Bust a Groove

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[Title]: Bust A Groove
[Developer]: [Enix]
[Publisher]: [Sony] Computer Entertainment
[Year]: [1998]
[Platform]s: [Playstation], [Arcade]
[Player]s: 1-2

This is the [American] title (released by [Enix]) for the Japanese [Playstation] game [Bust A Move] - the name had to be changed in the U.S. because of [copyright] issues. <P> Gameplay
Each level is a different song, and like [Parappa] the player must match [keypress]es to what is displayed on the screen. Each four-count [beat] requires a sequence of arrow presses followed by an X or an O on the fourth count of the beat. Each song will also have a [solo] period, which allows for [code]s to be entered to obtain a [high scoring move] sequence. During the level one dancer can launch an [attack] (called a "Jammer") against the other, but the victim has the opportunity to [dodge] by way of a back handspring. Playing a level exceptionally well earns a brief "Fever Time" demonstration dance before the next level. Bosses in the game are [Capoeira] and Robo-Z, and hidden characters are [Columbo] and Burger Dog. Two-player mode is also available. <P> Characters
[Heat] - Age: 19. Dance style: [East Coast] [hip-hop]. Attack: Drops a [fireball]. Info: Formerly a [racer], he has not returned to the track because he was nearly [incinerator|incinerated] during a terrible accident but made a complete recovery.
[Frida] - Age: 17. Dance style: [California] hip-hop. Attack: Paints a vicious wolf. Info: An [artist] who lives in a shack.
[Strike] - Age: 21. Dance style: [Gangsta]. Attack: Shoots a pair of [gun]s. Info: Originally from a notorious [street gang], he is now the leader of the [penitentiary]'s dance team, the "[Ball and Chain] Revue."
[Hamm] - Age: 30. Dance style: [Detroit] modern. Attack: Giant crushing [hamburger]. Info: Once a great dancer, his love of [junk food] left him somewhat chubby, and he became a hamburger joint employee to satisfy his craving.
[Kelly] - Age: 23. Dance style: Modern [jazz]. Attack: Energy from her [rattle]. Info: Mild-mannered [secretary] by day, [infantilism] [fetish]ist by night, and looking for a man while dressed in her [rubber] baby suit.
[Shorty] - Age: 12. Dance style: Candy hip-hop. Attack: [Avalanche] of wrapped candies. Info: The daughter of a DJ and a supermodel, she collects [8-track tape]s and plays with her pet mouse Columbo.
[Hiro] - Age: 20. Dance style: [1970s|70s] [disco]. Attack: Lethal autographed picture. Info: Narcissistic [John Travolta]-in-[Saturday Night Fever] replicant who works on his computer from home during the week.
[Pinky] - Age: Unknown. Dance style: 70s [Motown]. Attack: Killer [tarot cards]. Info: Part-time [stripper], part-time [fortuneteller], part-time contract killer.
[Gas-O] - Age: 15. Dance style: [Techno] and minimal [breakdancing]. Attack: [Gas chamber]. Info: Became interested in science at the age of eight, he now does consulting for [NASA] and works on a [particle accelerator].
[Kitty-N] - Age: 16. Dance style: [Vogue]. Attack: Burst of love energy. Info: On break from filming of the hit TV show "[Litterbox] Warriors 5."
[Capoeira] - Age: Unknown. Dance style: Updated [African] tribal. Attack: Wall of energy. Info: Actually two creatures, [Kiki] and [Lala] (no relation to [Sanrio]'s [Little Twin Stars]), whose motions are perfectly [synchronized]. They are aliens who came to earth to collect Japanese billboards.
[Robo-Z] - Age: Unknown. Dance style: Techno beat with [ballet]. Attack: [Phaser]-like blast from the eyes. Info: A robot constructed by a tyrannical organization known only as Secret X. Appears 50 feet tall on its own stage as the opponent, but normally sized on other stages when controlled by the player.
[Columbo] - Shorty's pet mouse uses the same attack and dance moves she does.
[Burger Dog] - Seen working the cash register in the background on Hamm's stage, uses the same attack and dance moves he does. <P> Song List
Heat's stage: [2 BAD]
Frida's stage: [Sora to Umi to Niji no Yume]
Strike's stage: [Power]
Hamm's stage: [i luv hamburgers]
Kelly's stage: [Transform]
Shorty's stage: [Shorty and the EZ-Mouse] (American version), [Waratte PON] (Japanese version)
Hiro's stage: [The Natural Playboy]
Pinky's stage: [I know]
Gas-O's stage: [Chemical Love]
Kitty-N's stage: [Bust A Groove] (American version), [Aozora no Knife] (Japanese version)
Capoeira's stage: [Capoeira] (American version), [Uwasa no KAPOERA] (Japanese vesrion)
Robo-Z's stage: [flyin to your soul] <P> Cultural Differences
A number of changes were made for the game's American release. In the Japanese version, Hiro is smoking a [cigarette] before each level begins, but this has been eliminated from the American version. Strike drinks from a flask before each Japanese level, but in the American release he is drinking from a [nondescript] red can; his song had included the lines "go drink that [tequila], here comes your cola chaser" but those were removed. Hamm, who is the only black male character, had lips outlined in pink, but they were made plain to make them less pronounced; in addition the word [nigger] has been poorly edited out of his song. The manual for the Japanese version claimed Kitty-N was on the show "Love Love Senshi Miracle 5" but U.S. audiences would not have understood [cosplay] soldiers and so the title became "Litterbox Warriors 5." The "Now Loading" screen, which announces the names of the characters about to [compete], names "Hiro-kun" in the Japanese version but in the American version it has been cut to "Hiro" - and yet fans still call out "Hiro-kun" whenever he appears. When the [vocals] are turned off for Kitty-N's song, the music reverts to the original Japanese mix even in the American version.