Inside Social Games

While Harmonix and Activision may hold dominion over the consoles with Rock Band and Guitar Hero, their slow pace is certainly costing them the lead on the iPhone as Tapulous continues to own the rhythm genre with their Tap Tap music games. The latest addition is Tap Tap Dance. This music game is phenomenal, featuring music from Daft Punk, Moby, Junkie XL, and the Chemical Brothers.

The game is not terribly different from its predecessors, but it does include the capability of tapping two notes simultaneously (allowing for chords). Beyond that, the game play is the same: Tapping notes as they come down the screen on the three bars. If you see the arrows appear on the bars, you swing the iPhone in that direction (this feature can be turned off), and if you hit a 50 note streak you can enter your “revenge” mode by shaking the iPhone and start racking up the x8 bonuses.

The two aspects that make this game what it is, however, are the visuals and the music. The music is wonderful and upbeat, and unless you absolutely hate dance and techno music, you will probably enjoy at least listening to this game. Furthermore, the layout of notes and the corresponding controls are fantastic. Unlike games such as Guitar Hero that emulates an actual musical instrument, the notes are far more difficult to make feel fluid. Nevertheless, the job done here is terrific and the rhythm in which you tap the notes is so well synched with the music, that you cannot help but get into the game.

Beyond music, the visuals are also a crucial element, and Tap Tap Dance certainly delivers. Though a significantly smaller part of a music game experience, visuals are what completes the overall look and feel that will encompass the player. Consider Rock Band: The dynamic camera angles, flashing strobe lights, screaming fans – all of these play a critical role and making the experience feel like a rock experience. Without these, the game would be significantly less successful. The same goes with Tap Tap Dance. Intense visuals go hand in hand with techno and are almost an expectation. The backdrops for this game are a wonderful representation of a rave scene that really immerses the player even further into the game experience.

Lastly, the game also includes an interesting two-player mode which lets two players hold opposite ends of the iPhone. Unfortunately, while this is a decent idea in theory, it just seems too awkward considering the size of the device. Also, considering that some people really get into these rhythm games, it could be somewhat difficult for both parties to keep their hands on the phone.

Nevertheless, the game is easily the best music-based game in the App Store. If you have the money to spend on a new game, then this one comes highly recommended.