Playstation 2 In The Groove (PS2)

 Excellent
Excellent game...one of the best. The kids love it and it is great for kids birthday party entertainment. A little disappointed with CD Universe as the rep informed me the product include a game pad and upon receipt my kids were disappointed they couldn't play with it. CD Universe doesn't sell the game pads. Red Octane gives you a better deal if you can wait!
Submitted by rosanna.teta (Georgia) 
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 GREAT
BUT THIS GAME!! THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY..GOOD WORKOUT GOOD MUSIC GOOD GAME......BUY IT NOW!
Submitted by i_like_milk (Toronto,ON)
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 Improvements over DDR but might want to rent it first...
In the Groove is part of the "Dance Dance Revolution" genre, made by Red Octane (instead of Konami, which made all the other DDR games). As a new publisher, the game has a very different flavor from other DDR installments. Music-wise, there is a lot more trance/eurodance music, with a few syntho-classics (like a synthetic William Tell's overture). Step-wise, the dancing has a lot more variety than the DDR installments. Each song has 5 difficulty settings (instead of DDR's 3). Additionally, one gets the feeling that much mroe time was spent developing the dancing patterns for each song. They are much more varied than DDR - and while you can still master them all, a player who can beat 7-footers in DDR will take more time initially to master the variety of different patterns, which he hasn't seen in DDR. While the music is catchy (which I define as songs that keep bouncing around in your head), the vocals in general are softer and not as distinctive as in DDR. Play-wise, most of the songs have a more intuitive feel to them than DDR as a whole. When you play a song for the first time, it is easier to "catch the beat" of the steps, as the songs are catchy and comprehensible (even on the goofy songs, which might have a 5/3 beat). The game adds two new things to previous DDR installments. There are "mines", which are in an arrow position, but penalize you if you are on that arrow position. As simple as it sounds, this adds a surprising degree of challenge to the game. Secondly, there are "3/4" arrows, where you have to use your hand, in addition to your feet. This concept was intimidating at first, but the progressive difficulty levels build on this slowly. Songs around 6/7 might have 2 feet on a freeze, and then another arrow for your hand occasionally. Graphically, In the Groove is slightly inferior to DDR. The arrows are slightly smaller, and the eight-notes (and sixteenth notes) are spaced a bit oddly, so it is more difficult to recognize the step than in DDR. There are no videos either, as in DDR. Mode-wise, ITG has vastly improved over the old DDR. In Marathon mode, there are a lot more courses than in DDR. In endless mode, you can select a difficulty, and the game produces a random course for you, filled with songs of that difficulty. For any person who already enjoys DDR, In the Groove is a must-add to your collection. For someone who has never played this Genre, your best bet might be to start with Konami's DDR Max 2.
Submitted by platinumplusforever (Tampa, FL)
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