In the Groove 2

In the Groove 2 © 2005 Roxor Games, Incorporated.

A dancing simulation game similar to Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series. The player must move his or her feet to a set pattern, stepping in time to the general rhythm or beat of a song. During normal gameplay, arrows scroll upwards from the bottom of the screen and pass over stationary, transparent arrows near the top (referred to as the 'guide arrows' or 'arrow casting'). When the scrolling arrows overlap the stationary ones, the player must step on the corresponding arrows on the dance platform. Successfully hitting the arrows in time with the music fills the 'Dance Gauge', or life bar, while failure to do so drains it. If the Dance Gauge is fully depleted during gameplay, the player fails the song, usually resulting in a game over. Otherwise, the player is taken to the Results Screen, which rates the player's performance with a letter grade and a numerical score, among other statistics. The player may then be given a chance to play again, depending on the settings of the particular machine (the limit is usually 3-5 songs per game).

There is a total of 137 songs available. This includes all 72 from the original arcade game, the three new songs in the home version, and 65 brand new songs, four of which are hidden and un-lockable.

In The Groove differentiates itself from Dance Dance Revolution by offering more customizable (and often wacky) options. These include mines, hand steps (using your hands to hit the arrows), and arrow appearance.

Periodically, patches were released for the game. A recent patch known as r21 allows users to play their own custom songs through their USB drive. The songs were restricted to being less than 2 minutes.