History VideoGame / DanceCentral

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: After [=Flash4wrd=]'s era in [=DC3=]'s story mode, DCI HQ [[spoiler: was hacked by Dr. Tan]].
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: There are alternate costumes to unlock.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Every team in ''Dance Central 2'' and ''Dance Central 3'' have their own predominant colors:

* DropInDropOutMultiplayer: At least for the second and third games, a second player can join in or drop out at anytime by standing in front of the Kinect.

%% * MadLibsDialogue:
%% ** The announcer in practice ("Rehearse") mode.

* SequelDifficultySpike: Dance Central's difficulty spike became more obvious during Dance Central 2, and even more so in 3. Harmonix was well aware that the fans wanted complex routines and boy oh boy, ''it shows''.
* ShoutOut: Many of the retro character and costume designs in Dance Central 3 were meant to be based off of real life celebrities.

* TimeTravel: The Story Mode of the third game is about [[BigBad Dr. Tan]] stealing famous dance steps from past decades, so the DCI hires you to get these steps back, travelling to TheSeventies, TheEighties, TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium, where the game characters helps you to get them by dancing (and also rescuing [[SecretCharacter Dare and MacCoy]], DCI agents who were kidnapped).

%%* Venues:
%%** CoolShip
%%** {{Disco}}

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Every team in ''Dance Central 2'' have their own predominant colors:
** Riptide Crew: red.

** Lu$h Crew: blue.

** In ''Dance Central 3'', the DCI are this in black and purple. M.O.C. as well, but with black and blue.

* UnlockableContent: Costumes and songs can be unlocked, as well various {{Secret Character}}s during the series, mostly the {{robot}}s.

** Emilia's 2000's look is a nod to Vanessa Minnillo, while Bodie in his 2000's look looks like Music/AaronCarter.

* TimeTravel: The Story Mode of the third game is about [[BigBad Dr. Tan]] stealing famous dance steps from past decades, so the DCI hires you to get these steps back, travelling to TheSeventies, TheEighties, TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillenium, where the game characters helps you to get them by dancing (and also rescuing [[SecretCharacter Dare and MacCoy]], DCI agents who were kidnapped).

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Dare, Oblio, and [=MacCoy=] are absent from Dance Central 2. Subverted in that the third game brings them back as playable, unlockable characters and explains where they've been. [[spoiler:Dare and [=MacCoy=] have been captured by Dr. Tan, and Oblio is revealed to be Dr. Tan's son and is under his mind control (that is, until the player breaks him free through some dance offs).]]

** Glitch's 80's outfit is reminiscent of Michael Jackson's outfit in his Music/{{Thriller}} music video, while Mo looks Music/LLCoolJ.

%% * TimeTravel: The storyline of the third game involves this.
* UnlockableContent: Costumes and songs can be unlocked.

''Kinect Star Wars'' is technically part of this line as well as the dance game portion, ''Galactic Dance Off'', portion was developed by employees from Harmonix and likewise uses their gameplay interface.

A sequel, ''Dance Central 2,'' was released on October 21, 2011 in Europe and October 25 in North America. It improves upon the original by adding true two-player gameplay in both competitive and cooperative modes, as well as the ability to create playlists, a freestyle-off option for DC2 on-disc songs and future DC2 downloadables, voice commands, and a more in-depth practice mode, allowing players to select specific moves in a routine to practice. Additionally, users can import songs from the original game, both on-disc and downloadable.

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: After Flash4wrd's era in [=DC3=]'s story mode, DCI HQ [[spoiler: was hacked by Dr. Tan]].

* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: In [=DC3=], Dance Central Intelligence recruit the Lu$h, Hi-Def, Flash4wrd, and Riptide crews to thwart an evil plot.

** Flash4wrd's flashy, colorful 90's outfits resemble those of TLC (who actually appear in-game with their song "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg")

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: After Flash4wrd's era in [=DC3=]'s story mode, DCI HQ [[spoiler: was hacked by Dr. Tan]].
** [[spoiler:Tan's comment of YouAndWhatArmy is met with an AsideGlance from DCI]].

* ExtendedGameplay: Like the original ''Dance Central'', ''Dance Central Spotlight'' requires you to unlock the other routines. In order to do this, you need to collect dance flashcards, which can only be obtained by performing a ''Flawless'' on a move. Collecting more flashcards will eventually unlock all 8 routines.... [[ButWaitTheresMore BUT]] unlocking all the flashcards on each routine for one song will present a golden boombox under the name. Depending on how many songs you have, [[ArchivePanic you will be here for a while]].
* FollowTheLeader: Made after the runaway success of ''VideoGame/JustDance''.
* FriendlyRival: Almost every dance crew in ''Dance Central 2'' has this with the other crews.

* GuestFighter: Of all things, Nisha and Claptrap from ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' on ''Spotlight'', unlocked by mashing Y or X a few times on the character selection screen. [[SelfImposedChallenge Claptrap doesn't have feet, however.]]

* MadLibsDialogue: The announcer in practice ("Rehearse") mode.
** Music/{{Usher}} Voices the practice mode in [=DC3=], in addition to having several songs in each game.
* OldSaveBonus: If you own older ''Dance Central'' games, you can import their songs into newer games (for a fee).

* TimeTravel: The storyline of the third game involves this.

* SelfImposedChallenge: Trying to get 5 stars in a song with the flashcards off.
** Or gold stars, for that matter.

''Dance Central VR'' is set to be released sometime in 2019 for the Oculus Rift and Quest.

* AllegedlyFreeGame: ''Dance Central VR'' is reported to come with the Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest which is great ... unless you don't own either system. Suddenly this game isn't so [[https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B073X8N1YW/ref=olp_f_new?ie=UTF8 free]].

* ArtShift: The model in the upcoming ''Dance Central Spotlight'' looks notably different from the usual.

* HarderThanHard: A majority of the higher tiered songs in Dance Central 2, 3, and its DLC. It takes a lot more than just practicing the routines through Rehearse. Some moves are just way too fast, such as the ''Toe Tapper'' move in [[http://youtu.be/fO2_s_vnYQU?t=1m9s OMG]]. which also is labeled as the hardest song not just in Dance Central 3, but the ''entire series''. You're even awarded an achievement for 5 starring the song.

** Emilia's 2000's look is a nod to Vanessa Minnillo, while Bodie in his 2000's look looks like Aaron Carter.

%% ZeroContextExamples have been commented out.

* FollowTheLeader: Made after the runaway success of ''JustDance''.

''VideoGame/DanceCentral'' is a launch title developed by Creator/{{Harmonix}} for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}'s motion controller, Kinect. This dancing game involves moving your body according to the indicators, but thanks to the sensors on the camera, it can read your whole body. This both adds more movement required for the player, but also means the moves had to be simplified compared to other dancing games to avoid physical strain.

''VideoGame/DanceCentral'' is a launch title developed by Creator/{{Harmonix}} for the {{Xbox 360}}'s motion controller, Kinect. This dancing game involves moving your body according to the indicators, but thanks to the sensors on the camera, it can read your whole body. This both adds more movement required for the player, but also means the moves had to be simplified compared to other dancing games to avoid physical strain.

* HarderThanHard: A majority of the higher tiered songs in Dance Central 2, 3, and its DLC. It takes a lot more than just practicing the routines through Rehearse. Some moves are just way too fast, such as the ''Toe Tapper'' move in [[http://youtu.be/fO2_s_vnYQU?t=1m9s OMG]]. which also is labeled as the hardest song not just in Dance Central 3, but the ''entire series''. You're even [[AchievementUnlocked awarded an achievement]] for 5 starring the song.

* InstantAwesomeJustAddNinja: [[SdrawkcabName Ttiw Tolrep]], aka [[TechnicolorNinjas "The Pink Ninja"]] this was changed to Shinju and added Kichi aka [[TechnicolorNinjas "The Blue Ninja"]] in the second game onwards.

* AllThereInTheManual: Each crew member has a Twitter account, but [[https://twitter.com/DrTanPhD only one]] is a legit account made by Harmonix themselves.

''VideoGame/DanceCentral'' is a launch title developed by Creator/{{Harmonix}} for the {{Xbox 360}}'s new motion controller, Kinect. This dancing game involves moving your body according to the indicators, but thanks to the sensors on the camera, it can read your whole body. This both adds more movement required for the player, but also means the moves had to be simplified compared to other dancing games to avoid physical strain.

* HarderThanHard: A majority of the higher tiered songs in Dance Central 2, 3, and it's DLC. It takes a lot more than just practicing the routines through Rehearse. Some moves are just way too fast, such as the ''Toe Tapper'' move in [[http://youtu.be/fO2_s_vnYQU?t=1m9s OMG]]. which also is labeled as the hardest song not just in Dance Central 3, but the ''entire series''. You're even [[AchievementUnlocked awarded an achievement]] for 5 starring the song.

%%** GovernmentAgencyOfFiction

* AprilFoolsDay: In 2013, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C-TfCxcFN8 Dance Central Blackout]], where the player has to rely on audio cues from a headset instead of visual cues.

A sequel, ''Dance Central 2,'' was released on October 21, 2011 in Europe and October 25 in North America. It improves upon the original by adding true two-player gameplay in both competitive and cooperative modes, as well as a more in-depth practice mode, allowing players to select specific moves in a routine. Additionally, users can import songs from the original game, both on-disc and downloadable.

''Dance Central 3'' was released on October 16, 2012.

* DuelingGames: Is a dance Kinect game on the 360 along with DanceMasters and Dance Paradise.

''Dance Central Spotlight'' was released on September 2, 2014 for the XBOX One as a download-only title.

** GameplayAndStoryIntegration: There are two places in said story mode where you need to dance freely to progress. These sections have no flash card prompts.

* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: In [=DC3=], the seven levels of song difficulties are thus named: Warm-Up, Simple, Moderate, Tough, Legit, Hardcore, Off The Hook.