B-Boy

If you don't like Hip Hop or music in general you better stay far away from this game. It's all about Underground music and the world surrounding that. The game itself isn't too special and a bit too limited to really put down any cash for it but I you like the atmosphere and dancing style I suggest you get it as that's the things this title does exactly as they should be.

I actually enjoyed B-Boy more then I expected - but it's still a flawed title overall. This won't be the start of a new genre, but it will keep you entertained. The PS2 version is preferred over PSP - just.

Helaas drukken de laadtijden zo'n grote stempel op het spel dat het enkel een interessant spel is voor de echte breakdance fans die over een flinke portie geduld beschikken. Zij zullen heel veel plezier aan deze game beleven, maar pas jij niet in dit hokje laat het spel dan links liggen.

B-Boy hat eigentlich nur ein Problem, aber das ist gleich sein größtes: Es sieht super aus, spielt sich aber mäßig. Zum Vorzeigen ist es super, der Style ist klasse, die Animationen sind wirklich superb, der funky Soundtrack rockt – aber so richtig lange spielen möchte ich es nicht. Es hat viele schöne Ideen, die durch fast schon bösartige Schlampigkeiten erheblich an Glanz verlieren: Die Steuerung ist an sich intelligent, verheddert sich aber in einem heftig übertriebenen Kombo- und Timing-Kladderadatsch. Die Rhythmuskontrolle gehört in jedes Rhythmusspiel, wird hier aber a.) durch die teils grausame Kameraführung und noch vielmehr durch b.) die entweder scheußlich unrhythmischen oder schlicht nicht vorhandenen Übergänge zwischen den Songs, die jeglichen Taktplan erfolgreich vernichten, ad absurdum geführt. Außerden: Die Hälfte der Zeit verbringt ihr völlig passiv mit dem Anschauen der Moves der Gegner, die andere Hälfte macht ihr dasselbe – nur aktiv mit dem eigenen Tänzer.

Freestyle Games have done an excellent job with the presentation and playability of the game. Sadly this is just not enough depth to it – it feels like it could be a pastime in a GTA-style game. I’m sure it will strike a certain chord with “real” B-Boys and Girls out there, but from a gamers perspective it lacks any real substance, or reasons to come back and play again and again.

To be honest although the gameplay in B-Boy is pretty shallow and unoriginal that’s what most people look for in a quick play arcade game, which is essentially what the PSP is for. The conversion doesn’t seem at all different from the PS2 version; there’s nothing extra to keep things interesting, only small issues that make the game a little harder to recommend. If you’re a fan of trip-hop music and don’t mind mindless button-tapping to the beat then this is definitely up your alley. For those who want a bit more meat in their PSP games there are plenty of other games out there.

Disposant d'une bande sonore de grande qualité et d'un concept de base accrocheur, B-Boy manque néanmoins de profondeur et montre vite ses limites. En effet, charmé les premières heures de jeu, vous aurez vite tendance à déchanter face au côté répétitif des épreuves et au peu d'interactivité qu'elles proposent. L'environnement ne sert à rien et il est de plus dommage de ne pas pouvoir vraiment influer sur les pas de danse de son adversaire. Enfin, quelques angles de caméra mal placés viendront ternir ce tableau qui aurait pu être lumineux. A essayer tout de même pour son côté immersif.

Disposant d'une bande sonore de grande qualité et d'un concept de base accrocheur, B-Boy manque néanmoins de profondeur et montre vite ses limites. En effet, charmé les premières heures de jeu, vous aurez vite tendance à déchanter face au côté répétitif des épreuves et au peu d'interactivité qu'elles proposent. L'environnement ne sert à rien et il est de plus dommage de ne pas pouvoir vraiment influer sur les pas de danse de son adversaire. Enfin, quelques angles de caméra mal placés viendront ternir ce tableau qui aurait pu être lumineux. A essayer tout de même pour son côté immersif.

You have to give B-Boy credit for taking a novel approach to a relatively untapped subject. But then you have to take all that credit away for the fact that it has no story, a Byzantine move system, and repetitive gameplay. In the end, B-Boy is difficult to pick up, easy to master, and impossible to recommend.

Releasing a breakdancing game is a great idea, provided that you manage to capture the sense of the art form while keeping it accessible and flexible for players to truly create their own routines. B-Boy manages to capture some of its elements, such as the large numbers of dance moves and the transitions between steps, and a progression system that lets you improve your skills is a nice touch. However, the clunky controls, which are way too complicated and annoying to use, as well as battle elements that either don't work particularly well or sabotage each competition, hinder the overall gameplay. It would've been awesome if it worked, but as it stands, B-Boy is a lackluster rhythm title.

Yes it looks very nice, and the whole package has been put together very stylishly. The soundtrack is aiiight if you like that sort of thing, but we would have preferred the ability to use your own tracks, or just a few more good ol’ hip-hop bangers to bring it up to date a bit. Most of all though, we wish that Freestyle had looked beyond making such an over-earnest representation of the dance phenomenon. A simplified take on breakdancing, with larger than life characters, a more stylized approach and better rewards for the player could have been a proper hoot. As it is, you would be better off avoiding this and acting wild in the comfort of your own home if you fancy getting your yerks on.