On paper, this game is an excellent idea. Pairing pop’s most popular diva and one of Japan’s most talented rhythm-based game developers seems like a stroke of genius. It accomplishes two things: first, it brings the niche genre of music-based games to the masses; and second, it gives chicks the perfect opportunity to get into videogames. Unfortunately, the game is hindered by unoriginal and lackluster gameplay mechanics that, while easy to pick up and play, does little to provide an experience that is as good as other music games currently on the market. Even so, the sheer star-power that the game brings to the table will probably be enough to make the game fly off store-shelves at an unprecedented rate.

Owners of the Konami DDR dance pad will be glad to know that this game fully supports it, though the actual gameplay doesn’t seem to mesh that well with the device. Playing the game works like this: you choose a character out of a small list of pre-designed dancers. Once you make your choice, you’ll be coupled with a computer-controlled dancer to face-off against. The objective is to do so well that you are chosen to be part of Britney’s dance-entourage. Dancing is performed by following a radar-like pointer around a circle filled with various button commands. The action will switch between the computer-controlled opponent and you. The longer you go without messing up, the better your chances of progressing to the next audition stage. As you get further into the game, the “rhythm-wheel” will start displaying more complex button combinations and sometimes the buttons you’re supposed to hit will change at the last moment, forcing you to rethink your strategy on the fly. This is pretty easy to do when using a dual-shock, but on a dance pad – all I can say is, good luck.

The visuals in the game are, admittedly, impressive. House of Moves, a specialized videogame motion-capture studio, handled all the animation elements of the dancers and they did a damn fine job. Each dancer moves fluidly and seamlessly and what’s more, they look great too. The digital rendition of Britney looks spookily similar to it’s real-life counterpart but unfortunately, you never actually get to play as her. Every stage will have a gigantic screen in the background where a video of the song you are playing is displayed; a nice touch but it would be even better if the video was actually in sync with the music being played. The atmospheres that you dance around in looks very hip and trendy and is, obviously, quite fitting to the theme of the game. The on-screen action in the game is done so well that you’ll often find yourself paying more attention to the dancers than you are the rhythm-wheel. This is just as much a game for spectators as it is for the person actually playing it.

Five songs, that’s all you get with Britney’s Dance Beat. This is a problem. Five songs is not worth fifty dollars. The songs that are included are some of her ‘best’ work and feature the likes of “Oops! I Did It Again,” “Overprotected,” “Stronger,” “Baby One More Time,” and “I’m A Slave 4 U.” That should cover around 15 minutes of gametime, but where is the beef? These songs quickly become jarring and repetitive after just a few hours, and you’ll soon find out that even after beating the game you get no bonus tracks. It’s really pretty unfortunate because if the game featured twice as many songs, it could have held it’s own in the music genre. As it stands, there is just not enough substance, musically, to warrant a purchase.

There are some noteworthy bonuses included with Britney’s Dance Beat though, including an “immersive video” function, which allows you to simulate what it’s like to attend a Britney Spears concert. You have full 360 degrees freedom and can see everything and everyone as the action unfolds; I’ve never seen anything like it in a PS2 game before. The “behind the scenes” video-clips don’t offer a whole lot of interesting moments but they are entertaining to watch one time. Unless you are a hardcore Britney Spears fan, you may want to just give this game a few nights rental. The lack of music and simplistic yet quirky gameplay mechanics are only entertaining for a short time. If its rhythm-based action you crave, go with Parappa 2 or Gitaroo Man. If you’re looking for dance pad action, stick with the DDR series. There is nothing new to see here.