Oct 31, 2007

For reasons lost to the back of the sofa, it’s only on DS that game characters still scuttle around little 2D maps between each level. We like it. And we like it a lot in Boogie - where the new “Boogie Master” mode sees you trotting between rhythmic challenges on a scribbly map with dots and everything.

In fact, EA Montreal’s download-play-enabled DS twist on their okayish Wii musical actioner - which has you prodding the touch screen to music, Elite Beat Agents-style - is a looker. The plasticine shine on the cute characters is in; the spiky-headed Party Freaks crowd onto the top screen to reward quality tapping; and there’ll be 3D glasses in the box that’ll make the action literally burst out of the screen.

Expect 20 songs from the Wii version in all - “Brickhouse” and “(That’s The Way) I Like It” are in. The main beat-tapping is broken up with neat little “breakdown” touch screen minigames, which involve, say, spinning the stylus to get Bubba hula hooping his dignity away, or dragging up and down to move the character’s mouth like you’re their puppet master. Music to our ears, as long as they can minimise the incredibly long load time during two-player download play.