Rock Band isn't the only franchise to stop DLC

In a shocking turn of events, after 275 straight week of DLC, Harmonix announced that Rock Band would cease offering new content.

Now, it seems as if its other major franchise, Dance Central, will be following suit "fo??r the near future" after developing a song library of over 200 tracks.

Just like their reasoning for Rock Band, Harmonix cites that it is moving forward with "several new? titles," and it's choosing to focus on those instead.

Well, it was a good ride, Harmonix -- I can't wait to see what y??ou come up with next.

March DLC update [Dance Central]

The post Dance Central’s DLC is coming to an end as well appeared first on Destructoid.

Here is what's in store for March

This month, downloadable songs from Drake, Rihanna, and Fergie will be joining the Dance Central 3 library.? It all starts tomorrow with Drake's "Take Care"; March 12 will see the release? Rihanna's "Umbrella" and "SOS"; and on March 19, it's Fergie's "London Bridge."

These songs will be 240 Microsoft Points each, while the two Rihanna tracks can be bought bundled together for 400 Microsoft Points. "London Bridge" is one of those songs you forget ever existed, and that's not nece??ssarily a bad thing. There's only so much information I can store in my br?ain at one time. Sorry, Fergie. "Umbrella," on the other hand, sounds like a plan.

The post Dance Central 3 DLC adds Drake, Rihanna, ??and Fergie appeared first on Destructoid.

Corgi!

I'm going to be straight with you on this blog post. I like Dance Central 3 and all (I got a copy for my niece for Christmas), and Carly Rae Jespen is great, but I really just posted this s??tory to have another excuse to share the corgi parody music video that I've watched probably two dozen times already. 

I like this parody so much that I bark over the original song whenever I hear it. I hold my dogs' faces?? to the screen to force them to watch it too, hoping that they'll someday learn to pitch their barks to ?help me do other pop song parodies.

S??tarting tomorrow,? you'll be able to download the plain, non-corgi version of "Call Me Maybe" from the Dance Central Music Store for 240 Microsoft Points. Try barking along as you dance.

Harmonix says that those that buy Dance Central 3 from GameStop between n?ow and Dec. 16 will receive a voucher to download this song for free. Woof!

The post Dance Central 3 gets Carly Rae Jepsen?s ‘Call Me Maybe’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Also Usher

Urrrrsherrrrr? Say his name correctly, you idiot!

In the coming weeks you'll see a couple of fun track additions to Dance Central 3. The big??gest of the bunch is PSY's "Gangnam Style," though you'll have to wait until November 27 to get your horse dance on. 

In the meantime, enjoy the moves and music of Usher. "Twisted," by Usher and Pharrel, drops November 20,?? as does Usher's "Euphoria."

Each track will be priced at 240 Microso??ft Points, and the Usher duo can be purchased as a pack for 400 MSP.

The post Dance Central 3 gets ‘Gangnam Style’ and Usher tunes appeared first on Destructoid.

It was only a matter of time

You had to have known that Psy's "Gangnam Style" was in the works for Dance Central 3. I'll be curious to see what society thinks of the song a decade from now, but for ?now, Harmonix is getting in on the sensation while the going's still good.

The game's track list will also be expanded with Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" and songs f?rom One Direction, Justin Bieber, and LMFAO in "the coming months." It's almost frightening to think about how well this stuff is going to sell.

The post Yes, Dance Central 3 is getting ‘Gangnam Style’ as DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Get down like Doc Brown

The Dance Central franchise took me by surprise. In the very early stages of Kinect, I was extremely skeptical of the tech --  to be blunt, I didn't really believe in it. After testing the first entry at E3, however, I was pretty much sold that it could work given the right developer, which given Harmon?ix's pedigree should have been obvious from the start.

Eventually Dance Central became the de facto "Kinect showoff" game in my household, and I still enjoy it from time to time with my wife. In short, t??he series pretty much delivers everything you expect from it.

So does Dance Central 3 carry on the legacy?

Dance Central 3 (Xbox 360 [reviewed])
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: Harmonix/MTV Games
Release: October 16th, 2012
MSRP: $49.99

Dance Central 3 attacks and tops the previous iterations in two ways: It bolsters the party scene by including the incredibly streamlined party mode, and it enhances solo play with story mode and specific dance tutorials that actually strive to teach you the moves themselves. As far as I'm concerned, PaRappa the Rapper is the only game in the genre to truly pulled off a fun, unique story mode, so I was initially fairly hesistant to accept Dance Central 3's.

Have you ever been to Disney World or Disneyland and seen those cheesy pre-ride shows? The ones that require you to suspend your disbelief and just go along for the ride? That's kind of what Dance Central 3's story is like -- and I love it.

As a member of the Dance Central Intelligence agency (DCI), it's your job to travel through time and stop the ev??il Dr. Tan from elim?inating the spirit of dance everywhere.

In order to progress to the next decade, not only do you have to score 15 total stars across the five select songs of the era, but you also have to decipher a handful of "era craze" dance moves. I don't want to spoil things for you, but depending on your perspective, this will either be the most exciting?? or most frustrating part of the game.

During certain songs, there are special moves that you have to complete. I would rehearse songs at least a few times for some of t??hese moves, because on occasion they can be extremely difficult to pull off. Once you get all of them?, you can assemble them to decipher then master the "era craze," a definitive dance for each decade.

When they're actually completed, you feel an awesome sense of accomplishment, and odds are you actually learned that move in real life -- a twofold process that helps Dance Central 3 transcend its predecessors. If this sounds appealing to you, you'll most likely get addicted to "catching them all," and I hope this mechanic returns in Dance Central 4.

Time travel is the catalyst to give you an excuse to check out tunes from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, as well as the more contemporary 00s and 10s. While there are around ten-and-some-change songs from the 70s and 80s eras (which puts them far below the song count of the 90s and beyond), an amicable attempt is made to include a ton of classic songs, which is already an improvement from the decidedly contemporary-centric Dance Central 1 and 2.

While you're doing all this, you'll earn level-ups and thus more?? unlockables, such as playable characters a??nd costumes. Speaking of the characters, they're actually more fleshed out in this title due to the fact that they're supposed to represent their eras, giving them a bit more personality.

As for the gameplay, individual dances are much more unique and feel more closely related to? each song. I was actually smiling the entire time while doing the Tin Man Hop from Daft Punk's "Around the World." Same thing with "cleanup" move during the "skeet skeet" hook of Lil Jon's "Get Low."

As evidenced by the story mode, Dance Central 3 sells more of an educational stance than the past two titles even in the free play modes, and I like where they're going with this. Specifically, it has dances like the Electric Slide, the Dougie, and the Macarena, obviously put in to show you how to groove step by step and actually learn the dance -- kind of like how Rocksmith&nbs??p;sought to do the same thing?? with real instruments.

Party mode is what you'll want to put on if you're having a party, obviously. It's a streamlined mode that randomizes everything and dynamically changes the difficulty depending on your performance, kind of like God Hand (yeah, I name-dropped God Hand in a rhythm game review). Thankfully, you can also use Microsoft's Smartglass to DJ the songs in Party mode,? which is a?? nice touch, and the H-O-R-S-E mode is one of the best additions to the franchise to date.

Fitness mode is back and still as great as ever. Because of the sheer amount of songs, you can set a playlist and watch your calories burn off in front of your eyes, just as in past games??. You can set goals for yourself after inputting your personal info, whether it's a daily or weekly target. Songs start immediately after one ends, which lets you keep a solid heart-rate.

The focus on these popular dances is a cool addition, as they'll most likely come in handy at a wedding or a club or something at some point in your life. I'm not ashamed to adm??it that I didn't know how to dance until my mid-20s, and this game would have helped me tremendously in high school.

An all-new easy mode simplifies things, making ?this game the most accessible entry yet. It's little incentives like this that will entice non-dancers to attempt the game, which is a great thing when it c?omes to this genre.

As is the case with Harmonix games, Dance Central 3 will wholly support DLC, whether it's songs you already own from past titles or a steady release of future songs. You can also easily import all of your songs from Dance Central or Dance Central 2 for 400 Microsoft Points per collection (with the code included in new copies). Oh, and there might be "Gangnam Style" DLC down the line, if you're interested.

The fact that you can import music from the first two games is one of the most appealing aspects of Dance Central 3, as I personally have benefited thanks to owning more songs than I know what to do with. It's absolutely perfect for Party mode, as you almost never hear the same song twice, and Harmonix should be commended fo??????????????????????????r this kind of support??.

So long as you enjoyed the series in the past, you should jump on the opportunity to tackle these new modes. If you're not sold on dancing in front of a robotic camera yet, I doubt Dance Central 3 will cha??nge your mind?, but this iteration makes more convincing arguments than ever before.

The post Review: Dance Central 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

With a mostly sorry launch lineup, Kinect's first-year appeal came almost entirely from Dance Central. Since then, it too often feels like this series is solely providing the legs for Microsoft's motion platform. Less than a year later, Harmo?nix gave us a follow-up with all the sequel bells and whistles (new modes, more songs, etc.).

Dance Central 3 ??seems to be taking a similar route. There are no big shakeups to the core gameplay, but it does bring a slew of new content to ensure the party does go on.

Dance Central 3 (Xbox 360)
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: Microsoft
Release: October 16, 2012

New to this year's game is the inclusion of a story mode. Yes, a story mode. The plot follows you as you attempt to join the ranks of the Dance Central Intelligence (DCI). You see, the evil mad scientist Dr. Tan has been building an army of evil dancers and sending them throu??gh time warps in order to learn the dance crazes of each decade in an attempt to use those moves in the ultimate dance off that will forever stop the party. Being the super saver defender of all ?dancing crime that you are, you will go back in time as a DCI agent to learn all the dance crazes dating back to the '70s and combat Dr. Tan to make sure the party never stops. If it's not already clear, the story is balls-to-walls insane and not at all taking itself seriously. As a means to move you along the main campaign mode, it isn't really needed, but it lays the cheesiness on so thick that you can't help but give in and crack a smile or two.

More than just serving as a crazy plot point, time travel brings with it a few key changes to Dance Central 3. The biggest, of course, is the addition of dance moves from the 1970s onward. Your main task, apart from high scores, is to find five dance moves hidden within the ro?utines that you will be performing through the decades. Once you nail each routine in a given decade, you decipher then perform the completed dance craze -- in our 1970s demo, for example, we unlocked the Hustle. Perform it correctly, then its ?on to the new decade.

Story mode is all fun and well, but the crux of the Dance Central experience has always been its multiplayer modes. The first mode shown off was a interesting twist on the traditional Dance Central experience, called Strike a Pose. As the name suggests, Strike a Pose has players striking individual poses in a routine rather than performing a full dance move. So instead of actually dancing, you would just hold a pose for a few seconds at a time. An interesting addition, to be sure, but a welcome one for those with two left feet. If you suck at Dance Central (like Dtoid's very own Max Scoville and Tara Long proved during their time with it), Strike a Pose is a great way to get ?acquainted with exact positioning.

Of course, if you just want say "to hell with learning choreographed dances" and instead create your own, you now have that option in the Make Your Move mode. As obvious a title as "Strike a Pose," Make Your Move gives players the ?chance to flex a bit of their creative muscles and hopefully make their friends look like an ass in the process. In this versus mode, players take turns adding new steps to a routine while the others must match the additional steps. When a total of five steps have been created, the game mashes them up into one routine that both of you perform together. While the main purpose of this mode seems to be to encourage creativity, what struck the most was the back-and-forth dynamic. With both players making their own moves for the other the match, it feels about as close to a dance battle as we've seen in the series so far.

The final party mode shown off was also aptly named: Party Time. Party Time is built as a customizable experience -- the default mode when playing Dance Central 3 in an actual party environment. You start by simply having two players walking into Kinect'?s field of view and high fiving each other to start a match. From there, the game throws various modes and songs from a preset playlist, which can be customized beforehand in the options menu. The best thing about Party Time is its accessibility. Being tailored to a party environment, it's a seamless experience to walk in, play a song or two, and back out until the next pair of would be b-boys step up and high five. 

Simply put, if you have played and enjoyed any game in the Dance Central series, there is plenty here to be excited about. And of course, you will be able to import all the songs and from the first two games as well as the DLC tracks. Haters gonna keep hatin', as there may not be anything to win you lot over, but if your Kinect has been getting little love lately, Dance Central 3 could be just what you need to put that spark? b??ack in the romance.

The post Pre?view: Dance Central 3 WILL teach you how to Do??ugie appeared first on Destructoid.

Do you like to dance in front of a robotic eye bar in your living room? The best way to do that is with the Dance Central series, and it looks like Dance Central 3 will top its predecessors with a story mode and several hot tracks. Harmonix sends word that the release date is set for October 16 in North ??America, and October 19 for the rest of the world.

The game will come packed with more than 40 tracks on disc, and we already know that Usher and 50 Cent will provide songs, but now we know of 11 more tracks that will be included. Let's just say that if you don't already have moves like Jagger, you will after you finally stop, collaborate and listen to Dance Central 3. After this you'll be sexy and know it, too.

Hit the jump to see the full list. 

• 2NE1 – “I Am The Best (Original Version)” 
• Alice Deejay – “Better Off Alone” 
• Backstreet Boys – “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” 
• J.J. Fad – “Supersonic” 
• Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins – “Get Low” 
• LMFAO – “Sexy And I Know It” 
• Los Del Rio – “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” 
• Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – “Moves Like Jagger” 
• Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” 
• Vicki Sue Robinson – “Turn The Beat Around” 
• Village People – “Y.M.C.A.”

The post D??ance Central 3: Release date, new tracks unveiled appeared first on Destructoid.