Another rhythm game. I smell a pattern.

Beat N' Groovy
Players: 1-2
Rated E for Everyone

Ever hear of a game called Pop n' Music? Crazy Japanese rhythm game where you press nine collored/lighted buttons to music? Y'know the one. The one with absolutely insane patterns that no mere mortal could possibly complete. Beat N' Groovy is not Pop N' Music, no matter how hard it tries to be.

The premise is simple. Press the corresponding buttons on your controller as colored pancakes fall from the top of the screen to the line at the bottom. Think of it like a Guitar Hero note chart. There, now you can visualize the gameplay mechanics. Imagine 2 cutesy characters on each side of the note chart. One of 'em is you. The other is your 'opponent' that does nothing (Kinda like in Super Puzzle Fighter 2, except not awesome). These little characters dance to the beat of giddy J-pop/techno beats.

"That sounds like Pop'n to me, what's wrong?" you ask.

It's lame. The songs are lame (save for a few catchy tunes). The difficulty is lame. The characters are lame. The control scheme...

Is lame.

I'm not opposed to pressing controller buttons in time to music. Parappa The Rapper/Umjammer Lammy rocked my face. Boom Boom Rocket remains one of my favorite rhythm games. I even imported Puyo Puyo DA! for the Dreamcast. Beat N' Groovy, however, falls short. The XBOX 360 D-Pad is lame, so any notes on the left of the screen will be a chore until you get a feel for the way it handles (which is possible, don't worry). They also throw in an absurd note pattern where you have to hit 3 buttons at the same time. I only have 2 thumbs, Konami, and I don't intend on trying to play with my fingers. I look stupid enough playing this game already.

You get the option of 3 or 5 button play (real men use 5 buttons), yet the online mode only allows 3 button matches. What the fuck is wrong with you, Konami? I don't want to play easy mode competitively online, and neither does anyone else. The Arcade mode puts you at the main menu after every song, which is annoying. Endless mode is the only real challenge or joy about this game. You play all of the songs until you fail out, or beat them all.

Did I mention that they didn't even program it so XBOX Notifications (____ Is Online) pop-up in the corner? That's right, they pop up right in the middle of your target line, blocking your view entirely.

It had potential, but it lacks a challenge or anything really worth playing. Maybe try the free-trial before you choose to buy this game?

Also, Konami should just man-up and release Pop'N in a full version complete with 0-button controller.

In short. Try it, but don't buy it.

Graphics : C+ -- Colorful, but the game is bland, and the characters are uninteresting. Look to Pop N' for what this should've been.
Sound : B -- I might not like a lot of the soundtrack, but the quality is there.
Gameplay : C -- A control scheme that just doesn't work on the XBOX 360 controller once you do more advanced things (which is only one effin' song).
Replayability : C- -- You'll get tired of the songs, and the easy only online mode will bore you to tears.

Overall : C -- Something went wrong.

Wow.... sounds really poor!

I bought it and was disappointed =( When I tried it, I thought the single player seemed fun and thought that you could unlock more difficulties. Nothing wrong with the control scheme though, I think it makes perfect sense.

I thought that, graphical style aside, what was there was good, but it needed to be so much more.

It's not that the control scheme doesn't make sense, it's just that the XBOX 360 controller's D Pad is about the worst thing you could use for it, and the few instances where they throw 3 button presses at the same time your way really grinds my gears. It wouldn't be a problem if it were the B and Y buttons you had to press at the same time. Having to press B and X at the same time along with left on the d-pad? No thank you.

Also, it's passable, but not necessarily worth the money. Especially when Boom Boom Rocket kicks it in the teeth.

Yeah... Yeah, you're right. I was baffled by that too.

You don't have to use the d-pad, I used the left analog instead.

I dunno, I think I just like things to be balanced. One stick and 3 buttons doesn't sit well with me in a control scheme.

Samba De Amigo on the Dreamcast using a normal controller worked fantastically. Though the Maracas were tops.