Gamertell

Title: Ener-G Dance Squad
Price: $29.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Ubisoft (Lexis Numerique)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: Nice selection of costumes which don’t have to be unlocked, quite a few dance moves, touch screen controls work well and the character art and models look good.
Cons: Music’s a bit bland and there’s no dance preview when you’re selecting moves during the choreography portion.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 83/100; B; * * * out of 5

As I mentioned yesterday in the review of Ener-G Gym Rockets, I happened upon brand new, $3 copies of both Ener-G Dance Squad and Ener-G Gym Rockets while shopping at Goodwill a while back. I decided it would be interesting to purchase and review both games to see what Ubisoft’s Ener-G game line was like.

While Ener-G Gym Rockets was pretty much what I thought it would be, Ener-G Dance Squad surprised me. It isn’t a shining pinnacle of video game excellence, but it doesn’t deserve all of the mocking it receives. As I played, I couldn’t help thinking of it as an Elite Beat Agents/Ouendan style game for young girls. Call me crazy, but I was a little impressed.

Face off against other dancers to prove your skills.

Kate wants to become a dancer. So, she’s been working with her coach, simply referred to and known as Coach, to try and become the best. She’s finally reached a point where she can start competing against other dancers to see just how good she is.

That’s where the player comes in. As Kate, you participate in dance challenges against 12 other dancers. You never know what style of dancing you’ll be performing next, but if you give it your all, you could succeed. Along the way, Coach’s son Tad and dance rivals turned friends, like Lilly and Ivy, will join in your adventures to help you achieve your dream of becoming the best dancer you can be.

Put together a dance routine and try for a high score.

While the focus of the game is on dance battles with other characters, you never see the other side of said battles. You focus totally on Kate’s performances. The dancing part is reminiscent of the Nintendo game Elite Beat Agents. You either have to tap targets as they align, erase images, trace figures, spin or perform other actions to make Kate dance. If you do it perfectly or adequately, her score will go up, as will the score gauge and fury gauge. When the score gauge is completely filled, you know you’ve won the battle. If the fury gauge fills up, you get to play the Fury mini-game at the end of the dance.

There were quite a few things I liked, and even loved, about Ener-G Dance Squad. First, there are three difficulty levels, novice, specialist and expert. Second, you don’t have to unlock new outfits or color schemes. Before a dance challenge, all available outfits and accessory colors for that challenge are available to choose from. I also enjoyed the Crazy Challenges portion of the game, which allowed you to replay challenges, focusing on dance or gymnastic, and customizing it however you like. The actual unlockables are a bit lackluster, and include character art, dancer intro videos and puzzles you can unlock with local wi-fi. It’s the sort of game a player of any age could pick up and get into. Older players may not be enamored with it for as long as the younger ones, but they still may take an interest.

It’s also incredibly clear, something Ener-G Gym Rockets wasn’t. When you click on the icon representing the next dance challenge, you’ll immediately see the score you’ll need to win. Then, you’ll enter a brief tutorial where any new controls will be explained and you can practice performing them. Ener-G Dance Squad isn’t going to leave any players confused.

There were only two things that bugged me about Ener-G Dance Squad. First, the music is a bit bland. It isn’t all that catchy or innovative. Second, you can’t see a brief preview of the dance sequence you choose in the Choreographer portion before a dance, only a text description. These are only minor issues, and don’t hamper gameplay in any way.

Everybody can join the squad.

As silly as this may sound, I think I’m going to keep Ener-G Dance Squad. It does have some flaws, but it’s actually kind of fun to play. It’s even challenging sometimes, thanks to the ability to select your skill level. I’d definitely recommend Ener-G Dance Squad to a parent with a young girl between the ages of 6-12, or purchase it as a gift if I knew that girl was interested in dancing.

Ener-G Dance Squad may be simple, but the Story and Crazy Challenge play modes, combined with the different levels of difficulty, make it the sort of game that players of any age with a fondness for rhythm and music games could enjoy. It, of course, can’t compare to Ouendan, or even Elite Beat Agents, but it feels like the kind of game that can help prepare younger or novice gamers for music titles like that.

Site [Ener-G Dance Squad]