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Boogie Review for the Nintendo Wii

Boogie Review for the Nintendo Wii

Getting down with Boogie!

I’ll be the first to admit I was not entirely impressed with this title when I first looked at it. When I looked at the package, my first thoughts were that this looked like a really hokey version of SingStar with a Wii-specific control tacked on. I was really ready to pop it in my Wii and then pop it right out and ream it for the review. But I am so happy to admit I completely misjudged this game.

Boogie screenshot

The entire concept of Boogie is simple: It’s a fun and funky rhythm game mashed up with karaoke. It sounds messy, but trust me it works so well. You begin the game by selecting one of five “Boogs.” These characters (which range from a kung-fu master lion to a squid who owns a gas station) can then be customized and given a name. Then once you personalize your Boog, you are ready to start getting your groove on!

There are two basic components to this game: dancing and karaoke. The dancing component works by timing arm and hand movements to the rhythm of the music. Sound easy? Trust me; it’s pretty hard. In the same way the simple act of moving your feet in four directions is unexpectedly difficult, waving your hands around while you feel the beat can definitely challenge you. And fair warning, you’ll have a serious case of Wii elbow after you play. I know mine is killing me, even as I write. But it was all worth it!

The karaoke component of the game works a lot like other karaoke games out there. You’ll choose (or be given, depending on the mode) a song, and the lyrics and pitch will appear on the lower half of the screen. The actual pitch you hit will be indicated by an arrow on the screen. Your score will be determined by how close you come to the actual pitch and how accurate you are when timing your notes.

Boogie screenshot

There’s several modes in this game, and while the meat of this game may be its free play and party modes, I feel it’s best to start at the beginning: the story mode. When you select story mode, you can then select which of the five Boogs’ stories you want to play through. Each story consists of five stages that alternate between karaoke and dancing play. And although the story is expectedly shallow (but what would you expect?), the gameplay is fun and very challenging. You’ll have to garner a certain amount of points during each stage in order to “pass” and move on to the next. And some of the stages will definitely put your rhythm and musical sense to the test.

Boogie screenshot

But, as I mentioned before, the areas where this game really shines are not in the story mode, but in the free play and party modes. Both of these modes feature an unlimited amount of play, and are really great when you need a quick diversion or have some friends over and are looking for a great time. You can choose to play solo and see where you place in the game’s leaderboards, or you can play your friends head-to-head and see who really has the best boogie! But let’s say you don’t feel competitive. Well Boogie’s got you covered there and offers up co-op modes that have you and a friend working together to create the perfect performance! So no matter which way you play, Boogie has something you can enjoy with others.

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