Game review: Dance Central

Published on Wednesday 5 January 2011 12:50

Coming straight from Rock Band developer Harmonix, Dance Central is a perfect showcase of what Microsoft's Kinect device is capable of.

Rather than simply track your hand movements like current rival Just Dance on Wii, Dance Central captures your full body, meaning you not only get a great workout while playing, but you also feel like your dancing skills are being recorded.

It can be daunting for the uninitiated, but each song in the game's impressive 32-strong tracklist can be played in 'Break It down' mode first, which lets players practise the required moves at their leisure before putting the whole routine together.

Moves range from simple side-steps and hand claps, to complex twists, turns and more. Players are scored depending on how good their timing is, and for how well they copy each move.

Scoring big unlocks more songs and increasingly complex choreography, to the point that when you play on the hardest difficulty setting, you really are cutting loose and engaging in complex routines.

Letting players rehearse each song extensively until they feel comfortable is a genius move from the developer, meaning anyone can play at parties or family gatherings.

The track list is superb as well, with weekly downloadable tracks available from the online store. Popular favourites include Just Dance by Lady Gaga, Nelly Furtado's Maneater, and Satsifaction by Benny Benassi.

Dance Central39.99, Xbox 360 (Kinect Required)

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This article was first published in The Scotsman, 22 January, 2011