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Dance Central 3 is the latest installment of the Dance Central franchise on the Xbox Kinect. As the third incarnation in the series, can a new Dance Central bring enough new features to make it worth getting your groove on one more time? Absolutely. Dance Central 3 is the most party-friendly of the bunch, with a seemingly unending supply of fantastic songs that are both recent hits and favorites from the past, as well as new game modes and hidden features for solo play.
Of all the new features, Party Time is my favorite new addition to the game. If you simply want to have your Xbox 360 on in the background while your guests mingle, Party Time allows them to jump in front of the TV and get in the game immediately when they hear a snippet of their favorite song playing. Other party-friendly modes include the classic Battle showdown, posing challenges, and a chance for you and your guests with brave souls to freestyle. There is even a new difficulty level, Beginner, for those who have never played. If you or your friend can't quite find the beat, Dance Central 3 will detect the missed moves and change the level to Beginner during gameplay. This is perfect for my young daughter as well, who loves to play the game but tended to get frustrated in Dance Central 2 when she didn't earn any stars on the song.
When you're not throwing a shindig, the story mode in Dance Central 3 is much more accessible and enjoyable than it has been in previous installments. (In fact, in Dance Central 2 I had no idea I needed to play Crew Challenges to unlock characters and costumes until I finally Googled it.) The story in Dance Central 3 takes you through the decades to learn each era's dance craze, starting with the 1970s. This resulted in some fun teaching moments as my three-year-old watched me play and I attempted to explain 70s and 80s music and fashion to her. Who says video games aren't educational?
As someone who grew up in the 80s, the dance journey back in time to the 1980s and 1990s brought back a lot of memories. I admit it, I squealed when I saw the song from New Kids on the Block in the list. With over 40 songs from Usher, Katy Perry, Village People, and more, Dance Central 3 runs the gamut on fun dance songs across the years for us "older" players and younger players alike.
If story mode isn't your thing, or you're just playing through your favorite songs to burn calories, you can still earn stars for each song you complete to level up to unlock new character costumes and venues. (However, I do recommend playing through the story to open some additional features.) Fitness mode makes a return in Dance Central 3, and remains one of the most enjoyable ways that a game geek can work out and unlock achievements at the same time.
Dance Central 3 is easily the best in the series, with improved menus, fun new game modes, and a sensational selection of dance songs to get almost everyone in your family moving. The Xbox Kinect game is available on October 16 and retails for $49.99.
A promotional copy of the game was provided for review purposes.
