In the Groove: Your Hardcore Alternative to Dance Dance Revolution

In The Groove, a dance simulation game similar to Dance Dance Revolution, was first released in North American arcades in 2004 and became popular with advanced DDR players. The setup is almost identical to DDR and has four modes of play - Dance Mode, Marathon Mode, Battle Mode, and Survival Mode. In The Groove was developed by Roxor Games, basing its setup off the computer version of DDR, Stepmania. Stepmania is an open source engine which can be customized to anyone's liking, and is available for free download at Stepmania.com.

Differences Between In The Groove and Dance Dance Revolution
The main difference between In The Groove and DDR is the difficulty. The difficulty of a song in DDR is calculated by the number of 'foots', often called 'a footer'. The difficulty setting ranges from 1 to 10 footers, but In The Groove ranges from 1 to 13 footers.

Another difference between the two is the synchronization. Critics often cite DDR's poor synchronization with off-beat dance steps, but this is a strength with In The Groove, with all songs nearly in-sync.

Weaknesses with In The Groove
One problem that critics point out is the song selection. Consisting of mostly dance tracks and some pop tunes, the majority of In The Groove's songs are produced by independent artists. Some point out the quality of songs are low, with others wishing for more variety. This seems to be a bigger complaint for In The Groove than its sequel, In The Groove 2.

Another weakness is the skill required to play In The Groove. It is not designed for beginners and can be challenging even for intermediates. In The Groove's fan base consists mostly of pros, so its exposure is limited.

Controversy with Konami
The developers of Dance Dance Revolution, Konami, sued Roxor Games on May 9, 2005, for infringement of their patent, trademark infringement, and various other reasons. Konami won the lawsuit and now owns intellectual rights over the In The Groove series. Another similar dance game, Pump It Up, was not sued by Konami because it had varied differences from DDR, the most notable one being different directional buttons.

In The Groove: Yay or Nay?
In The Groove is a fan favorite in hardcore DDR ciricles, but not with beginners of the popular dance simulation game. The setup is identical to DDR, but the game itself is slightly different. There are more selections for modifications, including options to run the BPM (how fast the beat is going) at your desired rate, putting a boomerang effect on your arrows, and speeding up a song to your liking. The marathon runs are notoriously hard, and most opt to play single mode. Arrows are more rigid and metal-looking, and there are two bars to the right and top of the screen. The right bar determines your health, and the top determines the percentage of your score. Getting less than 55% immediately disqualifies you from finishing the song.

If you're looking for a challenging dance simulation game, In The Groove is a great choice and a great way to improve your game. Beginners - this is not the game for you, and you're better off sticking with Dance Dance Revolution. Regardless, this is a cult classic that will become even more popular in the years to come.