Dance Central 3

Dance Central is one of the Kinect's most successful and technically proficient games. Dance Central 3 is coming, and there's a lot more to it than just new songs.

1. There is a storyline, and it's funny

Basically, the crews established in Dance Central 2 are part of Dance Central Intelligence (DCI). They are traveling through time to discover dance crazes of the past, to use them to prevent dance crimes of the present. Dance Central 3 has more spoken dialogue than any game in Harmonix's library. Admittedly, that isn't very hard considering this is the first one with a real story. One sequence I saw was in the '80s, and it made fun of the cliche of dance crews fighting to prevent their rec centers from being demolished. It doesn't seem to take itself seriously.

2. There is an opening cinematic

I know, technically that isn't a fact, but I figured I should try to shoe-horn it in some way. Here's the opening cinema for Dance Central 3.

3. There are going to be a ton of new songs

I promise the rest of these will be actual facts. Here's the song list as it has been revealed so far. The first eight are new tracks, and the rest have already been announced.

• Afrojack ft. Eva Simons – “Take Over Control”
• Alexandra Stan – “Mr. Saxobeat”
• Ciara ft. Missy Elliott – “1, 2 Step”
• Daft Punk – “Around The World”
• Dev ft. The Cataracts – “Bass Down Low”
• Enur ft. Natasja – “Calabria 2008”
• Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette – “Hello”
• The Trammps – “Disco Inferno”
• 50 Cent – “In Da Club”
• Cali Swag District – “Teach Me How to Dougie”
• Cobra Starship ft. Sabi – “You Make Me Feel …”
• E.U. – “Da’ Butt”
• Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina – “Stereo Love”
• Gloria Gaynor – “I Will Survive”
• Marcia Griffiths – “Electric Boogie”
• Usher ft. Will.I.Am – “OMG”
• Usher – “Scream”
• Van McCoy – “The Hustle
• 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.”

4. There is a new Party Time Mode that is perfect for parties

This new mode allows you to set up playlists, or even use SmartGlass to remote control your set list, while others dance away. Harmonix has even alleviated much of the Kinect-controlled menu system, so people who aren't familiar with game can get up and start dancing easily. Basically, the game goes on autopilot, and if two people want to get up and dance, they can wave their right hand to change songs, left hand to change modes, and then high five the person next to them to start playing.

5. The Strike a Pose minigame makes you look like an idiot in the best possible way

With Strike a Pose mode, you aren't dancing. Instead two players are each given a series of poses that they must strike. If you miss poses, more and more come your way. If you're doing well, you get a chance to take a rest between a few poses. Each player does different poses, and it's a pretty hilarious spectacle.

6. The boom box has a name

His name is Boomy. And the voice that has been coming from the boom box since the first game is the guy runs runs DCI. He's been training you to be part of his team since the beginning, and you didn't even know it.

7. You will be dancing through time, and the stages and clothing will change depending on the era

We were shown dancers dancing to The Hustle at a skating rink, and their clothing and hairstyles reflected the era. You travel to other eras, and everything around looks like it's supposed to.

8. We probably won't be seeing any kind of dance-worthy video game music in Dance Central

I asked Harmonix if we would ever see music from other video games in Dance Central. Not all video game music is dance-worthy, but I would love to see tracks from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Video Game in Dance Central, for example. Unfortunately, Harmonix said that video game music, like the example I offered is difficult to license, and it's unlikely we will ever see music like that in a Dance Central game.

9. Crew Throwdown is a little bit like Mario Party

Party Time Mode is great for casually playing Dance Central with friends, but Crew Throwdown mode is available for those who want a multiplayer experience for hardcore Dance Central players. Up to eight dancers can participate in this mode, which pits crews of two against one another. This mode features a number of different mini-games that require more than just dancing well.

10. What would Kojima do?

Dance Central likes to break the fourth wall whenever possible. At the beginning of the game, you are scanned before you can enter DCI, and a light appears on screen that scans you from top to bottom. The Kinect simultaneously moves up and down in sync with the light. It's a nice little touch.

Dance Central 3 is coming to Xbox 360 on October 16.