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I was hoping to get my groove on...

Alright! This is my first review, so don't attack me! help me out if I missed something. Thought for my first review that I should do a simple non-RPG game that is completed and has no reviews, so here we go!

In my quest to find completed games, I came across System VX - Tapping Hooves (kinda makes me wonder if there is an XP version) and it looked pretty interesting! I'm a big fan of rhythm games (and puzzle games... and fighting games... and RPGs, but that's another story...) and having owned Elite Beat Agents, Rhythm Heaven, and DDR, I thought I'd enjoy this game. So, I downloaded the game and opened it up to see what I'd get.

Story:
Apparently there is a story (Story Mode) in this game. A dance competition is being held at Tapping Hooves Bar. You get to play as one of the five characters (Vikka the confident one, Concitha (or Chita) the laid back party girl, Cixi the shy insecure one I believe, and Quatros (4?) the cocky bitch.) and you have to dance against the other competitors in order to beat the game.
I have to tell you the truth, I couldn't beat story mode. If any of you have, you deserve a medal, but even so I got to the 2nd stage with one of the characters. Every time you beat a stage, you face a new competitor. The cutscene (well, it's just a talk) between the character you choose and the competitor just makes me cringe. I know I may make mistakes in a few rare occasions, but I'm somewhat of a grammar nazi, and this game has grammar problems all over it. Anyone whose actually beat the story mode would be the better judge of this area, I really can't say much else.

Graphics:
You can tell that the developers spent a lot of time on the graphics. The menus have that boring space backgrounds, but the rest was nicely done. It's what I expected from a dance game. They are slick and glossy, the arrow bubbles are different colors, making them easily distinguishable when the pace is fast. The characters are cute, though I personally feel like they were taken from one of Christopher Hart's How-to-Draw books, but I digress, it was still nicely done.

Music:
I liked the music. They had a nice variety, but some of the songs don't really fit this type of game. For example, there was a song called "Sleeping in My Car". Although I do like the song, it's really not the type of song people would dance to in a club, let alone a dance competition. Apart from that one, there were probably 3 other songs that really didn't fit this type of game.

Gameplay:
It was a good idea, and the developers did a great job implementing it, but I feel that more work could have been done.
The controls at first were really hard to get used to. I honestly thought my buttons weren't registering when I first started playing, but after trying to beat the first challenge, I was hitting all the notes. After getting a little farther in the song, the game was getting a little... unfair...
Okay, you're probably thinking that it's probably just me, but it's true! The game gets much too difficult, even in the easy stages, here's why:

- The mystery bubbles when you don't have goggles. Just press one of the arrow keys and hope that you guessed right or lose some of your life.
- The fuzzy... ball... thing. It takes one of your items and you won't get it back. The first thing this little creature will go for is your potion, so use it or get it taken away. It's even worse when you also get...
- The Bomb. It takes away 1/3 (if not, 1/2!) of your life, and there is no way to stop it. Even if there was, the game doesn't even tell you. So you'll just have to sit there and take it like a man. Even if you perfectly plan how you'll use your items, there is nothing you can do to stop la bomba from destroying you...

The bubbles (or the circles with the arrows on them) were also troublesome. They are all the same distance from each other. What I mean is that the bubbles are not in the beat of the music. I actually had to turn off the music to be able to go farther in any of the stages.
Another thing that I had a beef with was a lack of a good tutorial. Sure, there is a tutorial, but it only tells you what each thing in the window mean. It doesn't even tell you everything, either. I'm still at a loss as to what some of the handicaps do (I know that one of them shakes the catching bar near the end of the song, but that's it!).
There is also the fact that, if you press the menu button, it counts as you losing, so you'll end up losing a heart, which you only have 3 of throughout Story Mode (and if you lose all your hearts you get a Game Over). I fell into this trap when I had to get a bite to eat... ;_;

Overall:
I did enjoy this game at first, it was almost like DDR, but after a while, it got more frustrating than fun that I've found myself getting mad at a videogame... I know that I couldn't beat the story mode, but I've beaten 3 of the challenges, which I would say is enough to judge this game considering that the only difference between the stages are the items and speed. Would I recommend this to anyone? No. I wouldn't, but I won't stop you from trying it.

Posts

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Sure this kind of system is possible on rpgmaker 2000 or 2003 and is not hard to create. Why not ? Why he should to explain how to do it ? You all thinking THIS game is best isnt it ? If it is so go enjoy. I dont buyed it and any of the peopels do not "buy it" if expect the dancing game as well. You all "authors" advertising it as dancing game but it's fake. try using the dancing mat and dancing is impossible.

My games like NINJA SWORD REVENGE are not enough good for them on their site. They rather thinking minimum level on this site is this tapping thing. Please do not advertise this tapping thing anymore until you all learn how to creating games in rpgmaker.

Actually here is my project. My game in their opinion is not enough good to be posted on forum of authors of tapping hooves. They deleting it from thier site "ultimateam" as well. I am lucky cause my project can live on other polish rpgmaker site XD Hopefully one day i post finished and translated on rpgmaker with some help. http://www.rmxp.pl/index.php?PHPSESSID=84a10be860d72849aba3c5d14ebfd578&topic=6933.msg97492;topicseen#msg97492

Grammar problems doesn't make a game automatically funny, and I could tell you how to make the system, but wouldn't you rather do it yourself? >:)
author=AABattery
Actually, I can imagine doing this easily with events, so I doubt it's RMVX's fault.

As I said, it's not possible without doing it manually. If you imagine using events, then please - tell me how to do it. In my free time I like doing some stuff in the RPG Maker, and I don't see a way to do it with events(which seems impossible). So please - tell me.

author=AABattery
I would understand if one of the characters had grammar problems (like Cixi. I don't think her having grammar problems would be weird), but all of them do. Vikka and Quatros seem to be intelligent, but the grammar issue kinda damages that, so I didn't think it was done purposefully. In fact, it would have been better if they didn't.

You just don't get it. I meant that ALL these grammar 'issues' are there intentionally. And I mean that THE GAME is designed that way. It's not that are characters have grammar problems! They are supposed to be funny!

I just can't agree with you.
author=Yoroiookami
You actually CAN destroy the bombs by doing the 'critical' hit. I'm also pretty sure tutorial tells you that.

The tutorial doesn't say anything of the like. There were a lot of things that the tutorial didn't explain (like the little furry item snatcher. That wasn't in the tutorial).

author=Yoroiookami
I didn't make this game, but trust me if I say that the software they used has its limitations. Making sounds fitting to the arrows honestly couldn't be any better. Not without any complex modifications, or doing it manually.

Actually, I can imagine doing this easily with events, so I doubt it's RMVX's fault.

author=Yoroiookami
Another fact is that these 'grammar problems' are there intentionally. This game has it's childish humour and I love it! Why don't you?

I would understand if one of the characters had grammar problems (like Cixi. I don't think her having grammar problems would be weird), but all of them do. Vikka and Quatros seem to be intelligent, but the grammar issue kinda damages that, so I didn't think it was done purposefully. In fact, it would have been better if they didn't.

author=X-Tech
Its game based on reflex sadly not based on music.

Yes, very sad. I started the game thinking it would be a rhythm game with nice music, but ended up with my eyes sore from staring so hard...

Thanks for the comments, guys!
I not found this game hard. Key is to forget music and looking on two lines.
When signs come between two lines then we must press right button.

You can put there your own mp3's but its nothing change. Levels stay the same and tempo is still static.

Its game based on reflex sadly not based on music.
AABattery not bad for a first review, not bad at all, but I disagree with few things. You actually CAN destroy the bombs by doing the 'critical' hit. I'm also pretty sure tutorial tells you that. I didn't make this game, but trust me if I say that the software they used has its limitations. Making sounds fitting to the arrows honestly couldn't be any better. Not without any complex modifications, or doing it manually. Another fact is that these 'grammar problems' are there intentionally. This game has it's childish humour and I love it! Why don't you?

Tapping Hooves game is really freakin' hard, but I like it anyway. :P
You did a good job with this review, also advancing so far makes you a real badass.
Keep it up!
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