Brought to you by Harmonix, the developers who created the worldwide blockbuster Rock Band, Dance Central is the first immersive dance video game that features and tracks full-body dance moves. Completely free from any controller, every routine has authentic choreography for beginners and experts alike to master, alongside a killer soundtrack that spans today’s current pop, hip-hop and R&B artists.
GenreRhythm / Music
Platforms xbox360
DEVELOPER Harmonix Music | PUBLISHER Codemasters | RELEASE DATE
Dance Central Reviews xbox360
cheatcc.com review
It's certainly not going to be a legendary game by any stretch of the imagination, but anybody looking for a compelling experience for their new Kinect unit would do well to give Kinect Sports a try, especially if you've got some friends or family that can experience the fun with you. It easily could have become a weak game that nobody cared about, but Rare gave it a special touch that elevated this game to the level of other great motion-sports games.
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gamefocus.ca review
We already knew Dance Central would be the “killer app†for Kinect, even though that was based on a couple of brief play sessions and some educated assumptions. Fortunately, Harmonix didn’t let us down with the final retail build. The track selection and dance routines are both appropriate and – more importantly – fun. The menu system as simplified as it can be, providing intuitive controls and letting the focus lay where it should: the dancing itself. The biggest issue it has is it’s still genre-specific. It does break down some barriers, bringing some of the non-boogieing populace to it’s fold (such as myself). And it’s a blast for families or any group gathering. But it won’t hook everyone. Regardless though, it’s still the one game out of all the launch titles that should accompany every Kinect purchase, hands down.
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gaming-age.com review
This is definitely the game to get if you’re picking up a Kinect, assuming that the concept of dancing along to a video game sounds fun to you. It’s a challenging game that manages to not feel frustrating, and it gives you a great workout as well. There’s also that nice element of feedback to let you know how you can improve, and if you’ve ever wanted to pick up a dance move or two, then you should probably check this out.
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gamerevolution.com review
Multiplayer is limited to Dance Battles, where you and another player take turns performing each section and comparing scores at the end. It’s understandable that the system only tracks one person since the Kinect technology is so new, but let’s hope that it can track two people in the future (without having them smack each other). The potential for synchronicity, mirroring, switch patterns, and partner work is almost overwhelming.
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1up.com review
Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint a significant problem with Dance Central. The selection of jams, from Pitbull’s “Calle Ocho” to M.I.A.’s “Galang ’05”, are all bootie-bouncing material. The range of dance routines vary considerably and feel legit — I’d feel comfortable doing “the jerk” at a club. Dance Central is a solid party game, but it isn’t going to work well with wallflowers (although, those hanging back to watch are sure to get a laugh and enjoy the energy). It’s important to understand that my motivation for playing Dance Central has absolutely nothing to do with unlocking character outfits or alternate venues. All I want to do is zoom-a-zoom-zoom-zoom and a poom-poom. You know, just shake my rump.
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telegraph.co.uk review
Serious dancers, not me. But while I wouldn’t have minded a bit more MC Hammer, Dance Central has managed to get me to wave my hands in the air like I just don’t care. No mean feat. And it keeps the wife laughing, and whatever makes her happy, makes me happy. Sort of.
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gamespy.com review
Yeah, my complaints about Dance Central are almost niggling — while I see ample room for improvement, nothing else will have your living room packed full of people dropping it like it’s hot. You can even learn a lot of dance moves you wouldn’t mind busting out in an actual dance club. I’ve never played anything quite like it, and I think I’m ready to retire my DDR dance pads permanently, because this is the real revolution
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oxmonline.com review
Kinect’s standout launch title tasks you with mirroring the dance moves of your on-screen performer to the beats of 30-ish current and classic tracks — everything from Lady Gaga and Soulja Boy to Kool & the Gang and Salt-N-Pepa. On paper, 30 might not seem like much, but in the game it feels like plenty, as you’ll likely need to learn each song in Dance Central’s Break It Down mode before you’re ready to perform it. And the routines change depending on which of the three difficulty levels you’re playing
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gamepro.com review
Despite my frustration with what Dance Central can’t do, I’m giving this game a high score for what it can. It can get me off my couch and sweating more than Wii Fit ever did. It can bring my friends and coworkers together for thirty minutes while we try to figure out what a “real†Cabbage Patch is. It can tempt non-gamers into giving it a go because unlike you maybe they actually can dance. And even if it can’t wave a wand and make me a good dancer, it can inspire me to at least try.
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xbox360achievements.org review
If Dance Central had any downfalls, it could possibly be its relatively small library of songs and its structure – if you can even call it that. It’s essentially a track-list, with a few unlockables along the way, and that barely passes as a structure, especially considering Harmonix is at the helm – based solely on their work with Rock Band. It won’t be the structure that pulls you in though, it’ll be the diverse selection of music, the intense workout, the responsive mechanics, the sheer unadulterated fun as you dance along to a number of tracks to your heart’s content. It’s perfect for those who love to dance, while being perfect for those who want to limber up or even learn some co-ordination on the dance floor. It’s as close to a killer-app for Kinect as you can get though… and them be some strong words.
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planetxbox360.com review
It’s also easy to see what moves are coming up with the scrolling guide on the right of the screen, as well as tracking your score as you perform. We haven’t seen a dancing game that’s looked this fun since the old days of Dance Dance Revolution and the dance-bot. If anything here truly shines, though, it’s the soundtrack. You’ll find all sorts of great songs in the game’s 35+ selections, including two hits from Lady Gaga, some Kylie Minogue (“Can’t Get You Out of My Headâ€), Technotronic (“Pump Up the Jamâ€) and Bell Biv Devoe (“Poisonâ€) among others. There isn’t one bad jam we’ve come across here, and you can download even more through DLC if you feel the need to add to your library. The dancers’ voicework is good as well, though some are a little too egocentric for their own good.
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gameinformer.com review
Dance Central’s track list lends itself well to different dance styles offering something for everyone. Bust out breaking moves with “Don’t Sweat the Technique,†add a little Spanish flavor with “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho),†pop lock with “Satisfaction,†or kick it old-school with “Brick House.†As you perform tracks, the game takes funny snapshots during your performance, and the screen eventually clears showing you instead of the avatar, prompting you to freestyle.
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nzgamer.com review
i think Microsoft feels the same way, considering the number of ads I’ve seen for this game. Within a year, I’ll bet if I go dancing in town, I’ll see someone bust out moves learned in Dance Central. And I shall turn away awkwardly and pretend I hadn’t just been doing the same thing myself…
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videogameszone.de review
Sehr cool: Habt ihr große Probleme, beginnt ein Zeitlupen-Modus und die Trainer-Stimme erklärt euch in aller Ruhe, wie exakt ihr den Tanzmove meistert. Am Ende steht die Performance am Stück. Schweißtreibend, unterhaltend und einfach gut gemacht. Dance Central ist unser Kinect-Favorit!
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strategyinformer.com review
A couple of other niggles marred our Dance Central experience too. Each song includes a freestyle section, in which you’re meant to make up your own moves and dance around like a loon. The game then films you, and plays your movements back as a sped-up video over the music. It’s not very fun and is highly embarrassing – whenever these sections came up with friends, whoever was playing would simply say ‘I’m not doing that’ and stand still. The freestyle bits work against the rest of the game, destroying the immersion.
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meristation.com review
No Synopsis Available
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gamespot.com review
the broad difficulty spectrum and the intuitive visual prompts mean the only barrier to entry is your own willingness to break a sweat and risk looking less than dignified. Dance Central may not offer much beyond the opportunity to stand up and dance in front of your television, but this is one invitation you shouldn’t turn down.
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eurogamer.it review
No Synopsis Available
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giantbomb.com review
Dance Central is successful both as a rhythm game and as a good bit of proof that the brand-new Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360 is a functional piece of cool technology. The game does a fine job of detecting your body, using that data to judge your ability to mimic on-screen dancers through a variety of songs and routines. Though it’s a little thin on modes and options other than picking a song and dancing, the baseline gameplay is good enough to make Dance Central the game to have if you buy a Kinect.
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gamesradar.com review
Dance Central’s strength, like many respectable “casual” games, is that it does one thing, and it does it really, really well. It doesn’t overextend itself trying to be too videogamey, or trying to be an exercise game, or anything other than purely a dance game (although there is an unobtrusive workout mode,
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destructoid.com review
When the Xbox Live Indie Games Winter Uprising was announced, I got really excited. The Indie Games channel on the Xbox Marketplace is often maligned or, worse, ignored by people due to the misconception that everything on the service is crap. And while it’s true that a good 90% of the titles that go up are mediocre at best, there are some real gems available.
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eurogamer.net review
This game is as solidly structured as the likes of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, due to the fact it follows the same progression model – the one Harmonix spent years fine-tuning with those titles. Like them it offers a rewarding, enduring single-player experience. It’s perfect for those who can only dance like there’s no-one watching when there’s actually no-one watching.
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gamekult.com review
No Synopsis Available
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metro.co.uk review
These are classic launch game problems though and in the end it genuinely is enough that the game works. In essence it allows dancing games to function in the way they always should have if the technology had allowed it. But although it’s obvious that any follow-up is going to be a much better, more rounded experience there’s more than enough here to keep you occupied till then.
gamingbolt.com review
Dance Central uses Microsoft’s new Kinect hardware to put you right up on the dance stage busting out your best moves, but the realism of the experience is both its greatest virtue and its greatest vice
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