If dancing is your thing, Roxor Games has upped the ante for PC/Mac gamers, releasing the first retail arcade-to-computer rhythm translation in about five years. The result is a fresh title that provides a completely overhauled experience for those looking to tap their toes to their home computer.
In the Groove is the latest commercial release by Roxor and features more than 80 different songs, a number of marathon courses and all of the crazy game modifiers that have been made synonymous with the series. Players can get the full experience of the game by using a USB dance pad (Red Octane sells a number of them) or by using a PS2 dance pad with a converter (for the curious – you can buy these at Radio Shack). If you’re padless, however, you can give your fingers quite the workout by using your keyboard.
The game is a reproduction of the original title in the series, and with the company preparing to release the third entry in the series to arcades, many players might be tempted to label the PC/Mac version as nothing more than a PS2 home version duplicate that Roxor is looking to cash in on.
However, the developers have gone the extra mile to ensure the new version doesn’t fall victim to that assumption with a number of extra unlockables and brand new difficulties and step charts.
For fans of the series, the most notable new catch is the taste of ITG3 players will get as they advance through the game. The final batch of unlockable songs contain three songs that will appear in the yet-to-be-released version of the game. Not only are there new songs to experience but also new/re-edited step charts for old songs are included in the PC/Mac version.
Older songs such as Bubble Dancer, Changes, Land of the Rising Sun and more now have expert difficulty levels and many other difficulty levels have new charts to patch up areas that lead to player complaints.
Not only does the computer version add on to the PS2, it also considerably outperforms it. The graphics are much sharper in this version and there is virtually no loading time in-between the menus and game play (results can vary depending on your hardware). The songs sound just as good as ever and, thankfully, are not edited for content like they are in the PS2 version.
Through USB, the PC version's edit mode actually has some clout as players can take their creations to the arcade. Other modes of play include a tutorial, fitness, training, marathon modes and more.
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Article comments
1 - Ayla
This article was helpful on helping me to decide if I should go for the PC version or the console version of the game. I'm a first time player/buyer and this helped immensely. Thank you.
2 - Aaron Auzins
Thank you. You'll be pleased to know, Roxor is now testing out an upgrade of In the Groove for PC. www.itgfreak.com has the details. The free download enables you to upgrade to ITG2 complete with its songs and modes.