy and contorted my body in ways I never thought were possible. Is this the new dancing queen? Or nothing but two left feet?

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Pick Up Post: Early Impressions of Kinect

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As recently as yesterday morning, I had convinced myself that I wasn’t going to get a Kinect this holiday season. I had no plans to buy one, and had told everyone planning on getting me gifts to not buy this for me. Despite it being the hot new thing (that I got to play in advance), I’ve had my concerns with how its priced, the Kinect’s launch catalogue of games and some overall apathy towards motion-controlled gaming.

Even with all of those things going against it, I now have a Kinect and a bunch of games to go with it. Without going into detail, let’s just say that the stars aligned in Kinect’s favour. Having spent a few hours playing with the device now, has it turned this skeptic into a believer?

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What is Your Favourite Launch Title of All-Time?

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Microsoft’s Kinect has been out for about a week now, and it appears as though Dance Central is the launch game to get. With every launch (at least the good ones), there’s usually at least one killer app that early adopters flock to or raise in high regard.

The launch of Kinect got me thinking about previous console launches and the games that came out alongside them, which ultimately lead me to the question, “What is your favourite launch title of all-time?”

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Viacom to Sell Harmonix

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😦

While I’m by no means a life-long Harmonix fan, I’ve loved them ever since they rocked my world with Guitar Hero II. They’ve consistently made quality music games and supported them with great downloadable content, which puts them head and shoulders above anybody else in the music/rhythm genre. As far as downloadable content goes, no game ever has had better support than the Rock Band franchise. I have easily spent hundreds of hours (and dollars) on their products, and don’t regret any of it.

It looks like my money wasn’t enough to keep their operation going. Viacom, parent company of MTV and Harmonix, has announced that they’re going to sell off the creators of Rock Band and Dance Central.
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Just Dance 2 Review

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When Just Dance first came out, I did not expect it to be the smash-hit that it ended up becoming. It won millions of people over with its great concept, song list and it was fun to play. Even though I had some problems with the game’s design as far as how it reads inputs, most people were too busy doing the MC Hammer dance.

Though I didn’t purchase the first game, I played enough of it with my girlfriend to know that I would probably have fun with the sequel. On launch day, we both went to her local Best Buy and bought our own copies. Does Just Dance 2 serve up the goods, or does it just get served?

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That Kinect Thing is Out Today

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Even though I’m a video game news junkie, the launch of the Kinect totally slipped my mind until just now. Microsoft’s entry into the motion control market are sitting on store shelves as you read this. I love buying the latest and greatest when it comes to video game stuff, but I’m sitting this launch out. Considering the fact that this product is backed by a $500 million marketing campaign, Microsoft is hoping I’m in the minority on this one.

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Dance Central Full Track List Revealed

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Yesterday, Harmonix announced the full track list for Dance Central. Despite my reluctance to buy a Kinect, this game is still very high on my most wanted list. Harmonix is one of my favourite developers and I’m really excited to try their take on the dancing game genre. If you’re wondering what tracks you’ll be shaking your booty to this holiday season, click through to the rest of this post.

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Dance Central: My Kinect Killer App?

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I am not a fan of motion controls. I’ve made it very clear on this very blog. In particular, I have a number of doubts surrounding Microsoft’s motion controlled solution. While I think the idea behind Kinect is cool, I have concerns about how the technology works, the price (rumored to be $149.99) and the types of experiences being made available for it. So far, Microsoft is marketing this squarely at the casual audience, providing no shortage of Wii-inspired and Wii-ripoff games, such as Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures and Kinectimals. As Darth Vader once said, “Do not want!”

After watching Microsoft’s e3 presentation, I was ready to avoid the Kinect completely. But if I told you I didn’t want to play anything the Kinect has to offer, I would be lying. I want to play Dance Central really bad.

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