In The Groove Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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Product Description:
In the Groove is an interactive dance that really pushes your dance gaming skills. Based on the hit arcade games, this one has all-new moves and challenges. Earn points and improve your skills to become the best dancer and customize moves to hold on to your title. Keep in shape in Fitness Mode -Develop an exercise routine & track the calories you burnFeatures over 70 songs not featured in the arcade version, with original songs

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