History VideoGame / BustAGroove

''Bust a Groove'' ([[DubNameChange known as Bust a Move in Japan]]) is a series of rhythm games released by Enix (now Creator/SquareEnix). The first two games were released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and the third on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. The games feature character designs by Hideyuki Tanaka, director and character designer for the anime ''Anime/SuperMilkChan''.

The first game focuses on ten dancers and the mysterious "dance energy" known as Groovetron. The goal of the game is to [[DanceBattler dance battle]] your way to the final boss and become no. 1 dancer. The characters in this game are Frida, Heat, Gas-O, Hamm, Hiro, Kelly, Kitty-N, Pinky Diamond, Shorty, and Strike. Included also are four hidden characters: Burger Dog, Capoeira, Columbo (No, not that [[Series/{{Columbo}} one.]]), and the final boss, Robo-Z.

The third game in the series is Dance Summit 2001. This time, none of the dancers from the previous two installments make an appearance (save for Strike and Burger Dog, who make cameo appearances on Jumbo Max's stage). It features a whole new cast and focuses more on team dancing. Also unlike the first two, it has no endings. And it was only [[NoExportForYou released in Japan]], meaning it's the more obscure of the three. In this game, there are a total of eight teams of four: The School Mates, The Data Bebops, [=CusuCusu=], The Flower Dancing Team, Galaxy 4, Discos Estrus, Jumbo Max, and The Far East Commanders.

All three games also feature [=DJs=] that serve as announcers. [=DJ=] Kickn' in the first. [=DJ=] Dangerous and [=DJ=] Mix Deadly in the second. And in the third, [=DJ=] Creator/DonnaBurke. Yes, [[VideoGame/SilentHill2 that]] [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Donna]] [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Burke]].

The first two games were a moderate success, with the third being something of a {{Scrappy}} to the series, due to [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks the new characters, gameplay,]] and recycled dance moves. Though it has its own cult following, as well.

* AxeCrazy: Gas-O. [[spoiler: Literally. He attacked his father Bi-O with an axe, lodging it into his skull.]]

* BigFancyCastle: Tsutomu's stage, complete with [[spoiler: big fancy dragon.]]

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* GoodBadBugs: During Robo-Z Gold's level in ''2'', his head is constantly damaged and smoking due to being attacked by the military while dancing. Due to an oversight, his head is inexplicably always exploding in other levels once you unlock him as well, even though nobody is actually attacking him.

* CameraScrew: Turned into a gameplay mechanic. In the first two games, as the song progresses, the camera will begin focusing on whoever is ahead score-wise, zooming in closer and closer as the gap grows wider until the winning player hogs ALL of the screen, with the losing opponent, at best, being barely visible in the background. It's not uncommon for the camera to end up wildly flipping back and forth between the players in a heated battle where both players are able to only momentarily top each other. Dance Summit uses a simplified version of this for its team-up system. Depending on the pairings, the camera will either focus on everyone in a quartet, focus on two people in a duo, shift focus between two pairs for a tag combo, focus on one person in a solo, [[EpicFail or just remain static and unfocused on anyone if everybody picks something different.]] The characters out of focus are additionally placed in out-of-the-way locations so that they're as far from the action as possible, such as hiding characters behind the bleachers at Queen's Highschool or moving the action to the rafters of Hanazono for a solo while the rest of the team is stuck down on the dance floor..

* BareYourMidriff: Frida, Pinky, [[FanDisservice Hamm]], Strike in the first game, Kelly in the second game, Candy, Betty, Olive, Kei, Me, Miranda, and Imawa.

%%* TrueFinalBoss: Pander in Bust a Groove 2. [[SecretLevel You only get to dance against him if you get a Fever Time in each level]]

** Outside of Japan, Hamm's design was altered to remove the Ganguro inspired GagLips and lighten his skin tone so as to avoid any UnfortunateImplications.

%%* NiceHat: Heat and Shorty (in the first game) and Texas.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: A whopping total of fifty six.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Frida, Comet, and Banbi. Kitty-N has green hair.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: [[DiscoDan Hussle Kong]] in Bust-A-Groove 2 and [[WrestlerInAllOfUs Utan]] and [[HighlyVisibleNinja Hamamatsu]] in Dance Summit.

The first game focuses on ten dancers and the mysterious "dance energy" known as Groovetron. The goal of the game is to [[DanceBattler dance battle]] your way to the final boss and become no. 1 dancer. The characters in this game are Frida, Heat, Gas-O, Hamm, Hiro, Kelly, Kitty-N, Pinky Diamond, Shorty, and Strike. Included also are four hidden characters: Burger Dog, Capoeira, [[spoiler: two aliens that created the energy Groovetron]], Columbo (No, not that [[Series/{{Columbo}} one.]]), and the final boss, Robo-Z.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Comet's infamous song is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Possibly averted with the NA version, as a lot of track music have bleeped out lines or changed lyrics, as well as removing introduction and endings originally in ''Bust A Groove 2'' that included sketchy scenarios, such as Comet's kidnapping, Bi-O's source of his deformity and Pander's backstory.

* {{Acrofatic}}: Hamm and Meat, who's movesets involves a lot of spinning and twisting you wouldn't expect guys their size to pull off. Justified in that Hamm is a professional dancer who's gotten fat from his hamburger obsession and Meat is trying to follow in his footsteps.
* [[AdaptationDyeJob Adaptation Paint Job]]: Robo-Z. He was blue in the first game, then gold in the second.

* AmusementPark: Both of Shorty's stages: The park entrance in '''1'' and a water ride in ''2''.

* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Hussle Kong, who's only article of clothing is a pair of boxing trunks.
* HarderThanHard: Mix Mode in Bust a Groove 2 and Dance Summit 2001, which tosses the standard "Directions and a face button on the final beat of a bar" combos out the window in favor of a blend of [[SomeDexterityRequired directions and face buttons through the entire command bar]] for 2's case and change up the combos to sometimes need two inputs on the same beat in Dance Summit's case..
** The first game was no slouch either with it's No Command Mode, which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnThetin: No command display at all, meaning you have to memorize every single command for your dancer of choice in order. While the main dancing segments are easier than they appear since everyone shares the exact same command branches, once you get into solos? And the already difficult to pull off secret solos? Good luck handling more than maybe one or two dancers in this mode. Mercifully done away with in Bust A Groove 2 which had unique combos for every dancer and the aforementioned Mix Mode to make up for it but then partially brought back for Dance Summit, where you can have the commands vanish during the input section, meaning you have to memorize them from the Look section. [[SchmuckBait Yes, this CAN be stacked on top of Mix Mode too.]]
* IdleAnimation: Some characters will stand there puffing through their chests while others slightly lean from side to side. In ''Dance Summit 2001'' before the music starts, the characters move from side-to side, or clap their hands. Or march in place..

* CameraScrew: Turned into a gameplay mechanic. In the first two games, as the song progresses, the camera will begin focusing on whoever is ahead score-wise, zooming in closer and closer as the gap grows wider until the winning player hogs ALL of the screen, with the losing opponent, at best, being barely visible in the background. It's not uncommon for the camera to end up wildly flipping back and forth between the players in a heated battle where both players are able to only momentarily top each other. Dance Summit uses a simplified version of this for its team-up system. Depending on the pairings, the camera will either focus on everyone in a quartet, focus on two people in a duo, shift focus between two pairs for a tag combo, focus on one person in a solo, [[EpicFail or just remain static and unfocused on anyone if everybody picks something different.]] The characters out of focus are additionally placed in out-of-the-way locations so that they're as far from the action as possible, such as hiding characters behind the bleachers at Queen's Highschool or having them dance in the back of the arcade in Kita2001.

* HairDecorations: Frida and Cherry's head bands. Shorty, Candy, and Imawa's hair ties. Cindy's flower. And Sahara's [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Pebbles Flintstone]] hair tie.

The first two games were a moderate success, with the third being something of a {{Scrappy}} to the series, due to [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks the new characters, gameplay,]] and recycled dance moves. Though it has it's own cult following, as well.

* HarderThanHard: Mix Mode in Bust a Groove 2 and Dance Summit 2001, which tosses the standard "Directions and a face button on the final beat of a bar" combos out the window in favor of a blend of [[SomeDexterityRequired directions and face buttons through the entire command bar]].

* HarderThanHard: Mix Mode in Bust a Groove 2 and Dance Summit 2001.