Bust a Groove 2 is a hybrid music/fighting game

Fighting game

Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

 released in 2000 for the Sony

Sony

, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....

 PlayStation and is the sequel to Bust a Groove

Bust a Groove

Bust a Groove is a hybrid music/fighting game for the Sony PlayStation released in 1998. The game was published by the Japanese video game developer Enix in Japan and brought to the U.S...

. The game was originally released in Japan as , and was never released in Europe. A third game in the series, Dance Summit 2001 was only released in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 on the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

.

The game takes place one year after the previous installment and shares the same overall gameplay. It combines dance moves and special abilities designed to damage the opponent. It also features new songs, new characters and updated costumes for the returning characters retained from the previous game.

Gameplay

Bust a Groove 2's gameplay is still the same from the previous title. However, backgrounds have become crazier; if a player attains high scores, background stages will sport crazy effects and changes (see Fever Time).

"The single-player game has changed - it now features branching paths in the single-player game that move you up to more difficult opponents depending on how well you're dancing. The popularity meter has been axed; now your character has a small border around his or her name that changes in color depending on how well you're dancing. Also, a new meter sits in the middle of the screen that tracks every "Cool, Chillin', and Freeze" event and moves up accordingly. When all three bars are filled to capacity, your points are doubled for every dance move made during that time. In Bust a Groove 2 there is a standard two-player versus mode, a practice mode to help you get accustomed to timing the fourth beat, and a dance-view mode that allows you to cycle through each dancer's individual moves and string them together to make your own dances."

The game also included 2 new commands aside the somersault and "Jammer" (attack) moves. This time, the player could now do a 'reflect move' and guard attacks.

Fever Time

If players were able to have a smooth complete dance without a lot of mistakes and misses and a high score over a certain amount depending on the level, they would then complete a special solo dance show known as Fever Time at the end of the match. Usually a fever time would be completed after the level that's been danced in has been completely instensified. In some cases it is able to have both characters complete a Fever Time together if they were to finish the level with extremely close scores. Usually if the points were 100-1000 points above or below an opponent.

"Intensifying" a level, involved players dancing to the best of their ability, with perfect timing and almost making practically no mistakes or misses.
As the dancers score would gain points, the level the characters were dancing in would begin to change gradually; this being known as "Intensifying".

Characters

The initial characters Heat, Hiro, Kelly, Kitty-N, Shorty,Strike and Capoeira were retained from the original Bust a Groove

Bust a Groove

Bust a Groove is a hybrid music/fighting game for the Sony PlayStation released in 1998. The game was published by the Japanese video game developer Enix in Japan and brought to the U.S...

 and removed several of the original game's characters which includes Pinky, Hamm, Frida, Gas-O and the secret character Burger Dog (but makes a cameo in Comet's stage). These were replaced by several new characters: Comet, Bi-O, and Tsutomu.

Some new hidden characters were also introduced into the game, and could be unlocked after completing certain tasks. Pander (also a new addition to the cast) and Robo-Z Gold are the only hidden characters that have a unique dance style, other hidden characters merely mimicked other characters' dance moves.

Main

Name	Age	Dance Style	Jammer	Info
Bi-O	47	Zombie	Removes his head by the axe situated upon it and throws it at the opponent. As it closes up on the screen it appears to be biting	A zombiefied-human with an axe stuck in his head. He is the father to Gas-O of Bust a Groove. In search for a cure to his condition, he journeys by sailing on a ghost ship.
Capoeira	Unknown	Capoeira Capoeira Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...	A mysterious tiny satellite appears above the opponent producing rays of light that shrink the opponent causing them to have small bodies with oversized bobble heads	The partner aliens Kiki and Lala who came from the planet Capoeira continue their journey in search of every billboard they come across on Earth.
Comet	16	Rollerblade Dance	Using a wand, Comet magically turns the opponent into food or small pets.	A waitress working in Sushi Planet who dances on Rollerblades. Aside from being a waitress, she has magic powers to change anyone to any kind of food she wishes. She is Frida's sister from the original Bust A Groove who discovered her powers after being kidnapped and nearly killed after their captors did not receive their demands. It is possible that she is based in Cosmic Baton Girl Cometto-san which is a old tokusatsu series made by Toho Animation during the 1960s. The Comet character from Cosmic Baton Girl Cometto-san from 2001 has a striking resemblance with Comet.
Heat	20	Break Dancing with floor moves	A giant flame comes down on the opponent	A pro-race car driver but gained an ability to throw out flames after a crash on the racetracks. Traumatized, he turned to the dance floor instead.
Hiro	21	Traditional Disco Disco Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...  with robotic and acrobatic influences	An autographed picture of himself crashes onto the opponent	A computer geek who loves computers and himself. He transforms himself into a playboy at the disco at night but is actually shy with women.
Kelly	24	Soul Soul music Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...  bump and grind	Kelly reveals a megaphone Megaphone A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...  and screams through it towards her opponent knocking them out	An investment banker/secretary who used to have a fetish for infantile objects. Her cross-dressing boss(who she had a crush on) barraged her with his hypocritical distaste for her fetish, driving her away, embarrassed and silent. Tired of being everyone's doormat, she changed her bunny outfit, and wore a police officer's uniform that gives her the self confidence and rush of liberation and power to become the queen of underground dance.
Kitty-N	18	Techno Jazz, Funk Funk Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...	A giant crane appears above the opponent and picks them up, later dropping them back down onto the ground	Former member of the group Miracle 5. She was in love with her dance instructor Michael Doi, but he is gay. Now Kitty-N is on mission for love.
Shorty	14	Funkadelic Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...  with a twist of jazz	A giant cake falls and flattens the opponent	The daughter of a DJ father and a supermodel mother, she was lonely until her parents gave her Columbo, a mouse that will eat anything in its sight. Now she and Columbo dance all day for fun.
Strike	22	Hip Hop Hip hop Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...	Strike takes out his machine gun and starts shooting; the screen "shatters" if the attack connects.	After the events of the first Bust-A-Groove, Strike soon turned over a new leaf while in the state penitentiary for a crime he didn't commit. Upon his release due to good behavior, he and his friends from prison formed the super popular rap group Notorious, sweeping the nation and critics alike with authenticity and hard hitting lyrics. Satisfied with the respect, wealth, and fame that comes from his talents, Strike soon makes his way to the world of dancing to show what he's made of.
Tsutomu	11	House dance House dance House dance is a social dance primarily danced to house music that has roots in the clubs of Chicago and of New York. The main elements of House dance include Footwork, Jacking, and Lofting...	A door appears in front of the opponent, opens and a heavy object drops from above onto the opponent	A boy who is unliked at school because his parents are rich. The only person who is nice to him is his teacher, Miss Maroe. He has a crush on her and wants to marry her when he turns 18.

Hidden

Name	Age	Dance Style	Jammer	Info
ChiChi & Sally	Unknown	Capoeira's style	Same as Capoeira's	Two cute alien siblings who like to stick out their tongues. They can be seen appearing and disappearing in the background of Capoeira's stage.
Columbo	Unknown	Shorty's style	Similar to Shorty's attack but a pudding falls instead of a cake	Columbo returns with Shorty. He can also be seen sitting on Shorty's head. Shorty received Columbo as a gift from her parents to keep her company while they are away.
Hustle Kong	Unknown	Hiro's style	Same as Hiro's but instead of Hiro being in the picture, it's Hustle Kong	Either a large gorilla with boxing gloves or a man in a gorilla costume. In Hiro's stage Hustle Kong can be seen when the level intensifies.
McLoad	Unknown	Kelly's style	Same as Kelly's but he breathes fire instead of shouting in a megaphone	Either a human sized kaiju Kaiju is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....  dragon, or a man in a kaiju Kaiju is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....  dragon costume. He can also be found in Shorty's stage.
Michael Doi	Unknown	Kitty-N's style	Same as Kitty-N's	A stereotypical homosexual male and Kitty-N's dance instructor.
Sushi Boy	Unknown	Comet's style	Same as Comet's	A miniature tin-man wearing in-line skates. He is the mascot for Sushi Planet and is seen on the 'Sushi Planet' sign to the restaurant in Comet's stage.

Hidden boss

Name	Age	Dance Style	Jammer	Info
Robo-Z Gold	Unknown	Vogue and African dance African dance African dance refers mainly to the dance of Sub-Saharan Africa, and more appropriately African dances because of the many cultural differences in musical and movement styles...	Robo-Z Gold locks onto the opponent and fires a missile	A revived Robo-Z, this time with a shining suit of golden metal armor and wings.
Pander	31 (15 1/2)	Butoh Butoh is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the movement. It typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup...	Hands appear and flips the screen.	A man who is attracted only by a cartoon character of 15 years old, based on the first butoh performance of the book "Forbidden Colors Forbidden Colors is a novel by Yukio Mishima, translated into English in 1968. The name kinjiki is a euphemism for homosexuality. The kanji 禁 means "forbidden" and 色 in this case means "erotic love", although it can also mean "color". The word "kinjiki" also means colors which were forbidden to be worn by people of... " by Yukio Mishima Yukio Mishima was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état... , as the "actor" playing Pander struggles to come to terms with his taboo sexuality. The true boss of the game, Pander is very unusual looking and has the most unique and bizarre level. He appears as a miniature panda Panda Panda or Panda bear most often refers to:*Giant panda, an animal in the Bear familyPanda may also refer to:*Red panda, the only living member in the Ailuridae family-In biology:* Species related to the Giant panda...  at first then transforms into a human-like figure with black tights on his arms and legs and white skin which looks like make-up, one brown loafer, and a pair of white men's briefs with a panda tail painted on.

Songs

Some of the songs which were featured in the game were originally in Japanese language and was translated to English for the U.S. release such as: Magic Tower, Moon Light Party, Hello! Kitty-N and Hizashi no oku no Happy Heart. Unlike the game's predecessor, there is no English OST released.

• Bi-O - Zombie Hopper
• Capoeira/ChiChi & Sally - Allegretto Break
• Comet/Sushi Boy - Magic Tower
• Heat - The Heat Is On
• Hiro/Hustle Kong - Let the Music Take Control
• Kelly/McLoad - Moon Light Party ~ Clap Your Hands
• Kitty-N/Michael Doi - Hello! Kitty-N
• Shorty/Columbo - Hizashi no oku no Happy Heart (ひざしの奥のハッピーハート)
  • Translation: Happy Heart in the Sunlight
• Strike - Here Comes Trouble
• Tsutomu - Got to be Happy
• Robo-Z Gold - Acid Line
• Pander - Enka 1

• High Voltage - Theme of Bust a Move 2 (Bust a Groove 2) (Opening Theme)
• Bust a Groove (Ending Theme)

Changes

The following are several in-game changes made with the English version of the game. Most noticeable is the change of Hiro's symbol due to the age rating concerns.

• Aside from changing the language the characters speak to English, several announcer voice overs were still changed though they're already in English (e.g. the voice over in the Mode Select screen). Most likely because of the mentioning of "Bust A Move" which is the Japanese title.
• The 2 Player Mode (VS) loading screen was changed.
• The arrows appear to be in different colors while the Japanese only bears yellow arrows.
• Hiro's character symbol is a cigarette in the Japanese version but instead, was changed into I♥ME for the US
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
   version.
• The TV Show-esque epilogue
  Epilogue
  An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
  
   which shows CG endings of the characters; hosted by a minor character named "James Suneoka" was entirely removed and instead, only the credits is shown.

Reception and value

Bust a Groove 2, along with its predecessor, is one of the more valuable PlayStation games on the secondary market. For example, complete, used copies sell for more than $80 which is more than the original MSRP

Suggested retail price

The manufacturer's suggested retail price , list price or recommended retail price of a product is the price which the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell the product. The intention was to help to standardise prices among locations...

of $35.99.