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A spin-off of the original Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) game, In the Groove (or ITG) uses the same tactics as DDR. However, there are key changes in the game that are perfect for beginners and for expert dancers alike. SKIN: The layout idea is about the same as DDR, however, with ITG, the song selection is at a 2/3D-ish angle, making it seem as if the songs pop out at you. Snazzy colours as well as description of the actual steps - how many there are, if there are any mines, hand steps, etc. SONGS: ITG's music lasts about 2 minutes, which is 30 seconds longer than DDR. This may not seem much, but that extra 30 seconds even for the seasoned dancer can be tough. The song selection is wonderful for a first game, and get better with its' sequal, In the Groove 2. STEPS: Also using the step footer idea, ITG goes beyond the "standard" 10-footer (highest level on DDR) to legendary 12-footers - songs so catastrophic and difficult, it would be difficult *not* to use support. The levels go now from 1 to 12 (1 being beginner, 12 being the most difficult). Though it may be argued for step choices (making the songs more difficult to dance to), this adds to the challenge and fun. GRADING: Along the lines of DDR, ITG has a rating system. However, instead of going from failing to AAA (which is absolute perfects), ITG goes from fail to 3 stars. The scale is as such: Fail, D, C, B, S, S+, 1 star, 2 star, 3 stars. NEW SETTINGS: There are several new features in ITG. First, they added the 11 and 12 footers to songs. At the top of the screen, the makers added a bar that shows the dancer how much the song is played through and how much there is left. (An excellent addition to see how much time you have left.) There over 20 new arrow modifiers, 70 new songs; and in more difficult songs, the use of hands and quads. Mines are also used. For the beginner or for seasoned expert, be it for DDR or ITG, this game is definitely for everyone. Great fun and exercise, make sure to buy a pad for home to enhance the experience!Read full review
In The Groove (ITG) started out as an answer to some of DDR's "shortcomings". ITG is similar in that it uses the 4 arrow pad system, but the songs are not ones you'd hear over and over, the timing window is tighter which means getting that high score is harder, NO announcers (YAY), much higher footer difficulties, there are still "mods". The only console this was made for is PS2 (though it works perfect with my 20G PS3 & a good adapter for my pad). ITG introduces mines (which you want to avoid), rolls (almost a freeze arrow but you have to keep tapping to the beat instead of just holding the arrow) and hands! That's right, in this game, at least until you can get to get to an arcade with a dedi-cab (there aren't many around) and/or you can "bracket" on a metal pad, you will be using your feet for 2 arrows and your hand(s) for 1 or 2 more. Sounds confusing and hard, right? Well it can be, but it's actually quite fun and adds another level of challenge to the game. ITG is where the many of the great DDR players move. A medium level on ITG would be approximately Standard to Heavy on DDR. I'm not saying I don't play DDR, I do, it's still my favorite rhythm-based game (Max2, Extreme, Extreme2 & *gasp from some of you* DDR X in particular). But ITG will challenge you in ways DDR doesn't. This game appears to be getting a little harder to get, so if you happen to see it here on ebay or in your favorite game store, get it! The reason the game can be hard to find is because Konami filed a lawsuit against Roxor and RO (they were making the pads for the ITG bundle) and won. That means we will probably never see ITG2 for PS2 (which was in the works and there's a few ITG2 songs on your PS2 ITG game). Mods - you need speed mods in this game, like as soon as you leave novice for easy. That mod, if you don't use any other (and there are so many different ones!), will really help you with sight reading. I started slow, just 1.5x and am now on 2.5x, as I'm trying to step up my game, going into 6 and 7 footers on medium. I'm 54 with disabilities playing this, so please don't say "I can't do this", ok? It's also great exercise and a calorie burner if you just keep going (like 400 an hour)! You get to grade yourself at the end of your game. You can select how many songs you want to play in dance mode. The game will score you after each song & yes, the scoring system is different. There are + and - (A+, A-, etc.), then S, again + and - then gold stars: the highest is quad star. The game uses percentages both for how far into a song you are & as a way to calculate your letter or star score). You have a life meter. Run out of life? game over. The downsides to ITG CS: The interface is slow when starting the game & when waiting for scoring. Also, the practice mode is a total pain. There's too many menus, it's extremely difficult to make sense of things & if you want to practice a different song you have to exit practice mode and go back in and select the next song. The pads are better made than the default DDR flat pads, but the sensors extend well into the center of the pad which can cause ghosting; yes, there's "surgery", I just hate to cut into a pad. But you can, just tape over the sensors in the middle (circle area. Just do that very carefully & tape the pad back together securely (duct tape). Or put them away as emergency pads? If you have a PS2 (or BC PS3), want something different & a new challenge, get this.Read full review
In The Groove for PlayStation 2 is a superb first entry by developer RoXoR Games into the growing genre of rhythm games. For those unfamiliar, the object is to step in time with the music in the game. This is performed on a specialized "dance pad" that has four arrow panels which correspond to arrows that appear on screen. The more precise the player's steps are in accordance with the beat of the song, the better they do. This game is an expansion upon a better known dance game, Dance Dance Revolution. In many ways, In The Groove borrows directly from DDR, though the game maintains a sense of originality. This game has a distinctly American/ European selection of songs, as opposed to DDR's primarily Japanese song library. Furthermore, the difficulty level of In The Groove is much higher than that of DDR, which makes for a longer lasting challenge for experienced players. While slightly unpolished (i.e. slow load times, occasionally poor song editing), In The Groove is a game that is well worth your time, even though it is rather difficult to find beyond the internet.Read full review
I like In the Groove because it is a great game for many reasons. You excell in hand and eye coordination, you get listen to great songs, and it is a game made from the player for the player. The only problem I have with the game is that it has a codeing problem and jumps/skips in the middle of a song, which makes you miss an arrow and mess up. Other than that I reccomend this game to anyone who plays Dance Dance Revolution and such games as these two. I give it an excellent rating because I next to never put the game down, it is fun and it is a great challenge especially if you are already good at DDR. It ups the amount of excitement and adrenaline by adding in things like being able to mod the direction or character of the arrows such as: making them spin, disappear, or look far away. For maximum fun you can add a bunch together and see how good you really are!Read full review
Love it! I was nervous about buying at first, because I'm a DDR player, and I thought it might be hard to get used to, but friends highly recommended it. It wasn't hard to get used to at all (just use "overhead" and "cell" to make arrows look and scroll like DDR), and I love the extra mods, the songs, the arrow patterns and not hearing Scotty D.'s comments after every song. I've lost 35# playing DDR and have kept it off 2 years and was just looking for a new mix. Now I'm sad that Konami has bought them out...
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