Game Reviews

Realizing that a serious approach to a dance-centric story mode would be a farce, Harmonix saturated the proceedings with some campy charisma and a ludicrous premise. As one of the dancefloor elite, you’re drafted into the top-secret Dance Central Intelligence agency for a mission of inter-dimensional importance: Going back in time to stop the unspeakable dance crimes of the evil Dr. Tan.

Characters and crews you’ve grown to love in the first games return as your timestream contacts, occupying five decades of dance spanning from the 1970s to modern day. From a story perspective, this is all absurdly amazing. Gameplay-wise, it means that this is the most diverse Dance Central soundtrack yet, offering hit singles and popular choreography from each era of dance culture.

You’ll master the groovy moves of The Hustle in the ‘70s, shimmy to the sounds of “Ice Ice Baby” in the’90s, and be taught the art of doing the Dougie in the aughts. Not every track in the 45-song setlist is a hit, but you’re guaranteed to find something to move your body to given the variety of genres and styles. While hopping around to Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” may be poison to your self-esteem, “Moves Like Jagger,” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” and “Electric Boogie” all seem like they were destined to be danced to in front of a Kinect.

The single-player campaign offers plenty to sink your moves into, with level progression and unlockable characters--there’s even a dance-based boss fight. The multiple time periods make for great variety in the backdrops. One moment, you’re rocking a house party with Kid & Play-inspired moves; the next, you’re on a soundstage reminiscent of MTV’s Total Request Live.

For those who’ve played the previous Dance Central iterations, the gameplay will immediately feel familiar. Mirroring the moves of the on-screen dancer, you’ll use the incoming flashcards as cues for your next piece of choreography. You’ll still get feedback on the limbs that are out of sync with the rest of your rhythmic movements, and there’s really no way to “Fail” a song.