Bust A Groove

This is the American title (released by Enix) for the Japanese Playstation game Bust A Move - the name had to be changed in the U.S. because of copyright issues.

Gameplay
Each level is a different song, and like Parappa the player must match keypresses to what is displayed on the screen. Each four-count beat requires a sequence of arrow presses followed by an X or an O on the fourth count of the beat. Each song will also have a solo period, which allows for codes to be entered to obtain a high scoring move sequence. During the level one dancer can launch an attack (called a "Jammer") against the other, but the victim has the opportunity to dodge by way of a back handspring. Playing a level exceptionally well earns a brief "Fever Time" demonstration dance before the next level. Bosses in the game are Capoeira and Robo-Z, and hidden characters are Columbo and Burger Dog. Two-player mode is also available.

Characters
Heat - Age: 19. Dance style: East Coast hip-hop. Attack: Drops a fireball. Info: Formerly a racer, he has not returned to the track because he was nearly incinerated during a terrible accident but made a complete recovery.
Frida - Age: 17. Dance style: California hip-hop. Attack: Paints a vicious wolf. Info: An artist who lives in a shack.
Strike - Age: 21. Dance style: Gangsta. Attack: Shoots a pair of guns. Info: Originally from a notorious street gang, he is now the leader of the penitentiary's dance team, the "Ball and Chain Revue."
Hamm - Age: 30. Dance style: Detroit modern. Attack: Giant crushing hamburger. Info: Once a great dancer, his love of junk food left him somewhat chubby, and he became a hamburger joint employee to satisfy his craving.
Kelly - Age: 23. Dance style: Modern jazz. Attack: Energy from her rattle. Info: Mild-mannered secretary by day, infantilism fetishist by night, and looking for a man while dressed in her rubber baby suit.
Shorty - Age: 12. Dance style: Candy hip-hop. Attack: Avalanche of wrapped candies. Info: The daughter of a DJ and a supermodel, she collects 8-track tapes and plays with her pet mouse Columbo.
Hiro - Age: 20. Dance style: 70s disco. Attack: Lethal autographed picture. Info: Narcissistic John Travolta-in-Saturday Night Fever replicant who works on his computer from home during the week.
Pinky - Age: Unknown. Dance style: 70s Motown. Attack: Killer tarot cards. Info: Part-time stripper, part-time fortuneteller, part-time contract killer.
Gas-O - Age: 15. Dance style: Techno and minimal breakdancing. Attack: Gas chamber. Info: Became interested in science at the age of eight, he now does consulting for NASA and works on a particle accelerator.
Kitty-N - Age: 16. Dance style: Vogue. Attack: Burst of love energy. Info: On break from filming of the hit TV show "Litterbox Warriors 5."
Capoeira - Age: Unknown. Dance style: Updated African tribal. Attack: Wall of energy. Info: Actually two creatures, Kiki and Lala (no relation to Sanrio's Little Twin Stars), whose motions are perfectly synchronized. They are aliens who came to earth to collect Japanese billboards.
Robo-Z - Age: Unknown. Dance style: Techno beat with ballet. Attack: Phaser-like blast from the eyes. Info: A robot constructed by a tyrannical organization known only as Secret X. Appears 50 feet tall on its own stage as the opponent, but normally sized on other stages when controlled by the player.
Columbo - Shorty's pet mouse uses the same attack and dance moves she does.
Burger Dog - Seen working the cash register in the background on Hamm's stage, uses the same attack and dance moves he does.

Song List
Heat's stage: 2 BAD
Frida's stage: Sora to Umi to Niji no Yume
Strike's stage: Power
Hamm's stage: i luv hamburgers
Kelly's stage: Transform
Shorty's stage: Shorty and the EZ-Mouse (American version), Waratte PON (Japanese version)
Hiro's stage: The Natural Playboy
Pinky's stage: I know
Gas-O's stage: Chemical Love
Kitty-N's stage: Bust A Groove (American version), Aozora no Knife (Japanese version)
Capoeira's stage: Capoeira (American version), Uwasa no KAPOERA (Japanese vesrion)
Robo-Z's stage: flyin to your soul

Cultural Differences
A number of changes were made for the game's American release. In the Japanese version, Hiro is smoking a cigarette before each level begins, but this has been eliminated from the American version. Strike drinks from a flask before each Japanese level, but in the American release he is drinking from a nondescript red can; his song had included the lines "go drink that tequila, here comes your cola chaser" but those were removed. Hamm, who is the only black male character, had lips outlined in pink, but they were made plain to make them less pronounced; in addition the word nigger has been poorly edited out of his song. The manual for the Japanese version claimed Kitty-N was on the show "Love Love Senshi Miracle 5" but U.S. audiences would not have understood cosplay soldiers and so the title became "Litterbox Warriors 5." The "Now Loading" screen, which announces the names of the characters about to compete, names "Hiro-kun" in the Japanese version but in the American version it has been cut to "Hiro" - and yet fans still call out "Hiro-kun" whenever he appears. When the vocals are turned off for Kitty-N's song, the music reverts to the original Japanese mix even in the American version.