Dance Central 3 has been witness for a slew of DLC releases, almost on a weekly basis, which add new tracks from some of the music industry’s biggest names. But the tide has seized for now, as Harmonix has announced that they won’t be releasing any DLC at least for the near future.

“As Harmonix moves forward with several new titles currently in development, the talented developers who make this content are needed on other projects,” the developer said in a statement. “With the Dance Central DLC team moving around, this month will be the last DLC for Dance Central 3 for the near future.”

“We’ll still be hard at work supporting the community with updated Live Challenges and leaderboards, and the Music Store will still be up and running for you to grab any routines you might have missed.”

The developer made a similar decision with Rock Band as well, so this shouldn’t come as that big a surprise.

South Korean Singer PSY has made a ton of money from YouTube revenue and licensing, and one of such licensing agreements brings the song to Dance Central 3–an Xbox 360 exclusive game that not only has been critically acclaimed but also is loved by plenty of people.

So how is it, exactly? We’ve already talked about Kinect tracking in the main game in our review, which said: “These games have always been ones that take advantage of the Kinect sensor and this ones does the same. Dance Central 3 works exceptionally well with the Kinect sensor and is a game that has been built ground up for it. You can pull off a variety of moves all with flawless accuracy provided you set up your TV properly.”

Usually with games such as these it’s down to user errors by not placing the Kinect sensor in an optimal environment and that reduces the tracking efficiency a bit, and considering I didn’t have much problems with the sensor I was eager to try out this DLC and see what it feels like dancing to this amazing song and choreographing its moves.

For starters, the game teaches you slowly, move by move, and doesn’t make you rush a lot and memorise patterns fast. It’s a strenuous dancing routing, only recommended for people who are fit and not obese. Now you don’t want a heart attack by performing this song like one guy did so make sure you have plenty of space in our house and you can actually attempt this properly.

The song is choreographed very well and syncs with what the singer does in real life, which is a testament to how accurate and homage worthy this DLC is. The moves are not complex like some of the vanilla songs found in the game, but they are just strenuous to perform, however, it will take a little bit of time to master the complete song for you to perform anywhere because the moves are so random and not something you’ve seen people do before.

The characters are decently recreated in the game but don’t really have the charisma of PSY, but that’s expected it’s a video game after all. The game ranks you based on your moves and as mentioned before the tracking is pretty accurate and all you have to do is do the dancing part correctly and a little error is fine too because it is a bit forgiving.

This is a good song to perform if you have as bunch of guests at your house because the Kinect will pick them up easily provided you have a lot of space of course. This is a much recommenced DLC that complements the main game very well.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

There are over 40 songs to learn

Everything looks reassuringly familiar, Dance Central 3 echoing the graphical style and feel of the previous games. Menus are easy to navigate either through gestures or voice control, and you can easily choose songs to perform, moves to learn or select characters and game modes.

Unlike Just Dance 4 (see our recent review here), Dance Central 3 takes itself a little more seriously and is a hard taskmaster. There are no easy rides here, the routines not only making you sweat but making you literally think on your feet as you try to master the various moves. It’s not a forgiving game; every limb is scrutinized by Kinect and will be highlighted red if you’re slightly out of position. You’re rated on your movement and when you earn a “Flawless”, you really feel like you’ve earned it. As with the previous games, you’ll probably get most out of it if you’re happy to practice routines, break them down and master individual moves. We played solo and with friends of various ages; if you’re thinking of a purchase to provide a few laughs when you’ve got a few friends over, it certainly ticks the boxes. Younger children, however, are likely to find the difficulty a little frustrating.

The visuals and sounds are fantastic, as you’d expect from the series

The Dance Central series has already earned a reputation for harnessing Kinect’s technology, with the players tracked pretty comprehensively. Being a Kinect game, there are obviously moments where it won’t seem to pick up your every movement but on the whole, it all works fairly flawlessly. Technically, it definitely seems more proficient than its rivals. As ever, the choreography is excellent and provides a full-body workout; it may genuinely even help you look better on the dance floor.

Dance Central 3 boast a huge soundtrack with over 40 diverse songs spanning four decades, including the likes of Usher – “Scream”, Cobra Starship – “You Make Me Feel…”, Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbuill – “On The Floor”, Usher ft. Will.I.Am – “OMG”, 50 Cent – “In Da Club” and the infernal Gloria Gaynor – “I Will Survive”. Should you manage to master all those, you’re also given the option of importing the extensive playlists from the previous Dance Central games too – meaning you’ll be able to play through a staggering 140 songs!

There are plenty of game modes to keep you coming back for more

There’s a Party mode that puts the tracks together in a large playlist. You and your friends can then jump in and out of the action as you wish without having to stumble round the menus at the end of every performance. It’s a great idea for non-stop fun. The new Crew Throwdown mode is also great for party play, allowing two four-strong teams to face off and try their damndest to outperform one another across several rounds. And then there’s the Keep the Beat mini-game, where dancers earn points based on their movement and rhythm (something I really don’t tend to possess but I still found this good fun). The Make Your Move mode  challenges dancers to come up with their own dance moves on the fly – particularly funny and enjoyable if you and your opponents have fairly equal abilities… but a little demoralising if you’re against someone who is far more skilled and confident that you.

Then there’s the story mode to get your teeth into as well… the evil Dr Tan is plotting to destroy the world so it’s up to you to work with Dance Central Intelligence to go back in time and master moves from the 1970s to present day. Sure, it makes little sense but look past that and it’s a great laugh and nice to watch the story unravel.

It’s fast and furious… and you often look slightly daft

Dance Central 3 is a comprehensive package to be sure, but you have to wonder whether these dance titles really necessitate an annual update when each iteration seems only to cram in a few more songs and a few different game modes. A weighty DLC update may have been more appealing to anyone who already owns one of the previous versions, as they may feel they’re not getting a whole lot more bang for their buck. For newbies to the series, you can’t go far wrong with Dance Central 3. With a variety of party games this “dancing simulator” includes a comprehensive track listing and there truly is something for everyone. And you might just learn something too!

Personally, the more relaxed feel of Just Dance 4 would be my preference for fun and laughs with a few friends – but if you love dancing and are a bit more dedicated to learning the moves, Dance Central 3 is the better purchase.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360

Second opinion by Kartik Mudgal

Dance Central 3 can be termed in one single sentence – It gives you more of the game. Let me get this straight, it’s not a massive improvement over its predecessors like you expect a mainline game to be but it gives you enough content to keep you busy for a while.

There are a ton of content here though, and that’s what keeps the game fresh for a long time. These games have always been ones that take advantage of the Kinect sensor and this ones does the same. Dance Central 3 works exceptionally well with the Kinect sensor and is a game that has been built ground up for it. You can pull off a variety of moves all with flawless accuracy provided you set up your TV properly.

There’s a story here too in the main mode and it requires to go back in time to do some things, and thus the developers have introduced tracks from 70s and 80s under this premise. Guys, you don’t really have to cook up a weird story to make sense. It doesn’t really matter in a dance game; we understand! Story aside, the old school music is a blast to dance too. There are plenty of songs from different artists and the variety available here is quite nice.

The game contains lot of new tracks as I mentioned above it will keep you busy for a while if you can properly pull off moves using the Kinect. It’s not only enjoyable but a good workout too, and a bit refreshing for the mind considering the beautiful music on offer. Harmonix has done a good job mixing things up and it really becomes a joy to play the game.

However, if you also own the first and second game, there will be a feeling of dissatisfaction because it’s basically more of the same and there’s hardly any improvement in the graphics and overall presentation. The menus are nicely designed as usual and works like a charm with the Kinect.

I’d recommend you to play with family or friends as that’s when the game becomes a lot of fun and Kinect can accommodate them all provided you have a decent amount of space. It’s games like these that give a glimpse of what the sensor can do and you can’t help but feel underwhelmed with the way the developing for it.

Everything else is basically the same and they have just added a bunch of new songs and slight improvements to the core game, and if you are planning to buy it, I’d say go for it! The reason I said that is because it’s all about the time you spend playing these games. If you enjoyed the previous games, this will give you hours of entertainment, and if you are looking for something fresh; a massive improvement over the previous games, you won’t find that here.

8/10

Excited for Dance Central 3? You should be because our review is coming soon, and here’s a little hint–it’s awesome.

Microsoft has released the game in India, and it’s part of one of the most technical proficient series ever released for the Kinect sensor–a killer app or so to say. Harmonix has upped the bar this time and it has an 8 player mode for family and friends.

The game will be available for Rs. 2,499, and is co-developed by Backbone Entertainment9. It has 40 new tracks and also features “disco grooves of the 70s, to current chart-topping dance hits.”

“Dance Central 3 is a one stop shop for pure entertainment, with the best dance tracks and a 8-player multiplayer mode so that family and friends really bond over music and dance without stepping out of the house,” Anshu Mor, Category Lead, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft India.

“Dance Central 3 makes sure that the dancing never stops whether you want to go retro with Vanilla Ice and their well-known song Ice, Ice Baby or rap with Nicki Minaj.”

Are you planning to buy it? If not, stay tuned for our review soon.

The #1-selling dance franchise for Kinect is back this Autumn with new features, including a multiplayer party mode for up to 8 players. With a soundtrack featuring 40+ new tracks, from the disco grooves of the 70’s to current chart-topping dance hits, Dance Central 3 delivers the most electrifying soundtrack yet.

Featuring the authentic choreography Dance Central is known for, you’ll learn favourite dance crazes from the past and master the hottest moves of today. This Autumn, get ready to own the dance floor with Dance Central 3, only on Kinect for Xbox 360.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Microsoft has announced that Dance Central 3 will be out on October 19th for the EU and October 16th for the US. Dance Central is a popular Kinect franchise that has sold millions and is critically acclaimed.

They have also announced new songs which you can check out below. The game will feature 40 songs in total. The plot consists of players having to travel back through time to learn classic dance moves from past decades alongside their favourite crews and characters from the series.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

• 2NE1 – “I Am The Best (Original Version)”
• Alice Deejay – “Better Off Alone”
• Backstreet Boys – “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”
• J.J. Fad – “Supersonic”
• Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins – “Get Low”
• LMFAO – “Sexy And I Know It”
• Los Del Rio – “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”
• Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – “Moves Like Jagger”
• Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby”
• Vicki Sue Robinson – “Turn The Beat Around”
• Village People – “Y.M.C.A.”