Have you ever had a great idea that combined two different things to make something unexpectedly pleasant? I’m no stranger to this when I experimented adding habenero oil extract to hot fudge to make a real “Hot Fudge Sundae.” Sometimes these hybrids work and sometimes they fail miserably. Go! Go! Break Steady busted onto the Xbox Live Arcade with it’s own unusual blend of rhythm and puzzle genres.

Gameplay:

Go! Go! Break Steady faces break dancers against DJs in a battle to see who can out do one another. You play as the dancer who must hit a series of buttons as they scroll across a circle in the center of the screen. Based upon how well your timing is you get a little “beatnik,” that looks very similar to the viruses in Dr. Mario, that you need to insert into your Zuma like puzzle ring. Any combination of 3 or more beatniks erases that block of the puzzle leaving you to face another sequence of timed button pushes. The game works really well, but at times it feels that pushing the buttons doesn’t flow exactly right with the beat. The 6 different break dancers you get to choose from are all very different and have their own nemesis DJ that accompanies them. You can choose from the likes of Hydro, Slim , Mighty Mite, or my personal favorite Co-Co the 70's looking Afro-queen. There are 3 different single player modes to choose from. Each of the games different modes offers the usual difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard. The first of these is the “All City Tournament,” where you have to compete in 6 different songs and advance in each one in order to win. Next is the Endurance mode in which the beat keeps coming and you have to try and survive as long as possible. The final mode is Challenge, where you pick up to 6 different songs and have to clear them before the time runs out. GGBS also includes both local and online multiplayer Challenge and Endurance modes.

Graphics:

The game has stunning HD visuals that have the brilliant colors literally dancing all over the screen. The playful cartoon-y characters are a great fit to the casual feel of the game, especially when they are breakin’ down the DJ’s beats. When you string together some perfect combos the screen tends to get a little overloaded with the graffiti graphics swirling around your break dancer with the puzzle faded into the background.

Sound:

Of all the arcade games I’ve played this has to be one of my favorites when it comes to the sound track. Sure the old school arcade games bring back that feeling of when I was younger, but they didn’t have me bobbing my head to the beat like Go! Go! Break Steady. Go ahead and laugh, but you’d have to play the game to fully appreciate the unlicensed dance, hip-hop and techno mixed tracks. The wonderful way the games sound effects blended in seamlessly with the music had me wishing more games were like this. You know a game has a good play list when do one of two things: 1.) Hum or beatbox the music or 2.) Sing or say a hook from the music. Call me what you want, but I’m guilty on both accounts....”Tracks are so nice, gotta hear it Twice.”

Longevity:

The game will be an excellent addition for a pick up and play game and offers a nice change of pace from almost any other game. The local and online multiplayer add another plus to how long the game may last. The online matches are few and far between, but from what I played they were a blast. While GGBS won’t be a “play everyday” game, but it will surely fill some dry spell voids. The only shortcoming of the game is the limited game modes, but there is a “Downloadable Content” option on the main screen.

Overall:

Go! Go! Break Steady is worth a spin if your into either rhythm or puzzle games just because of its blending of the two genres. The vibrant graphics and funky beats are without a doubt the best part of the game. The multiplayer options are limited, but fun and will add a little life to the game. Coming in at 800 MS points may seem high, but after playing a few rounds it is a worthy addition to the games library.