B-Boy review

You'll need footwork, flava and incredibly fast fingers!

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Super slick transitions

  • +

    Getting in the zone

  • +

    40 licensed tracks

Cons

  • -

    Watching beats

  • -

    not the action

  • -

    The lack of atmosphere

  • -

    Waiting for the countdown

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Tuesday 19 September 2006
Even though it's officially the best party skill in the world, breakdancing's never really caught on in the same way as other extreme sports. Maybe it's that - unlike, say, skateboarding - you can't buy anything that automatically makes you a 'breakdancer'.

Maybe it's that finding surfaces that won't grate the top of your head off when you spin on them is becoming increasingly difficult in English nightclubs. Or maybe, just maybe, it's that breakdancing is really hard to translate into a videogame.

Not that Sony haven't tried. B-Boy's actually an excellent attempt at translating the complexities of 'power moves' (stuff like swipes and halos) versus the need for 'flavour' (staying on the beat) that faces real B-Boys - tapping the shoulder buttons on the beat keeps your rhythm up, but for the big points you need to transition between moves on the special blue beats, and do tiny micro-games to pull off the harder moves.

Above: Get enough momentum going and your legs will leave trails in the air, just like in real life

More info

GenreFighting
DescriptionA dancing/fighting game that secretly is an ad for shoes you can't afford. And by "secretly" we mean "obviously."
PlatformPS2, PSP
US censor ratingTeen
UK censor rating3+
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 2006 (UK)
More
CATEGORIES
Joel Snape
Joel Snape enjoys Street Fighter V, any sandbox game that contains a satisfyingly clacky shotgun and worrying about the rise of accidentally-malevolent super-AI. He's also the founder-editor of livehard.co.uk, where he talks a lot about working out.
Latest in Fighting Games
Minecraft characters Alex and Steve riding in mine carts in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being chased by Bowser Jr..
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate villain Minecraft Steve is the star of the "best Smash clip of all time," as genius player makes a literal Trojan Horse to destroy an unsuspecting opponent
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS key art.
Masahiro Sakurai says Super Smash Bros "might have died out" if not for late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata: "There's no doubt that he influenced me in many ways"
Mortal Kombat 2 3DO
After 32 years, Mortal Kombat 2 has finally been ported to the one hyper-expensive '90s console that could actually do it justice
jinx in 2xko weilding a big hammer with a smirk on her face
The League of Legends fighting game spin-off won't be getting its big playtest, but that's so that more of you can play it later this year
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer celebrates Capcom’s greatest fighting games
A screenshot shows Fatal Fury ninja Mai performing a combat move in Street Fighter 6.
Fatal Fury's top anime girlfriend Mai "bounces" into Street Fighter 6, and her bouncy arrival is driving Capcom to horny madness: "She's giving fierce. She's slaying"
Latest in Reviews
HeroQuest box, models, tokens, board, and cards on a wooden table
HeroQuest review: "The grandaddy of dungeon crawlers"
A reviewer turning the modules of the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot
Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot review: “Its novel concept of a spinning, modular design is hamstrung by its lack of options”
Razer USB 4 Dock in silver on a wooden desk
Razer USB 4 Dock review: "solid, reliable, and surprisingly well-priced"
Lenovo Legion Go S with FlyKnight gameplay on screen featuring player character holding bow and arrow with enemy ant in backdrop.
Lenovo Legion Go S Windows 11 review: “my heart aches for this mixed up handheld”
Talisman 5th Edition game components
Talisman 5th Edition review: "The characterful imperfections of the original game remain clear to see "
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 review: "A colossal package even if you never go anywhere near Virtual Currency"