Wii; £24.99; cert 3+; Ubisoft

If we're being honest, you probably already know if Dance on Broadway is for you. When you went to open this review you were almost certainly looking for one of two things: justification for a purchase already decided on (or perhaps already made), or justification for your disdain.

Last November Ubisoft released Just Dance to underwhelming reviews but some of the best sales figures ever achieved by a third-party publisher for the Wii. With Just Dance 2 pencilled in for an October release, Dance on Broadway is a straightforward gap-filler – a quick and easy title certain to generate some revenue while also helping build anticipation for the main event.

The gameplay is almost identical to Just Dance, with players mimicking the actions of on-screen dancers, while holding a Wiimote. Just as with the former title, this feels entirely inadequate. Good dancing requires the whole body to move in unison, yet the nature of the hardware means that Dance on Broadway can only ever judge your performance on the basis of one limb. Even this is not done well.

At one point early on, while getting to grips with the concept, I found myself standing perfectly still, yet repeatedly being scored "great" for movements I hadn't even made. Knowing this, it was hard to shake the feeling that all subsequent successes or failures were rather arbitrary and at times it felt as though accidental motions were just as likely to be rewarded as intended ones.

From a presentation standpoint the game looks fine, if hardly inspiring, though the silhouetted images that appear along the bottom of the screen to warn you what moves are coming up can be more confusing than helpful. In terms of depth, the game offers little – with 20 show tunes to choose from but no career mode and nothing to unlock.

Yet this game will appeal to fans of Just Dance, of show tunes, and of games that provide an excuse to get up and throw yourself around your front room. Lyrics are displayed during the songs to allow players to sing along and as a party game it will provide plenty of cheap giggles. Some people will love it. And they knew they would from the moment they saw the title.

Rating: 2/5

Despite the fact that Tron Legacy is still months away from being in theaters, more and more TRON gadgets and accessories are rolling out. First Monster unveiled their Tron Legacy headphones, and now PDP is showing off their Collector’s Edition TRON Controllers for Xbox 360, Wii & PS3. These controllers are covered in Tron’s signature blue lights. Both the Collector’s Edition Tron PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers are wired, while the Wii version is ofcourse wireless. Each of the controllers are available for pre-order for $49.99 and will ship in October.

Continue reading Wii Balance Board-controlled robot a hit with toddlers in Ithaca (video)

Wii Balance Board-controlled robot a hit with toddlers in Ithaca (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Switched  |  Cornell University  | Email this | Comments

Recently Nike -- a shoe company that seems to enjoy a side dish of tech from time to time -- challenged 78 artists to "hack" its shoes and come up with something decidedly different than your typical Air Force Ones. Now, a lot of the projects were more art and less tech, but that can't be said for entrant Nick Marsh's contribution to the experiment. The designer fused the internals of a Wii Balance Board with a pair of Air Maxes to create a gaming experience that may not be nuanced, but certainly seems capable of making you break a sweat. According to Nick, games are played exactly as they would have been previously, but since you can't step of the board, you're required to lift your foot or sit down when you need to back off on the pressure. Nick finished the project in April, but it sounds like a slightly more polished version could be in the offing. Check out a quick video of the shoes in action after the break, and hit the source for a slew of pics.

Continue reading Nike Air Maxes get a Wii Balance Board infusion

Nike Air Maxes get a Wii Balance Board infusion originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DVICE  |  Nick Marsh  | Email this | Comments

The Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road Victory Controller was only shown as a rendering a few months ago. But now the real deal is available and if you thought the drawing looked ridiculous, the real controller is just as insane and unwieldy looking. It was designed to complement the Square Enix Wii game Dragon Quest Monsters: Battle Road Victory which was originally an arcade game.  The controller lets you finish off your enemies by stabbing them if you hold on to the special sword on the controller. If you happen to be a fan pf the game – Japan Trend Shop has made the device available to the US for $211. It’s too bad that it probably won’t work with any other game though.

The ARCTIC GYM is meant for those without consoles but still want to workout at home utilizing interactive peripherals. The Arctic Gym includes an interactive exercise mat that allows players to have fun while keeping fit, losing weight and burning calories at the same time. It is a video game system that detects your movements, and measures your performance and fitness progress. The mat is divided into thirty pressure sensitive pads with sensors detecting feet and body positions. Once the system recognizes your movements, it is then translated on-screen, allowing the Arctic Gym to track and display real-time movements.There are three preset exercise modes to choose from: aerobic mode, muscle workout and yoga. Compete in, for example, 100m running, high jumping and walking race.  The Arctic Gym also features other games, including basketball, bowling, and highway racing. The size of the Arctic Gym gaming mat is 170 x 60 cm, and an AC/DC adapter and 3m RCA cable for TV are included. The 32-bit system also features a high 3D resolution.  The Arctic Gym is available now, and retails for $86.90.

TVersity is a free app for Windows and Linux that lets you stream movies, photos and audio files to game consoles. Now with the TVersity Media Server 1.9 update, the pro version of the app will let you stream Hulu to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The way it works is that it’s able to do on the fly transcoding. Meanwhile, the free version of TVersity will also let you stream media files to the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

Look, it's summer break. What better to do than learn a little piano in preparation for the upcoming release of Harmonix's Rock Band 3? The next installment -- which promises to bring all sorts of new kit to the market -- was finally given a release date today, and not surprisingly, it'll be quickly climbing the Santa Lists of rug-rats the world over. According to the company, the title will ship on October 26th in North America, with the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions priced at $59.99 sans hardware and the DS rendition at $29.99. Hop on past the break if you're interested in learning about your wealth of pre-order options.

Continue reading Rock Band 3 crashing into living rooms on October 26

Rock Band 3 crashing into living rooms on October 26 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |   | Email this | Comments

Free cases for all iPhone 4 users! How does Apple's fix compare to some of gaming's more recent hardware problem solutions? Let's take a look. More »

3D and motion gaming. Two stupid things that I don't want, yet both have millions of dollars and major electronics companies behind them, meaning they're not going away anytime soon. Which is worse? More »



Business - United States - Arts - Religion - Memorial Day