PSone REVIEW:
(All together now!)
Now I\'m the king of the swingers, Oh
the jungle VIP
I\'ve reached the top and had to stop
And that\'s what\'s botherin\' me…
At least I always wanted to be the king of the swingers when first casting my eyes and ears over the wonderful Disney animated movie The Jungle Book. However, in later life I found out just what a \'swinger\' was and began looking for \'those Bare Necessities\' instead.
After many attempts, Disney Interactive have finally got it right as The Jungle Book Groove Party brings to life all the great characters from Walt Disney\'s classic The Jungle Book movie in an exciting and up-tempo dance game! So prepare to roll out the dancing mat, or get set to tap out the rhythm on your joypad along with nine Jungle classics.
(All together now!)
Oh, oobee do
I wanna be like you hou hou…
The reason The Jungle Book Groove Party works so well is because of its simplicity. There are five difficulty levels and even King Louie (a monkey) could complete the entire game on the easiest setting. This opens up the game to all ages from 4 to 400 allowing the entire family to take their turn (no hiding Grandma!), while the rest of you can join in with the karaoke style word board. For those who like something a little more challenging there is a \'Crazy\' level, which is totally insane.
Now I know you hardened gamers out there will pour scorn over the idea that some players cannot visualize where each symbol is placed on the joypad without looking, but I\'ve seen first hand how these folk will run a mile if things become \'too technical\'. Groove Party tackles this problem head on by dividing the joypad into two sets of simple instructions. On screen two columns of directional commands (up, down, left, right arrows) slowly descend before eventually reaching a transparent circle. When the command passes through the center of the circle the appropriate directional button is pressed and points are awarded for accuracy. The D-pad activates the left column directions and the symbol buttons are pressed for the right (X becomes down, Square becomes left, Triangle becomes up and Circle becomes right). Initially only one column at a time requires attention but as the difficulty increases the speed and distance is adjusted. Now even a blind man could manage that.
There are several modes of play. Versus mode allow two human players to dress up as their favorite Jungle Book character and then fight it out on the dance floor with the highest points count determining the winner. The Jungle Gallery includes a Dancing Stage, a Jungle Theatre where collected CG videos may be viewed, and a bonus challenge mode from Lou Bega. The Story Mode is the main part of the game. Here the single player controls Mowgli as he moves through the jungle meeting and dancing against all your favorite characters, such as Junior (Hup, 2, 3, 4. Keep \'em up 2, 3, 4), Baloo (Bare Necessities) and Kaa (Trusssst in me..). The Story mode is also available as Team Play.
Graphically the Jungle Book Groove Party is wonderful to look at. Apart from the animated dancing sessions you almost get the entire Jungle Book story in a series of jaw-dropping CG sequences. Add to this the original soundtrack… what more can I say?
(All together now!)
Oh, oobee do
I wanna be like you hou hou
I wanna walk like you
Talk like you, too hoo hoo
FEATURES:
· Brings to life all the great characters from Disney\'s The Jungle Book movie
· Get out those dancin\' shoes to use the game mat or simply use the joypad
· As Mowgli you\'ll travel through the jungle and be confronted by your nemesis Shere Khan the Tiger, just like in the movie.
· Take on and defeat Shere Khan the Tiger so you can focus on your real love - dancing!
· To win the game, listen to the music and follow the rhythm.
· The more you follow the beat, the more you\'ll score!
· There are five different difficulty levels in the game, including the wildest and most challenging one, the Crazy Level!
· High scores will be saved in the Temple of Fame for family and friends to see!
OPTIONS:
• 1 Disk(s)
• CD Media
• 1 Block required on Memory card per save (min)
• Up to 2 Players (without Multi-tap)
• Compatible accessories include: Dance Mat
• Uses Dual Shock Pad Buttons
• Uses Dual Shock Pad Vibration facility |
