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Boogie Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Boogie Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Let’s Bust A Move

When it comes to rhythm-oriented video games, a combination of a diverse musical selection and intuitive, addictive gameplay are absolutely necessary for success. Catchy tunes and a slick style can also go a long way. In the case of Boogie on the DS, some of the main ingredients are present to a degree; it’s just not quite enough to grab hold of one’s attention span as indefinitely as other rhythm games out on the market. If you can’t keep up with the challenge of titles like Elite Beat Agents or Ontamarama, Boogie may be simple enough to meet your handheld grooving needs. Otherwise, your Saturday night fever may be short-lived.

Boogie screenshot

The concept for Boogie is easy to get behind; you play the role of a cartoony dancer on a quest for stardom by wielding the stylus and d-pad to get down with your bad self in time to a funky medley of dance-pop hits. For a musical selection, the game features 20 unlockable cover versions of numerous hip-hop, disco, pop, funk, and dance tracks. The audio quality is stellar; the choice of tunes is hit-or-miss. “Brick House,” “Groove Is In The Heart,” “Love Shack,” and “That’s The Way (I Like It)” are among the better songs, but you’ll also get some Britney Spears, Fergie, Pussycat Dolls, and a few other heinous covers to deal with. Of course, whether you dig the music is entirely subjective, yet there are a few gems buried in the track list. Those with a penchant for clubbing or dance floor shenanigans will feel right at home with Boogie.

In career mode, you’ll pick from one of five wacky characters – humorously called “Boogs” – and progress through various dance venues located on a 2D map. Only a few stages are available from the start, and you’ll have to unlock more by gaining points or progressing along the story which loosely ties them together. Other than tying in with the story, each location merely serves as a different visual backdrop for the dancing gameplay. Once you’ve completed a stage, you can return there to play any of the songs you’ve unlocked. Rather than just the basic freestyle mode found in the console versions of the game, the DS version offers two other gameplay variations. Copycat mode has players executing a small grouping of specific dance moves for points at their leisure, and Choreography mode runs an endless stream of moves along the top screen which have to be completed when they reach an indicator. None of the three modes are particularly challenging, but they do offer more play options than the console versions.

Boogie screenshot

The simple controls make for fun gameplay, but even novice players will soon find themselves wanting more. Dance moves range from basic…well…to basic. Maneuvers are executed by swiping the stylus across the screen in any of six directions in time to the beat of the music. Tapping the d-pad will also make your Boog side-step or turn around, and poking your character in the gut with the stylus will make them jump. Certain sequences of strokes make your character do little funky combos which are hard not to laugh at. A gaggle of “party freaks” will populate the top screen to cheer you on as you bust out some moves, but messing up too frequently will cause them to leave; lose all of them and the song ends. Unless you have no sense of rhythm, the only way to make this happen is to simply put the DS down and stop playing. For scoring, the emphasis rests almost solely on keeping pace with the basic straightforward dance beat; even on hard it’s too darn easy. You’ll earn a higher score for good accuracy and a meter will slowly build to allow you to trigger a multiplier for higher points. The problem is swiping the stylus to and fro quickly gets monotonous, especially considering you can make it through any song by simply pulling of the same two or three moves over and over again.

Boogie screenshot

Adding a selection of mini-games could have provided a little relief from some of the more dull moments if only they appeared with better timing. Players will engage in brief diversions such as blowing into the DS microphone, strumming a guitar, headbanging hula-hooping, and even using a lever to open and close your mouth along to the vocal lines, among other things. These mini-games tend to crop up usually when you’re right in the middle of a combo sequence. They’re clever but oversimplified, and they do little to greatly improve the basic control design.

Boogie screenshot

It’s hard to deny: the game has got its charm. What Boogie lacks in the gameplay department in terms of complexity it slightly makes up for in style and customization. The different characters are visually appealing, and their dance animations are smooth and vibrant. They each have their own unique dance combos and moves as well. You can customize everything from their skin tone and clothing colors to their outfit styles and stylus drawn t-shirt logos. The level backgrounds are also interestingly designed, though they’re fairly static backdrops for the dance action in the forefront. Unlocking new stages, decking your Boog in unique outfits, and opening additional songs are where the bulk of the fun is at, and it serves as the prime source of motivation for progress in the game. Moving along in each character’s story is also entertaining and humorous, but it feels secondary to increasing your rank by re-playing the same stages over and over again to get higher scores. Achieving certain benchmarks in individual levels or across the entire game will unlock additional goodies.

With greater substance and more challenging gameplay, Boogie could find itself closer on par with its competition. As it stands, the game still has a long way to go. The concept is solid, the music is admittedly catchy (for the most part), and the style is there; we’d just like to see more of it coupled with better gameplay implementation. Perhaps Boogie will pick up the pace next time; it’s got potential.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.8 Graphics
Stylish visuals and great 3D character animations. 2.4 Control
Simplicity make for ease of use, but it’s not very exciting. Responsiveness suffers when trying to execute moves in rapid succession. 4.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The audio quality is excellent. Despite being covers, the 20 tunes are solid. 2.8

Play Value
It’s simply too easy and lacking in substance. Unlocking outfits and songs is fun, but it’s short-lived.

3.0 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Make your Boog a star. Choose between one of five Boogs, each with its own unique dancing style, then customize with 500+ clothing options and do-it-yourself decal creation.
  • Become a Boogie Master. Play through all five storylines and accomplish eleven ranks of gameplay to unlock songs and earn badges in career mode.
  • Dance it up with friends. Challenge up to three friends in multi-card play or take on one opponent in single-card play.
  • Fun mini-games. Boost your dancing score with 10+ different mini-games or play them in your own customized mini-game session.
  • Boogie in 3D play. Boogie in 3D with special glasses enclosed with each box.
  • The music reigns supreme. Boogie down to a variety of dance hits from rock to pop, disco to funk.

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