Bust a Groove

Bust a Groove is a hybrid music/fighting video game for the Sony PlayStation released in 1998. The game was developed by Metro and published by Enix in Japan, brought to the U.S. by 989 Studios and to Europe by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Bust a Groove
Cover of the PAL version of Bust a Groove
Developer(s)Metro
Publisher(s)
Artist(s)Hideyuki Tanaka
Makiko Morioka
Platform(s)PlayStation, Arcade
Release
Genre(s)Music, fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

One of the first rhythm games to follow in the wake of PaRappa the Rapper's unexpected popularity,[5] the game combined PaRappa the Rapper-inspired rhythm-based gameplay with elements of fighting games, including special moves designed to damage the opponent and head-to-head competitive play. The Japanese version is titled Bust a Move: Dance & Rhythm Action (バスト ア ムーブ Dance & Rhythm Action, Basuto a Mūbu Dance & Rhythm Action), but in all other regions it was released as Bust-A-Groove, to avoid a trademark conflict with the Japanese puzzle game Puzzle Bobble, which was released in North America and Europe as Bust-A-Move.

The sequel, Bust a Groove 2, unlike its predecessor, wasn't planned to be released in Europe, and Dance Summit 2001, the third game in the series, was released only in Japan on the PlayStation 2.

Gameplay

The game play revolves around the beat of the music playing, displaying arrows that correspond to directions on the D-Pad, as well as the symbols for the circle and X button. By every fourth beat of the song, the player must match the commands on the screen, causing their character to complete a dance move, or else it is considered a miss. When the player performs a combo of eight dance moves, advanced paths with more complex moves allows the player to earn more points.

The player also uses a "Jammer" as an attack to interrupt rivals, which can also be dodged by a somersault move. This was used by pressing the square button by causing the player to do the back flip, and avoid the "Jammer".

Characters

Main
Name Age Dance Style Jammer Info
Frida 17 West Coast hip-hop She paints a wolf's head, which bites the opponent She is an artist who lives in a shack. Her ambition is to use the Groovetron to give life to her paintings. Her favorite word is "Life".
Gas-O 15 House dance Traps the opponent in a gas chamber Gas-O first became interested in becoming a scientist when he was eight. Now at 15, he has accomplished several outstanding tasks, including consulting for NASA, logging time on a particle accelerator, and studying the gaseous elements in his laboratory. Gas-O hopes to use the Groovetron to develop the ultimate gas.
Hamm 30 Detroit Modern A giant hamburger squishes the opponent He used to be a great dancer, but his love for junk food has left him somewhat chubby. He became a hamburger joint employee to satisfy his craving for junk food. He wants to use the Groovetron to help him diet. His favorite word is "Move".
Heat 19 East Coast hip-hop Breakdance A giant flame comes down on the opponent He is the "poster boy" of this game. He used to be a racer, but hasn't returned to the track because he was nearly incinerated when he was involved in a terrible accident. Luckily, he made a total recovery with the ability to manipulate fire.
Hiro 20 1970s Disco An autographed picture of himself crashes onto the opponent Hiro is a narcissistic disco-loving character. He lives in a costly tiny apartment where he works with his computer until Saturday night, when his playboy antics really take off. Don't even begin to try to match his Saturday night standards—he is truly one of a kind. His favorite word is "Split".
Kelly 23 Modern Jazz dance A burst of sparkling energy is gathered in her rattle and thrown at the opponent She is a secretary who has a fetish with everything infantile (related to babies), and wants to find a man. She bought her rubber suit to dress in when she is a guest at secret parties. She seems worried about her new rubber suit; this may be due to its cost.
Kitty Nakajima (Kitty-N) 16 Vogue A white crescent-shaped boomerang with a pink heart on it is thrown at the opponent This lovable TV star is on break from the hit TV show "Love Love Senshi Miracle 5." She wants to use the Groovetron's power to make her the ultimate TV star. She has bought the penthouse floor of a building and converted it into her private dancing studio, just for the purposes of attracting more people.
Pinky Diamond Unknown Classic 1970s Motown Giant tarot cards fall around the opponent, cursing them She is a stripper, fortune-teller, a professional contract killer, and she does hair. It's no wonder she's so weird. She has the power to see into your lover's heart and claims to know you better than you know yourself. Your secrets are nowhere near being safe close to her!
Shorty 12 Funk dance (Candy Hip-Hop) Giant pieces of candy that fall on her opponent She is the daughter of a diplomat father and a supermodel mother. Obviously, Shorty lives in a rich family with nothing better to do than dance with Columbo, her pet mouse. Her love for outdated music drives her to madness at a flea market, where she frantically searches for 8-track tapes. Her favorite word is "Friendship".
Strike 21 Gangsta Walking Shoots the opponent with his two guns He is from a notorious street gang, and managed to do something bad to get in the state penitentiary. He is gathering his fellow prisoners to form a dance team, called "The Ball and Chain Revue." Strike's favorite word is "Freedom."

Hidden
Name Age Dance Style Jammer Info
Burger Dog Unknown Detroit Modern A giant hamburger squishes the opponent Burger Dog is the dog that runs the restaurant in Hamm's stage. Is unlocked by playing the game through on Medium difficulty or higher with Hamm after the first completion.
Capoeira Unknown Capoeira A wall of energy dazes the opponent Capoeira, individually known as Kiki and Lala, have come to Earth to collect Japanese billboards to construct a giant fan. They are also here to display the power of the Groovetron, their special "dancing energy" invention. Unlocked by finishing the game on Medium after the first completion.
Columbo Unknown Funk dance Giant pieces of candy fall on his opponent Columbo is Shorty's pet mouse, whom she keeps in her chest pocket while dancing. He is unlocked by finishing the game on Medium difficulty or higher with Shorty after the first run through, but will also jump out of Shorty's pocket and dance with her should she successfully execute a level seven freeze.
Robo-Z Unknown Vogue A blast of shock-inducing waves Robo-Z was constructed by a tyrannical organization only known as "Secret X." Robo-Z was built for the sole purpose of harnessing total power of the Groovetron. Robo-Z is 50 feet tall on the final level, but on other stages, he is about the same height as normal characters. He is unlocked by finishing the game on Hard difficulty after the first run through, or after completing two run throughs at an easier level.

Music
Song Artist[6][7][8] Character Notes
Sora To Umi To Niji No Yume (空と海と虹の夢)

(Dreams Of The Sky, Sea and Rainbow)

 Akiko Sugawara & Ike Nelson Frida Credited as "DJ Ike"
CHEMICAL LOVE Kaleb James & Chey Gas-O
i luv hamburgers RAVEMAN feat. Chosen Effect Hamm/Burger Dog Chosen Effect was credited as

"Terry-T" & "Sweet Jodi"

2Bad Chosen Effect Heat Credited as "Sweet Jodi"
The Natural Playboy Kaleb James Hiro
Transform Atsuko Yamaoka & Kaleb James Kelly
Transform Robbie Danzie & Kaleb James Kelly American/European release
Aozora no KNIFE (青空のknife)†

(Blue Knife Sky)

 Hatsumi Morinaga Kitty-N
Bust A Groove Sharon Woolf Kitty-N American/European release
I know Donyale Renee & Kaleb James Pinky Credited as: Donyale Fredericks
Waratte pon (笑ってぽん)

(Cracking Smiles)

 Rina Genga Shorty/Columbo
SHORTY and the EZ MOUSE Crystal Kay Shorty/Columbo American/European release
POWER Chosen Effect Strike Credited as "Terry-T" & "Sweet Jodi"
Uwasa No KAPOERA (噂のカポエラ)

(The Rumoring Capoeira)

 Rui Tsurumizu Capoeira
CAPOEIRA Dawn Moore Capoeira American/European release
FLYIN' TO YOUR SOUL Donna Burke Robo-Z Credited as "Donna"

† In addition to the song, there was an instrumental version—in which titled "blue knife (start G move mix)" from the soundtrack—was used for the opening cutscene for the game. There is also a different version, calling it "blue knife dream (orchestra stall mix)", it was used for the staff credits.

Release

In Japan a premium version was released containing a "premium disc" with four movies. Accomplishing certain tasks in the game unlocks certain movies. One of the movies features Hatsumi Morinaga, the artist responsible for singing the theme of Kitty-N's stage. This feature contains shots of the artist singing the song in the studio, an interview with the artist, and a live-action version of the game, with costumed Japanese dancers taking the parts of the various characters. The other three movies contained within the disc were all for other Enix games: Astronōka, Star Ocean: The Second Story, and Hello Charlie (released as Eggs of Steel in the U.S.). The premium version is otherwise identical to the game-only version.

The following changes were made in the English localization of the game:

  • Hiro's cigarette smoking was removed.
  • Hamm's general appearance was changed from a ganguro into a Caucasian.
  • In Hamm's song, "McDonald's, Burger King, or any other place" was replaced with "Hamburger lovers, let me hear you say ho".
  • A line in Strike's song referring to alcohol was removed, leaving an instrumental break following the line "Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I'm the only true Eraser".
  • During gameplay, Strike drinks from a hip flask in the Japanese version. This was changed to a can of soda pop.
  • The songs "Transform, "Waratte Pon", "Aozora no KNIFE" and "Uwasa no KAPOEIRA" were and re-recorded to English for the American and European market. Transform kept its title, and the other three were retitled as "SHORTY and the EZ MOUSE", "Bust A Groove" and "CAPOEIRA".

Bust a Groove: Arcade Edition

An arcade edition of Bust a Groove, although released only in Japan, held the title of Bust a Groove. The controls are the same as the PlayStation version but the controller is significantly different. The player now has to press the giant Left, Up and Right buttons in a giant pad and step on a footpedal for the 'Down' command while the action buttons (Square, X etc.), are replaced by a giant "Dance!" button. The buttons also have to be pressed in a rhythmic manner or still be counted as a "miss". A Jammer button is also included.

The arcade version features only five stages (Robo-Zs stage always being the last one).[1]

Reception

PlayStation

Hyper magazine reviewed the PlayStation game and gave it a 91% score.[9] Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Bust-A-Move is definitely an idea whose time has come, and it helps bridge the gap between hardcore gaming and mass culture appeal. It doesn't hurt that it's also a serious blast to play."[10] Next Generation also reviewed the U.S. PlayStation version, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Overwhelmingly infectious tunes that have been translated to English for the U.S., hordes of secret dancers, and stages, charming touches such as secondary animations in stages for players who execute tough movies, and a clever, though not entirely unique, concept make Bust-A-Groove a game that deserves to find an audience in the U.S."[11]

Arcade

In Japan, Game Machine listed Bust a Groove on their April 1, 1999 issue as being the third most-successful dedicated arcade game of the month.[12]

References
  1. "Bust A Groove at the Arcade". GameSpot. 2000-04-28.
  2. https://www.jp.square-enix.com/game/detail/bustamove/
  3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/921771951/
  4. "11/24/98- 989 Studios Ship Bust A Groove". 1998-11-24. Archived from the original on 2001-02-25. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  5. "NG Alphas: Bust-a-Move". Next Generation. No. 37. Imagine Media. January 1998. pp. 136–7.
  6. Various - Bust A Move Original Soundtrack, 11 February 1998, retrieved 2023-04-16
  7. Bust -A- Groove, the uncredited artists, retrieved 2023-04-16
  8. "Bust -A- Groove, the uncredited artists". Bust -A- Groove. 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  9. "R.I.P. PlayStation: The best of 1995-2001". Hyper. No. 90 (April 2001). 28 February 2001. pp. 44–51.
  10. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 41. Imagine Media. May 1998. p. 111.
  11. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 50. Imagine Media. February 1999. p. 100.
  12. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - 完成品夕イプのTVゲーム機 (Dedicated Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 584. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 April 1999. p. 21.
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