The first time I played SCE London Studio’s Playstation Move dance offering, DanceStar Party, I was alone. In the privacy of my front room, with the blinds closed, and only the whirring of the Playstation’s fans to keep me company. And I hated it. “You just shake the controllers around a bit” I thought. “This isn’t a proper dance game” I thought. After twenty minutes I ejected the disk and tossed it aside. I decided I’d come back to it later for a cursory glance, then give it a poor review and move on.
And then over Christmas, and in the new year, I’ve had the opportunity to take the game to a fairer setting. When a game is called DanceStar Party, you should probably give it a try on its own terms before slating it, right? It’s a good job I did. In the context of a dance game specifically intended for party play, DanceStar Party is excellent fun. We played with a large group aged from 3 and up, and everyone had a good time.
The game does its own matchmaking, allowing you to randomly pair up a pretty large group, and caters for a range of difficulties and physical activity levels. It also cleverly records your antics as you play, and shows edited highlights after each round. There’s a good range of songs to chose from, and their original videos play on screen while you copy the actions of a Move-equipped silhouette. A particular favourite with the younger members of our party was Carl Douglas’ Kung Fu Fighting, along with Groove Armada’s I See You Baby.
The game also offers the ability to define your own routine for a song if you so chose, and the obligatory Fitness Mode that’ll keep track of calories burned. It’s worth noting that as the game is only tracking the Move, it’s pretty easy to cheat your way though certain routines by only copying the arm movements, so maybe this isn’t the best bet if you’re looking for some serious exercise. That said, I’d be lying if I said we didn’t break a sweat during certain routines.
With the console dance market getting increasingly crowded, it takes a particular spark for something to stand out. Despite my initial negative impressions of DanceStart Party, I’d have to say that if you’re not opposed to the idea of jigging about in front of your TV then, at least in terms of traditional controller based motion control, you’re probably going to struggle to find better than this.
Assuming you’re packing enough Move controllers, and you have enough situations in which to make the most of the game, DanceStar Party is well worth your attention.
