The Black Eyed Peas and their electric-sized beats school me on what it takes to hang with the worlds most successful hip-hop foursome.

Like any music/artist centric product, the tilt for ownership is goes towards the fans. However, sometimes a product is so rock solid that it can defy musical boundaries to recruit new fans. The Black Eyed Peas (BEP) Experience is that type of game; The Black Eyed Peas are that type of band. Merged perfectly between music and dance, this Kinect junction will please the fans while enticing those who enjoy rhythm based games. Famously choreographed and filled with contagious beats, it is hard not to "Pump it!" with the BEP crew.

Before I continue, let's take a brief minute to rundown the Pea's history. The Black Eyed Peas are an “alternative” hip-hop group from Los Angeles, California. Consisting of Will.I.Am, Apl.De.Ap, Taboo and Fergie. The band garnered mainstream success in 2003 with the release of Elephunk, 8 years after their conception. After Elephunk, the Pea's have been habitually busting up the charts selling an estimated 56 million records worldwide. The Peas have 6 studio albums and have been linked to various other artists over the years. Their accomplishments are unfounded; their sound, becoming iconic. It might not be the music your parents listen too, but it is hard to resist the charm of the lyrical simplicity and electronic beats. Even if you are not a BEP fan, you will probably know a good chunk of these songs from the radio or other forms of media like commercials.

All the BEP hits are included. From 'Boom Boom Pow' and 'Imma Be' to 'Don't Punk with my Heart' and 'My Humps,' not one chart-topper has been skipped. Fans, you won't be disappointed. Rather, you'll be excited as you become a virtual member of the Pea's. Strutting your stuff with the Pea's is easily accomplished. To jump quickly into the party all you need to do is hit up the quick-play “Dance Party” option. If you are looking for more, the “Deluxe Experience” is the full-blown campaign mode that will help you learn the moves until you are hanging step-by-step with the BEP crew.

Powered by the 'Unreal Engine,' The BEP Experience looks surprisingly sharp with all the Pea's digitally representing. Each “Pea” has their turn in the spotlight as you are conducted through the moves by an on-screen instructor. The perspective is tilted slightly to the left making it easier to follow instead of the typical obtrusive centering. While some feedback on your actual motions would have nice, I found the tracking to be exceptionally accurate and easy to work with.

The feedback shared with the player is a continuous rating that is broken down into four levels; Almost, Good, Great and Incredible!! There is also an "influence circle” underneath the dancer that shows how close the players are to obtaining the required number of followers (more on them later) to progress. Similar to other dance games you will be rewarded for smooth transitions and the next dance move will be displayed before it kicks in.

The moves are a varied assortment of popular steps from the basic hand-clap to more progressive numbers of expert coordination. After you are done sweating you will be shown a rundown of your masteries that get calculated by an alphabetical grade. It's now when you feel like a star, or a falling one. Although, the scoring seems to give a little leeway, this experience can be humbling. Additionally, dancing can get repetitive real fast because each song progresses exactly the same. Basically broken down into two parts, more variety would have been welcomed. Depending on what you expect to get out of this experience, it could be one that is short lived.

For more on the “Deluxe Experience” (the campaign mode) you will be able to select your own character from a nightclub line-up of wanna be superstars. These avatars can be customized with new accessories as you “coordinate yourself.” Heading into the “My Dancer” selection you can change your character via the normal categories like skin colour, hair, style, tattoos, etc. “style” or in non-cool terms your clothing needs to be unlocked before you can funktify yourself. From here you can also check out your dancers challenge list and achievements.

Progression is handled by selecting an area, a track, and dancing. First you will be tutored until you unlock the right to dance along side the Peas. During this time you will gain follows, which acts like points as you progress up the ranks. Keeping you motivated, the more you play, the more followers you gain, and the more you will get into the groove. For one more twist you can also be challenged by a Black Eyed Pea member directly during a dance. If you are up for the challenge you can unlock new loot to accessorize your character.

Like I mentioned above, The BEP Experience tracking is spot-on tracking. Either scanning through the songs or being perfectly synched while dancing, Kinect is the real star. Stepping up to be a leader in developing for Microsoft's one year old innovation, it seems Ubisoft is learning from all this “Just Dance” business. Furthering this is co-op play that is encouraged with sync bonuses and the ability to add a singer to the mix. Adding more non-dancing peeps can be done if you have a USB compatible microphone. Up to two players can sing alongside the dancers to help the dancers gain more rewards. In my experience, it's a pick your poison type of scenario.

It's hard to think of a better game to merge with an artist. The Black Eyed Peas Experience is exactly that, a tribute to the multi-platinum selling artists who fame is built on their infectious grooves and ability to put on a killer live show. If you're a fan, or just like to dance, you will likely rejoice in the selection of dope beats and Nuevo moves within the Black Eyed Peas Expereince. What you gon' do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk?

Tracking is spot on All the BEP hits are represented Solid production Scoring isn't too harsh Lots of unlockables and challenges Co-op support with vocals! No reflection of your "real-life" movements Formula isn't varied, gameplay can get old fast Singing without the USB mic would be ideal Quote: "If you're a fan, or just like to dance, you will likely rejoice in the selection of dope beats and Nuevo moves within the Black Eyed Peas Expereince. What you gon' do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk?" Reviewed by DowntownJimmy | 11.08.11

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