Series
Dance Central
A series of music rhythm video games developed by Harmonix for the Xbox 360 Kinect motion peripheral.
Action
About
Dance Central is a franchise of dance-based rhythm games that began with the release of Dance Central in 2010. Developed by Harmonix, the series utilizes the Kinect sensor to track players' full-body movements as they perform choreographed routines. The franchise continued with the releases of Dance Central 2 in 2011 and Dance Central 3 in 2012, which introduced simultaneous multiplayer and expanded story modes.
To showcase the capabilities of the Xbox 360 Kinect, Microsoft distributed Dance Central [Not For Resale] (2010) as a bundled software title alongside the launch of the motion-tracking hardware. This promotional release, identical in content to the retail version of Dance Central (2010), established the franchise's core gameplay loop, which includes the "Break It Down" practice mode and the "Perform It!" routine showcase.
The series progressed by allowing players to import soundtracks across releases. Owners of Dance Central (2010) could export their song libraries into Dance Central 2 (2011), a feature that extended to Dance Central 3 (2012), creating a unified catalog of pop, hip-hop, and R&B tracks.
Narratively, the franchise evolved from simple dance battles into an episodic campaign. While Dance Central 2 (2011) introduced distinct dance crews like Riptide and Hi-Def competing for street supremacy, Dance Central 3 (2012) incorporated a time-traveling storyline. In this campaign, players join the Dance Central Intelligence (DCI) agency to foil the plans of the antagonist, Dr. Tan, by learning dance crazes from the 1970s through the 2010s.
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Games featuring Dance Central (3)
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