Dance Central has been released on 360 Kinect and been provided for us to preview/review by the publisher.

Believe it or not we are still playing it. Here are some extracts of what we made of it in chronological order:

"Recently I dropped in at Dance Central to see how things were progressing in the Land of Gaming..."
- Odyssey Gamer (Sat, 06 Aug 2011)

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"Dance Central's distinct style and worthy track-list play perfectly to the hardcore Rock Band crowd. But turn-taking multiplayer and no on-screen avatar means it is less than convincing for a wider audience..."
- Family Gamer (Fri, 05 Nov 2010)

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Dance Central 360 Kinect Release

01/01/2011 12:21

Dance Central adds new downloadable tracks as it ups the ante for both dancers and dance games on the 360.

With three Kinect dance games now available (Dance Central, Dance Evolution and Dance Paradise) the genre is seeing a return to the halcyon days of Dance Dance Revolution. Only now it's Dance Centrals controller-less moves that are leading the pack.

Dance Central has also upped the stakes with new DLC tracks to shake your thing to. Rihanna's "Disturbia", Blur's "Girls and Boys" and Janet Jackson's "Control?" each offer new and challenging moves to perfect.

This recognises that the real success of Dance Central, and perhaps what separates it from the others is its ability to teach real dancing moves. These songs not only broaden the game's musical appeal but offer some of the most complex choreography in any of these Kinect dancing games.

I've found that although Dance Central may take longer to get used to playing, those that stick with it get much more out of it. In fact some of the people I play with have even been inspired to sign up for proper dance lessons - I hope not just to improve their scores but also become better dancers too.

It will be interesting to see how well support Dance Paradise and Dance Evolution is supported with downloadable content, but Dance Central has set the bar high.

Dance Central is available on Xbox 360 with Kinect. The new dance tracks are available on December 21, for 240 Microsoft Points.

Dance Central Track List

13/10/2010

Dance Central continues hopes for a killer Kinect experience with a broad track list from Bell Biv DeVoe to Salt-N-Pepa.

• Audio Push - "Teach Me How To Jerk"
• Basement Jaxx - "Rendez-vu"
• Beastie Boys - "Body Movin’ (Fatboy Slim Remix)"
• Beenie Man - "King Of The Dancehall"
• Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison"
• Benny Benassi - "Satisfaction"
• Cascada - "Evacuate the Dancefloor"
• Christina Milian - "Dip It Low"
• The Commodores - "Brick House"
• Craig Mack - "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)"
• Dirty Vegas - "Days Go By"
• Eric B. & Rakim - "Don’t Sweat the Technique"
• Fannypack - "Hey Mami"
• Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne - "Down"
• Kool & The Gang - "Jungle Boogie"
• Kylie Minogue - "Can’t Get You Out of My Head"
• Lady Gaga - "Just Dance"
• Lady Gaga - "Poker Face"
• Lipps Inc - "Funky Town"
• M.I.A. - "Galang ‘05"
• Nelly Furtado - "Maneater"
• Nina Sky - "Move Ya Body"
• No Doubt - "Hella Good"
• Pitbull - "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)"
• Quad City DJ’s - "C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)"
• Rihanna - "Pon de Replay"
• Salt-N-Pepa - "Push It"
• Snoop Dogg/Pharrell - "Drop It Like It’s Hot"
• Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em - "Crank That (Soulja Boy)"
• Technotronic - "Pump Up the Jam"
• Wreckx-n-Effect - "Rump Shaker"
• Young MC - "Bust A Move"

Dance Central will be released on November 10 for Xbox 360.

Dance Central Announced

15/06/2010

Dance Central brings the body-movement profession home.

Dance Central is a dance game for the 360 Kinect camera. Rather than stepping on pads or striking poses, it lets you use your full body to dance.

This change may sound minor, but it turns the game from a novelty into something that feels genuinely beneficial. As you are taken through the different stages of choreography you are really learning to dance. This wasn't just aping something the Wii had been doing for the last few years it was totally fresh.

Like all the best games, Dance Central feels like it introduces you to the world of professional dance, and then gives you baby-steps to work your way into it. From simple step-overs and spins to properly complex combinations, there are 600 different moves grouped into 90 routines to master.

The camera detects not only your rough outline but the position of your body skeleton at any moment. Although the Kinetic accuracy seemed a little vague for games needing more fine control, it's a perfect fit for dance.

Dance Central had the feel of real quality, and was the first Kinect title that really re-created that sense of magic the Wii's gestures let loose on living rooms a few years ago.