Kotaku

Hands-On, Boogie (Wii) (Again)

At the EA booth, there was one game that sat alone, a stone's throw from the busy Rockband corner. It was Boogie, a blend of Karaoke Revolution and that conductor game Nintendo demoed with the Wii launch but was never released. There's no doubt Boogie's aimed at children (and possibly emotionally underdeveloped adults), but it's fun nonetheless. Just as it's charmed the likes of Michael "Ice Heart" McWhertor, Boogie's unapologetic cheeseball glee put a smile on my face.

The first mode of play involved choosing one of 39 songs and dancing in time using the Wiimote. You brandish the stick much like a conductor, moving your hand precisely to an unmarked beat. Meanwhile, your avatar dances, busting out embarrassing moves that are coordinated by the left, right, up or down of your flow. Using the analog stick, you can nail bonus maneuvers like the Cabbage Patch, or strike poses by hitting bullseyes on the screen (ala Ginyu Force in Dragonball Z.) It's totally obnoxious, but in the best way.

You can also play this same song in karaoke mode, which is a lot like other karaoke games on the market. Bored onlookers can make your avatar dance with the remote while you sing your heart out to Brick House.

But the neat gameplay aspect is that both of these modes can be recorded and synced as one. Users can create a music video, complete with scrolling text and video filters, of their ultimate performance. And get this—you can add a 3D filter. It looked like crap on the demo TV, but what a novelty!

Boogie is fun, nicely scored and ridiculously easy to play. It's the kind of game people expect to play when they come over to check out the Wii, but honestly, it probably won't keep most of us interested for more than a day or two.

11:40 AM on Mon Jul 16 2007
By Mark Wilson
5,101 views