Bust-A-Move

System: Playstation (Japanese)

Review

Game Type: Pattern Repetition
You choose one of ten characters (plus four more hidden ones) to compete in a danceathon against an opponent. Tap out the sequence of buttons shown on the screen in time to the rhythm and your character will do a series of wild dance moves. You can also opt to use one of a limited stock of "attacks" against your opponent, which will stun her for a few seconds. Pull off more cool moves than your opponent before the song ends and you'll win the match.

Gameplay: 80/100
Think of it as Parappa the Rapper meets Street Fighter. The game is played much the same way, by repeating the displayed key sequence. But this time your opponent is the computer or another player, rather than a simple rating meter. It's a bit easier to play, since only the last key in the given sequence needs to be repeated in time with the music. (It's pressed every fourth beat.)
Like Parappa, though, BAM has a bit of a longevity problem. Although there are 14 different characters, there are no major differences in how they're played. When you've beaten the game with one character (which is no difficult task in the first place) you can easily do so again with all the others. It's great fun for a week or so, but after that most players will lose interest.

Graphics: 90/100
Graphically this may be one of the most impressive Playstation games in existence. The characters are quite detailed, with very few individual polygons visible. The backgrounds are nice also, and are almost alive with activity. One stage is set in a rickety beach hut, which falls to pieces around you as a hurricane blows in. Another is on a city street, complete with swerving cars. I don't totally like the color schemes, but technically at least BAM's graphics are quite impressive.

Sound: 60/100
I revere the Japanese for their artwork and game design, but I never quite agreed with their taste in music, especially their imitations of Western rock. Admittedly this is one of the best collections of this type of music I've heard, but that's not saying much. Many of the lyrics are in English (cringe), but they're actually pretty good, sung/rapped either by Americans or very talented Japanese. The music itself largely consists of parodies of 70's disco, 80's pop, and even a little rap and reggae. I'm sad to say there's only one techno track, and that's of dubious quality. Maybe the American release's tracks will be better, but I rather doubt it.

Overall: 80/100
If you're worried that a rave game created in Japan might have a little too much Japanese flavor for American palates, you might be right. For one thing, Japanese rappers simply can't say "niggah" without sounding silly. (Yes, they do say that during one track, though in a nonoffensive way.) But the game does have some real attitude. Their gangsta rapper character, for example, tends to bust out with a pair of semiautomatics - while dancing. There is of course lots of bizarre humor as well, like the John Travolta clone or the dancing mouse.
Much like Parappa, I can't imagine playing this game nonstop for a month, but bring it out when friends are over and it's good for a few laughs. (And unlike Parappa, a second person can play.) It's due for U.S. release very soon, so it's probably not worth the extra cost of importing. (Unless you consider that they will inevitably screw up the music and lyrics in the process of Americanizing them.)

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