Britney's Dance Beat
GAME » on March 10, 2002
A rhythm game based on the songs of American pop singer Britney Spears. It is known for its PS2 version, which is sometimes considered a spin-off of the Bust a Groove series of "dance battle" games.


Overview

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Britney's Dance Beat is the name of three rhythm games released by THQ (Company), all of which involve American pop singer Britney Spears:

  • A PlayStation 2 (Platform) game developed by Metro, released in North America on May 8, 2002, in Europe on June 14, 2002, and in Japan (co-published with Sega (Company)) on September 26, 2002. This version is unique as it incorporates the "dance battle" style and gameplay from Metro's earlier Bust a Move / Bust a Groove series, with a unique radial "button meter" (which moves like a radar scan).
  • A PC (Platform) game developed by Hyperspace Cowgirls (Company), released in North America on June 19, 2002 and in Europe on July 5, 2002. Unlike the PS2 version, this one is a single-player rhythm game with a simple three-button scrolling system.
  • A handheld Game Boy Advance (Platform) game developed by ART, released in North America on March 25, 2002 and in Europe on June 14, 2002. It plays similar to the PS2 version, albeit in a more single-player fashion. This version also includes a bonus sliding tile puzzle.

In Britney's Dance Beat, players choose from one of several aspiring dancers who are auditioning for a spot as a backup dancer in Britney Spears' tour. As players play a button-based rhythm game to five of her songs, they unlock bonus content (in the form of photos, backstage videos, and/or 360-degree "immersive videos").


Gameplay

In Britney's Dance Beat, you're an aspiring dancer who is auditioning for a spot as a backup dancer on her tour. One or two players compete for this opportunity through a series of rhythm games that take place on various make-shift stages consisting of different back drops and usually featuring one Britney's music videos playing in the background.

The game mechanics involve pressing the correct button on the controller in sync with a round radar monitor in the lower left of the screen. As the radar scan sweeps around the dial, it lights up the corresponding button on the controller that you should push at that exact time. Your accuracy is reflected in the dance moves performed by the avatar.

The PS2 version includes three control options: one that focuses on button presses (with d-pad directions for combination presses), one that focuses on d-pad presses (with buttons for combination presses), and one for dance mat peripherals (with d-pad presses for both).

After beating each audition, the player is rewarded with backstage passes that unlock bonuses such as footage of Britney back stage at her concerts.


Dancers (PS2)

In the PS2 version's Audition and 2-Player modes, each of the six dancers have their own unique "attacks" (or "bad moves") to their opponent that are done automatically for each 10 steps in combo:

  • Dan - Adds inner button commands to open steps.
  • Rob - Adds outer button commands to open steps.
  • Enrique - Scrambles button commands.
  • Elisa - Pushes button commands forwards or backwards one step.
  • Carla - Adds inner button commands to steps already containing an outer button command.
  • Leana - Scrambles button commands right before the Button Gauge reaches them.

For each 60 steps, all dancers have a special attack where their opponent's Button Gauge is smaller, leaving them little time to react.


Track List

All versions of the game use the same five songs, all of which are from Britney Spears's first three albums.

The PS2 version has players playing through each track twice, with the first being a partial ("Normal") version and the second being the entire ("Full") version. The GBA version also goes through each track twice, once in "Practice Mode" and once in "Concert Mode".


Trivia

Former Gamespot editor Aaron Thomas revealed that he bought Britney's Dance Beat at a Circuit City bargain bin. He considers the game a guilty pleasure.

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