Opinion: Let’s reboot Bust a Groove
Do you remember the days of the PlayStation? Can you hear the very first boot up sound that the original PlayStation one made playing in your head? Can you feel the nostalgia?
Same.
The other day I was having a chat with my cousin about some of our favorite games from the PS one days. Please trust me when I say there are a lot of them. But, we harped on one game in particular.
Bust a Groove!
I have fond memories of playing Bust a Groove 1 and 2 on my living room floor. Hearing the 9-8-9 Studios introduction and tone that lead to an amazing dance montage video.
Playing Bust a Groove meant seeing a whole group of diverse characters with different dance styles. It meant experiencing an original soundtrack with songs and level designs specific to each individual character. It meant adapting to levels of difficulty with complex dance combos as you scaled the computer competition. Plus, you had to fend off dance rival attacks, whether you were playing against the computer or person over your house, while still keeping the rhythm!
Super hype!
I remember the day I “got good” enough to unlock the hidden characters. That was Robo-Z in Bust a Groove 1 and Panda in Bust a Groove 2. Both of those levels were the most challenging experience in the game and required attention to detail that, as an 8-year-olds, I really worked hard for.
Why am I bringing all of this up?
Because I think Bust a Groove needs to come back. We need a new opportunity to experience this type of creativity.
How could this game be brought forward? I hear you asking.
Think about this. What if we had the same uniqueness that this game exhibited in 1998 but with some added features of today? Think Jump Force but dancing. Keep the standard campaign mode and expand the player vs. player option online. There could be a tag team mode, character customization and ranked leader boards.
As you can see, I’ve thought about this. So Square Enix, formerly known as Enix, and Namco let me know how I can help!
-AM
