''Britney's Dance Beat'' is a

rhythm game Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to pres ...

based around the music and videos of American singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

. The game was developed by Metro Creative Graphics, Hyperspace Cowgirls, and Art Co., Ltd–published by

THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initial ...

. The game was released exclusively for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

on 8 May 2002 in North America and 14 June 2002 in Europe. The game contains five songs: " ...Baby One More Time", " Oops!... I Did It Again", " Stronger", "

Overprotected "Overprotected" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her third studio album, '' Britney'' (2001). It was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami. The song was released on December 10, 2001, by Jive Records as the second interna ...

", and "

I'm a Slave 4 U "I'm a Slave 4 U" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her third studio album, ''Britney (album), Britney'' (2001). Written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, it was released on September 25, 2001 ...

". Successful play is rewarded with "backstage passes" which unlocks features such as backstage video footage of Spears. There's also a video vault. When players complete auditions they get backstage passes to unlock 360 immersive videos and behind the scenes footage. The game also includes various remixes during behind the scenes footage, menus, and credits. It also has photoshoots during credits. Versions of the game were released for

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

on 26 March 2002,

on 9 May 2002, and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

on 20 June 2002. Early promotional materials mention a version for

Mac Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...

computers, but it was never released.

Gameplay

In ''Britney's Dance Beat'', the player plays as an aspiring dancer who is auditioning for a spot as a backup dancer on her tour. One or two players compete for this opportunity through a series of rhythm games that take place on various make-shift stages consisting of different backdrops and usually featuring one of Britney's music videos playing in the background. The game mechanics involve pressing the correct button on the controller in sync with a round radar monitor in the lower left of the screen. As the radar scan sweeps around the dial, it lights up the corresponding button on the controller that the player should push at that exact time. The player's accuracy is reflected in the dance moves performed by the avatar. After beating each audition, the player is rewarded with backstage passes that unlock bonuses such as footage of Britney backstage at her concerts.

Development

The development time for the game was more than 18 months.

Reception

Reviews of the game are average.

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

and

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

gave it a score of 57.75% and 53 out of 100 for the GBA version, 63.29% and 63 out of 100 for the PS2 version, and 18% and 24 out of 100 for the PC version. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave the PS2 version a B+ and stated that "the game is just cheesy enough to make you stop, look, and bust out dancing." ''

The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...

'' gave it a positive review and said of the game, "There's nothing groundbreaking about it, but in some ways, that's what keeps the game fun." However, ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

'' gave the same console version a score of four out of ten and called it "a mindless version of 'Simon Says' to the masterful beats of 'Oops!... I Did It Again.'"

References

{{Britney Spears 2002 video games Art Co., Ltd games Britney Spears Dance video games Metro Corporation games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 2 games THQ games Video games based on musicians Video games based on real people Video games developed in Japan