In The Groove ... Grooves!
In The Groove (ITG) started out as an answer to some of DDR's "shortcomings". ITG is similar in that it uses the 4 arrow pad system, but the songs are not ones you'd hear over and over, the timing window is tighter which means getting that high score is harder, NO announcers (YAY), much higher footer difficulties, there are still "mods". The only console this was made for is PS2 (though it works perfect with my 20G PS3 & a good adapter for my pad).
ITG introduces mines (which you want to avoid), rolls (almost a freeze arrow but you have to keep tapping to the beat instead of just holding the arrow) and hands! That's right, in this game, at least until you can get to get to an arcade with a dedi-cab (there aren't many around) and/or you can "bracket" on a metal pad, you will be using your feet for 2 arrows and your hand(s) for 1 or 2 more. Sounds confusing and hard, right? Well it can be, but it's actually quite fun and adds another level of challenge to the game.
ITG is where the many of the great DDR players move. A medium level on ITG would be approximately Standard to Heavy on DDR.
I'm not saying I don't play DDR, I do, it's still my favorite rhythm-based game (Max2, Extreme, Extreme2 & *gasp from some of you* DDR X in particular).
But ITG will challenge you in ways DDR doesn't. This game appears to be getting a little harder to get, so if you happen to see it here on ebay or in your favorite game store, get it! The reason the game can be hard to find is because Konami filed a lawsuit against Roxor and RO (they were making the pads for the ITG bundle) and won. That means we will probably never see ITG2 for PS2 (which was in the works and there's a few ITG2 songs on your PS2 ITG game).
Mods - you need speed mods in this game, like as soon as you leave novice for easy. That mod, if you don't use any other (and there are so many different ones!), will really help you with sight reading. I started slow, just 1.5x and am now on 2.5x, as I'm trying to step up my game, going into 6 and 7 footers on medium. I'm 54 with disabilities playing this, so please don't say "I can't do this", ok? It's also great exercise and a calorie burner if you just keep going (like 400 an hour)!
You get to grade yourself at the end of your game. You can select how many songs you want to play in dance mode. The game will score you after each song & yes, the scoring system is different. There are + and - (A+, A-, etc.), then S, again + and - then gold stars: the highest is quad star. The game uses percentages both for how far into a song you are & as a way to calculate your letter or star score). You have a life meter. Run out of life? game over.
The downsides to ITG CS: The interface is slow when starting the game & when waiting for scoring. Also, the practice mode is a total pain. There's too many menus, it's extremely difficult to make sense of things & if you want to practice a different song you have to exit practice mode and go back in and select the next song.
The pads are better made than the default DDR flat pads, but the sensors extend well into the center of the pad which can cause ghosting; yes, there's "surgery", I just hate to cut into a pad. But you can, just tape over the sensors in the middle (circle area. Just do that very carefully & tape the pad back together securely (duct tape). Or put them away as emergency pads?
If you have a PS2 (or BC PS3), want something different & a new challenge, get this.Read full review
