Dance Central Spotlight
| Dance Central Spotlight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Harmonix |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft |
| Series | Dance Central |
| Platform(s) | Xbox One |
| Release date(s) | September 2, 2014 |
| Genre(s) | Rhythm game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Dance Central Spotlight is a dance video game developed by Harmonix and published by Microsoft. Released exclusively for Xbox One on September 2, 2014, it is a successor to Dance Central 3 for Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the Dance Central series.
The game provides a stripped-down experience in comparison to previous Dance Central titles, maintaining the core gameplay of the franchise, but with a focus on providing more routines per-song, the regular release of new, recent songs as downloadable content, and leverage of improvements to the motion detection capabilities of Kinect for Xbox One.
Gameplay
Similarly to previous installments in the franchise, players must mirror the dance routine of an on-screen dancer, as instructed by "flash cards" indicating specific moves in the routine. Players are judged and scored on the accuracy of their performance.[1] Each song includes up to eight routines, including four difficulty levels of the standard routine, along with two fitness-oriented routines and two "alternate" routines. Additional routines and difficulty levels are unlocked for songs by collecting "Flawless" ratings on individual moves.[1]
Spotlight focuses primarily on the core gameplay of the franchise, with a simplified offering of standard and fitness modes, and no story mode or other minigames like past versions. The practice mode was overhauled to use a dynamic, "on-demand" approach, rather than the "regimented" approach used by previous Dance Central games: players can now jump to training mode in-game by using a voice or controller command. Once activated, the player can practice the relevant portion, slow down the routine, and go to different parts of the song. When the player exits practice, the song continues from where it was left off.[1][2]
Development and release
Dance Central Spotlight was unveiled at E3 2014.[3] The overall gameplay of the Dance Central franchise was enhanced by the increased capabilities of the Xbox One Kinect sensor, which has a higher resolution camera and better gesture recognition than the Xbox 360 iteration. In total, the game can recognize 7,000 different dance moves.[3][4] Harmonix director Matthew Nordhaus also teased the presence of tougher alternate routines for individual songs, aimed particularly at expert players.[4] Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos felt that Microsoft's introduction of lower-cost Xbox One bundles excluding Kinect wasn't a "shock" and the bundling of Kinect with Xbox One on launch did not influence the development of Spotlight in any way.[3]
Unlike previous installments in the franchise, Spotlight places a heavy emphasis on downloadable content and the ability for players to purchase songs on an À la carte basis; Nordhaus noted that due to improvements in motion capture technology and the need to perform fewer QA tests because of the improved Kinect accuracy (specifically noting the need to do large levels of tuning for hand detection on the Xbox 360 version), Harmonix staff could produce new routines for the game in just "days" rather than months. Emphasizing that players wanted to have quicker in-game access to current hit music, Nordhaus stated that Harmonix would now be able to release new songs as DLC while they are still charting.[3][4]
Dance Central Spotlight was officially released on September 2, 2014; unlike other installments in the series, the game is only available via digital means. The base game includes 10 songs; new songs for the game will be released on a near-weekly basis for a "substantial" period of time.[3][4][5] A pre-paid code to download Spotlight is also included with standalone Kinect for Xbox One units, which were released in October 7, 2014.[6]
On March 8, 2015, Harmonix and Gearbox Software announced that Nisha and Claptrap from the Borderlands franchise had been added to Spotlight as secret characters via a cheat code. Claptrap's character design adds difficulty to routines, as he does not have legs for the player to follow. Harmonix had previously assisted in animating a dance sequence seen in a trailer for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!—where both are also playable characters.[7]
Song list
Base
The following ten songs are bundled with the game:[5]
| Song | Artist | Year |
|---|---|---|
| #thatPOWER | will.i.am ft. Justin Bieber | 2013 |
| Counting Stars | OneRepublic | 2013 |
| Diamonds | Rihanna | 2012 |
| Happy | Pharrell Williams | 2013 |
| I Wish | Cher Lloyd ft. T.I. | 2013 |
| Royals | Lorde | 2013 |
| Show Me | Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown | 2013 |
| Talk Dirty | Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz | 2013 |
| Titanium | David Guetta ft. Sia | 2011 |
| Wake Me Up! | Avicii | 2013 |
Downloadable content
The following new songs have been released for Dance Central Spotlight:[8] This list of DLCs is current as of April 28, 2015.
Legacy downloadable content
All DLC from previous Dance Central games were ported to Spotlight—they were re-released progressively in batches following the game's release. The ported DLC include their standard routines from the original version, along with four alternate routines, as with Spotlight-specific songs. Songs that were previously purchased on the Xbox 360 versions of Dance Central can be re-downloaded on Spotlight at no extra charge.[3][4][5][8][9]
| Song | Artist | Year | Originally released for | Date released for Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airplanes | B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams | 2010 | Dance Central 3 | September 2, 2014 |
| Alejandro | Lady Gaga | 2010 | Dance Central 3 | September 2, 2014 |
| All Around the World | Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris | 2013 | Dance Central 3 | October 7, 2014 |
| Beauty and a Beat | Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj | 2012 | Dance Central 3 | October 7, 2014 |
| Because of You | Ne-Yo | 2007 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Call Me Maybe | Carly Rae Jepsen | 2011 | Dance Central 3 | January 6, 2015 |
| Closer | Ne-Yo | 2008 | Dance Central 2 | September 2, 2014 |
| Commander | Kelly Rowland ft. David Guetta | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | September 2, 2014 |
| Control | Janet Jackson | 1986 | Dance Central | September 30, 2014 |
| D.A.N.C.E. | Justice | 2007 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Disturbia | Rihanna | 2008 | Dance Central | November 4, 2014 |
| Don't Cha | The Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes | 2005 | Dance Central | September 16, 2014 |
| Don't Touch Me (Throw da Water on 'Em) | Busta Rhymes | 2008 | Dance Central 2 | September 2, 2014 |
| Down On Me | Jeremih ft. 50 Cent | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | February 17, 2015 |
| Escapade | Janet Jackson | 1990 | Dance Central 2 | September 30, 2014 |
| Euphoria | Usher | 2012 | Dance Central 3 | December 16, 2014 |
| Fergalicious | Fergie ft. will.i.am | 2006 | Dance Central | September 23, 2014 |
| Forget You | Cee Lo Green | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | January 6, 2015 |
| Gangnam Style | Psy | 2012 | Dance Central 3 | December 2, 2014 |
| Get Busy | Sean Paul | 2003 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Get It Shawty | Lloyd | 2007 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine, Pt. 1 | James Brown | 1970 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Girls & Boys | Blur | 1994 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Give Me Everything | Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer | 2011 | Dance Central 2 | October 28, 2014 |
| Glad You Came | The Wanted | 2011 | Dance Central 3 | January 6, 2015 |
| Heard 'Em All | Amerie | 2009 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor) | Pitbull ft. T-Pain | 2010 | Dance Central 3 | October 28, 2014 |
| Hollaback Girl | Gwen Stefani | 2005 | Dance Central | September 23, 2014 |
| Hot in Herre | Nelly | 2002 | Dance Central 2 | January 13, 2015 |
| I Got You Dancing | Lady Sovereign | 2008 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| I Gotta Feeling | The Black Eyed Peas | 2009 | Dance Central | December 30, 2014 |
| International Love | Pitbull ft. Chris Brown | 2011 | Dance Central 3 | October 28, 2014 |
| La La Land | Demi Lovato | 2009 | Dance Central 2 | September 2, 2014 |
| Lapdance | N.E.R.D. ft. Lee Harvey and Vita | 2001 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Le Freak | Chic | 1978 | Dance Central | September 16, 2014 |
| Let It Roll | Flo Rida | 2012 | Dance Central 3 | October 21, 2014 |
| Lights | Ellie Goulding | 2011 | Dance Central 3 | October 14, 2014 |
| London Bridge | Fergie | 2006 | Dance Central 3 | September 23, 2014 |
| Low | Flo Rida ft. T-Pain | 2007 | Dance Central 2 | October 21, 2014 |
| Marry the Night | Lady Gaga | 2011 | Dance Central 2 | September 2, 2014 |
| Nasty | Janet Jackson | 1986 | Dance Central 2 | September 30, 2014 |
| Never Say Never | Justin Bieber ft. Jaden Smith | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | October 7, 2014 |
| Only Girl (In the World) | Rihanna | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | November 4, 2014 |
| Paparazzi | Lady Gaga | 2009 | Dance Central 3 | September 2, 2014 |
| Party Rock Anthem | LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock | 2011 | Dance Central 2 | September 30, 2014 |
| Planet Rock (Original 12" Version) | Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force | 1982 | Dance Central | September 16, 2014 |
| Promiscuous | Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland | 2006 | Dance Central 2 | January 20, 2015 |
| Round & Round | Selena Gomez & the Scene | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | September 2, 2014 |
| SOS | Rihanna | 2006 | Dance Central 3 | November 4, 2014 |
| S&M | Rihanna | 2011 | Dance Central 2 | November 4, 2014 |
| Say Ahh | Trey Songz | 2009 | Dance Central | September 16, 2014 |
| Say Hey (I Love You) | Michael Franti & Spearhead ft. Cherine Anderson | 2009 | Dance Central 2 | September 2, 2014 |
| Scenario | A Tribe Called Quest | 1992 | Dance Central 2 | February 10, 2015 |
| Sorry for Party Rocking | LMFAO | 2012 | Dance Central 3 | September 30, 2014 |
| Spice Up Your Life (Stent Radio Mix) | Spice Girls | 1997 | Dance Central 2 | May 7, 2015 |
| Take Care | Drake ft. Rihanna | 2012 | Dance Central 3 | January 6, 2015 |
| Temperature | Sean Paul | 2006 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| The Edge Of Glory | Lady Gaga | 2011 | Dance Central 2 | September 2, 2014 |
| The Way I Are | Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. | 2007 | Dance Central | January 27, 2015 |
| Turnin Me On | Keri Hilson | 2008 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| Twisted | Usher ft. Pharrell | 2012 | Dance Central 3 | December 16, 2014 |
| Umbrella | Rihanna ft. Jay-Z | 2007 | Dance Central 3 | November 4, 2014 |
| We No Speak Americano | Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | February 3, 2015 |
| We Run This | Missy Elliot | 2006 | Dance Central | September 23, 2014 |
| Weapon of Choice | Fatboy Slim | 2001 | Dance Central | September 2, 2014 |
| What Makes You Beautiful | One Direction | 2011 | Dance Central 3 | December 23, 2014 |
| What's My Name? | Rihanna ft. Drake | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | November 4, 2014 |
| Whip It | Nicki Minaj | 2012 | Dance Central 3 | September 2, 2014 |
| Yeah 3x | Chris Brown | 2010 | Dance Central 2 | December 2, 2014 |
Reception
GameSpot gave Spotlight an 8 out of 10, praising its cleaner interface and dropping of extraneous features for "[removing] the obstacles between you and just getting out there and dancing", and its new business model as a "tremendous value" for players. However, its minimalistic feedback for player performance was considered a double-edged sword due to the new unlock system's emphasis on rewarding the learning of individual moves.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Dance Central Spotlight review: Twerking hard or hardly twerking?". GameSpot. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ "Practice Makes Perfect in Dance Central Spotlight". Microsoft. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Harmonix is back to selling Kinect sensors with Dance Central: Spotlight". Polygon. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Harmonix shines the Dance Central Spotlight on the Xbox One (interview)". VentureBeat. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Dance Central Spotlight dated, will cost $10". CVG. Future plc. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ↑ "Standalone Xbox One Kinect Launching October 7 for $150 With Dance Central". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ↑ "Borderlands' Nisha And Claptrap Available Now As Free Dance Central: Spotlight Dancers". Game Informer. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- 1 2 "Dance Central Songs". Microsoft. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ "New Dance Central DLC: Two Great Legacy Packs!". Microsoft. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
External links
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