In the Groove

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
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  1. Shinku_Quickman
    Oct 29, 2014
    9
    Let's put this straight now - I am a rhythm game expert. I have been for ten years. I've gotten AAA's on over 300 DDR songs, I've beaten Jordan and TTFAF on Expert in Guitar Hero and I can clear Mei's Another chart from Beatmania IIDX. So was I biased coming into ITG? Eh. Kind of. Music games are my favourite genre, so there would've had to be something SERIOUSLY wrong with the engine orLet's put this straight now - I am a rhythm game expert. I have been for ten years. I've gotten AAA's on over 300 DDR songs, I've beaten Jordan and TTFAF on Expert in Guitar Hero and I can clear Mei's Another chart from Beatmania IIDX. So was I biased coming into ITG? Eh. Kind of. Music games are my favourite genre, so there would've had to be something SERIOUSLY wrong with the engine or the tracklist for this game to get a bad score.

    The most important part of the game - people often say - is the setlist. I personally believe it's the controls, but let's take a look at the songlist. Headlining the game are songs from people like Inspector K, ZigZag, KaW and Vanilla Ninja. Yes, THAT Vanilla Ninja. European players will recall them being in the Europe version of DDR called Dancing Stage. And, for some reason, it's the same song (Tough Enough) in Dancing Stage AND In The Groove. Lazy.

    The game includes four songs from the arcade In The Groove 2, but... it's the last four songs anyone would've asked for. Summer ~Speedy Mix~, Onyx, Energizer and Robotix are the songs that would come to mind in my head, but apparently someone asked for Wake Up instead. The songlist also seems to be heavily dominated by hardcore music, and while I'm for that personally all the way, there's no doubt some people will be disappointed by the lack of other genres. And ridiculously, possibly the most famous song in In The Groove, Liquid Moon, is used as menu music but CANNOT be played. What reason is there for this?

    Onto presentation, and I'll give the game this - I like the beautiful simplicity of the presentation of the game. There's no crowd noise, no bangs and whistles, and no annoying announcer to remind you for the millionth time that "You're dancing, you're moving' you know this party's groovin'!" While some people would dislike the minimalist style the game goes for, I absolutely love the way the game looks. I prefer the arcade's presentation to the PS2 version, but it's still rock solid.

    You may be thinking there isn't a lot different between this and DDR, but there are a few additions into the game's mechanics to make it seem fresh. There are 'Hands', where you must hold down two freeze arrows and hit a third arrow. There are 'Mines', which you must avoid stepping on unless you like losing score and a lot of your life-bar. And there are 'Rolls', which are freeze arrows but with a twist; Holding down on the step will drop it. You must continue to step on the freeze arrow until it ends for it to give you the 'Yeah!' for the arrow.

    You might think all these additions are stupid, but they're actually additions that make a big difference in how the game is played. And, hey, if you don't like them, you can always turn them off in the options menu. There are also the traditional 'nonstop' and 'challenge' modes, where you play through a series of songs without stopping (The latter having preset modifiers to trip you up) and there are also a good amount of options in the menu before a song. Still, it would be nice if there was a .5x setting for each speed mod (5.5x, 6.5x...) but they surely couldn't do anything and everything anyone wanted.

    Sadly, there are a few minor issues with this game. The loading times are absurd, and when compared with DDR EXTREME (JP) or DDR X2, kind of ridiculous. Dance Dance Revolution can load quickly, so why can't this? And it suffers something major - The tracklist when compared to DDR EXTREME (JP) is very, very small. There are around 70 songs in the game, and DDR EXTREME has over 200. While this is because DDR likes to keep the old songs from past DDR's and keep them in the new releases, it still sucks that there aren't many songs in the game.

    But overall, this is a fantastic music game and it's a damn shame there won't be anymore efforts by RoXor like this. As of 2006, Konami sued RoXor, won the rights to ITG and it doesn't look like they'll be doing anything with them. But thankfully, there is a free game on PC called OpenITG, an open source In The Groove. Members of the ITG community like WinDEU, Spork, DJ Aftershock and many more release songs and song packs for the game frequently, so there will always be more for you to play. Now that OpenITG exists, this game is kind of irrelevant, but it's still one of the best rhythm games on the PlayStation 2 and well worth the money to purchase.

    At the very least, you'll get that menu music stuck in your head forever...    … Expand
  2. Paulie
    Oct 14, 2010
    10
    I love In the Groove. I still play it frequently. It's way better than Dance Dance Revolution. The steps are more interesting and fun. And the music isn't the same recycled songs in another games *cough * DDR always recycles songs.
  3. SuleimanM.
    Jan 4, 2008
    10
    With my bro and my buddie, this game is truly flawless. it's become a tradition at the arcades for us. very challenging, unlike DDR, which is way too easy when you go pro. ITG is the dance game veteran now, and if you want an excellent game, as well as a very, VERY challenging experience, then by all means, pop those tokens in.
  4. EricC.
    Nov 28, 2006
    7
    The songs are great for expert players. However, the interface of the game is crap, and runs slowly. Plus, if you fail, you have to go through all the menus all over again. However, there is a GREAT song selection that will keep expert players challenged for some time.
  5. SamuelP.
    Apr 2, 2006
    10
    The game is very addictive and it will keep people on the dance floor for a long time. It's music will draw in the dancer into the game, and it will keep them playing until the night is through. The graphics are stunning and the music is so unique. It's four panel style draws in players from different games and it helps them feel just like home. The many different modes also The game is very addictive and it will keep people on the dance floor for a long time. It's music will draw in the dancer into the game, and it will keep them playing until the night is through. The graphics are stunning and the music is so unique. It's four panel style draws in players from different games and it helps them feel just like home. The many different modes also help people feel like they are at the arcade in their home. This game will keep dancers both young and old in the game with many different difficulties, some for the average gamer, and some for the hardcore dancer. The difficulty of some of the songs on this game make it seem impossible to beat, but don't be fooled. I've been able to do them myself, and you'll grow to love them and their mysterious patterns in the game.… Expand
  6. NickP.
    Mar 30, 2006
    10
    In The Groove is a step up from Dance Dance Revolution. It has more modifiers including scripted modifiers that in turn create more difficult courses. The "expert" stepcharts are more difficult than DDR's "heavy" or "challenge." The difficulty ranges from 1 (novice only) to 13. The arrows are different than DDR's, though it works best for this game as it is easier to keep on In The Groove is a step up from Dance Dance Revolution. It has more modifiers including scripted modifiers that in turn create more difficult courses. The "expert" stepcharts are more difficult than DDR's "heavy" or "challenge." The difficulty ranges from 1 (novice only) to 13. The arrows are different than DDR's, though it works best for this game as it is easier to keep on beat with the color-coded arrows (red - 4th, blue - 8th, etc.). I would recommend this game to anyone, especially fans of the DDR series or any music-rhythm series.… Expand
  7. SteveS.
    Feb 11, 2006
    10
    I have all of Konami's Dance Dance Revolution games and love them all (well, most of them) ... but In The Groove is the one disc that stays in my PS-2 the longest. The songs are better, IMHO - who cares that they aren't licensed songs from artists you already know. The songs rock! The dance steps are so good, the company even gives credit to the people who do the steps. And this I have all of Konami's Dance Dance Revolution games and love them all (well, most of them) ... but In The Groove is the one disc that stays in my PS-2 the longest. The songs are better, IMHO - who cares that they aren't licensed songs from artists you already know. The songs rock! The dance steps are so good, the company even gives credit to the people who do the steps. And this goes way beyond any DDR game in terms of variety. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned veteran of DDR-type games, In The Groove is the one to beat!… Expand
  8. Paulie
    Oct 14, 2010
    10
    I love In the Groove. I still play it frequently. It's way better than Dance Dance Revolution. The steps are more interesting and fun. And the music isn't the same recycled songs in another games *cough * DDR always recycles songs.

Awards & Rankings

93
#93 Best PS2 Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    65
    Maybe In the Groove isn't a real dance revolution, but it takes some (gulp) steps in the right direction. [July 2005, p.112]
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  2. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    70
    Should please dance freaks looking for something a bit more serious than DDR.
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  3. IGN
    75
    The gameplay is on par with the "DDR" franchise, but the overall presentation and feeling of the game is not quite as exciting and fun to jump right into.
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