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> Results: In The Groove
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I'm on record (on National Public Radio no less) as saying the following: "I think dancing games are the most positive thing about this industry." I meant it then and my opinion is unchanged. Kids love games, kids love to play games while sitting on their butts. This is a game that makes them get up and move, and provided they don't mind looking like Dorkimer McSpazzypants doing it, they'll have fun and exercise while learning valuable co-ordination skills.
The good news is the demand must be there, or Konami wouldn't be bringing DDR, in multiple flavors over multiple systems, out regularly. DDR is almost like EA's Madden NFL in terms of incremental improvements each year. Well, looks like somebody else wants a piece of that pie and who better to produce the title (Roxor is the developer) than Red Octane? A company known for quality peripherals but probably best known for their quality dance pads (we recommend the Ignition Pad). The result is In The Groove. Roxor took a conservative approach here. The game is very similar to DDR and the reason for that is twofold. The one on paper is that they didn't want to mess with what fans clearly like. The other is that In The Groove apparently began its lifespan as something arcade owners could put into DDR cabinets while they waited for a new version of the game to arrive. Let's start with the similarities. In The Groove offer a wide variety of dance tunes. I'm told that In The Groove borrows more British and US dance and trance music than Bemani puts into DDR but since I'm pretty clueless when it comes to the world dance/trance music scene I'll just say that the tunes are pumpin' and get you moving pretty much the same way any DDR game does. The songs are good and they're different than DDR's tune and really, what more do you need to know? Oh, Groove has 70 tunes (most of the locked at the start) to DDR's 40. In the Groove offers all the expected modes of play including an extensive work out mode that breaks down calories lost and other data, while tracking your progress over time. The main addition, and it's a pretty good one, is the Battle Mode. Two players, one per pad, literally compete with each other. This isn't DDR's "whomever scores highest" 2-player mode, it's really quite clever. Basically Battle Mode introduces modifiers to the game. Modifiers affect the game in a bad way and they tend to appear more frequently for the player that's losing. Stuff like Invisible Arrows, the steps speed up, arrows that change and much, much, more. It's stressful enough to keep up in a dancing game, how much more fun is it to know that your success is making it harder for your opponent?  There are a few differences. In The Groove In DDR, if you make too many mistakes, the game ends. ITG offers a meter that increases and decreases based on your performance, but if it reaches zero, the game lets you dance on to the end οΎ– you just don't get the points. Another big difference is the use of "hands" and "mines." Lets start with mines. Mines basically require you hit the pad perfectly or lose points. Not very exciting. Hands, however, makes an innately dorky and funny game all the better. Think Twister. Yep, sometimes you'll have to drop and use your hands. It's a cool feature and a lot of fun, but doesn't match the way Eye Toy adds arm movement to DDR. And yes, you can cheat, there's no way for the pad to be absolutely certain if it's being touched by a hand or foot. (Hmmm, maybe a smell sensor? Get on that Red Octane!) A few more features might entice DDR fans. Like the fact that you can rearrange songs into custom playlists (awesome for workout fans). ITG breaks down the stats to tell you WHY a song is rated Difficult. DDR just uses a star system, so it's nice to see ITG actually telling you how many dreaded freeze arrows and awkward combos to expect. In The Groove feels a shade harder, the arrows come a bit faster, and, interestingly, ITG doesn't cut you a break in regards to song length. DDR usually puts up 2 minute versions; expect 3 minute + songs to be the norm here. So, it plays like DDR, it's a bit more challenging, has a cool Battle Mode, and offers more songs than the competition? That makes In The Groove a worthy alternative to the dance pad king. 
In The Groove isn't quite as little-kid friendly as DDR, which is fine because, frankly, DDR isn't very kid friendly either. When are we going to see another game like Disney's Jungle Beat? Anyway, In The Groove is instantly recommendable to parents whose kids love DDR. It's also a good starter game for teens and adults, but if you've got wee little kids, maybe start with something cheaper. Other than that, ITG fits in nicely with DDR as a heck of a way to lose weight, stay fit, get co-ordinated, and have your family laugh at you. And really, shouldn't that be what videogaming is all about?
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