Britney's Dance Beat
Written by : ISKAN
Type of Game
The “Adibou” of rhythm games—perfect for improving thumb coordination, learning to count to 2, and learning the alphabet up to the letter B.
release date on our machines
March 26, 2002, in the U.S., and June 14, 2002, in Europe—three days after Les Bleus were eliminated from the World Cup in Asia—a double blow.
Developer
Art Co—if you've ever played a game based on a kids' franchise like The Rugrats, Scooby-Doo, Disney Princess, or Mouse City, it was probably them.
Publisher
THQ—if you've played PEGI 18 games like Metro: Last Light, Red Faction, or Saints Row, it was probably them.
Britney's Dance Beat: Not available on any platform released after the 2000s. Frozen in time, much like the real Britney. Full support for her.
The problem when Nostalgic Bumblebee asks you to write an article about a game from your childhood, is that he already has 750 of them in the pipeline, ready to be published. So, you rack your brain trying to find an original game—or even a hidden hit, a hidden hit me, baby, one more time! Well, there’s no point in keeping you in suspense any longer or slipping subtle clues into the text—if you’re here, it’s because you read the title and, more importantly, clicked on the link, and I thank you for that. You’re doing better than 90% of internet users who stopped at the end of the first paragraph and will spend the rest of their lives thinking that Britney’s Dance Beat is a hidden gem—when it’s not at all!
In the Zone
Circus
When I mentioned the words “video games” and “Britney Spears” in the same sentence, I could hear nothing but mockery in Nostalgic B.’s voice—probably jealousy stemming from the fact that Brandy, unlike Britney, has never had a video game named after her! With a topic in hand, I had to dive back into my memories. My starting point: the game box I still own, which has a big neon yellow “Auchan 50% Off” sticker on it. So I figure I must have found it in a bin of games during a sale—no one wanted it, and now I know why. But back then, I must have been pretty excited at the idea of practicing Britney’s choreography to pass the auditions and earn my spot among the dancers on her tour. For those who still haven’t figured it out, Britney’s Dance Beat is a two-button rhythm game that has you alternating between the A and B buttons on your Game Boy Advance, while Britney dances hypnotically in the middle of the screen.
All of this is designed to distract you and trip you up on the game’s only real challenge: the change in tempo! Not that it’s particularly fast, but a split second of inattention is all it takes to make a mistake. Well, the upside of restarting a song is that you extend the game’s lifespan by 20% each time. Yep, the whole thing wraps up in thirty minutes, stopwatch and all. The track list consists of five songs that you’ll have to play twice—first in the studio and then on stage—to finish the game and unlock all the bonuses! You’ll get to check out exclusive photos and videos of Britney—well, especially if you’re into low-res, pixelated graphics! So cool!
Blackout
Special event: I’m finally going to talk about music in an article! Yes! Well, this will be quick! As I mentioned earlier, the game features five tracks—you could even call them five Britney hits—some of which were composed by Max Martin, the famous Swedish songwriter who’s managed to land thirty of his songs at number one on the Billboard Hot 100: “Baby One More Time,” “Oops! I Did It Again,” “Stronger,” “Overprotected,” and “I’m a Slave 4 U.” All iconic tracks that you recognize from the very first note and start humming within thirty seconds. I’m joking, but the sound quality is good, and it’s a pleasure to listen to these simplified versions. Unlike the PlayStation 2 port, composed by Hiroshi Kobayashi—who also worked on Rocket Knight Adventures and Bust a Groove 2—it’s impossible to find the name of the composer for this version. Come on, buddy, I’ll even credit you with the compositions for the Game Boy Advance version—that’ll give you one more line on your resume.
Oops! … I did it again
I don't think I played the game much, but it still holds a special place in my heart. It was my first rhythm game, and even though it took me a while to try other titles in the same genre, it made me realize that I enjoyed replaying a level over and over to improve my score. And if the developer had taken the time to include the GBA’s triggers or directional pad to increase the number of buttons, add some unlicensed songs, and ramp up the difficulty a bit, we could have had a really good rhythm game. Too bad!
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