With every platform debut, the launch titles are a wide-ranging collection, from the absolute best of what the new technology can offer, to hastily-developed games that make us regret the purchase. And Xbox Kinect is no exception to the rule, with titles ranging from the poor controls of Sonic Free Riders to the fun demos of Kinect Adventures. But by far the shining beacon of Kinect's launch is Dance Central. And it's no wonder it comes courtesy of Harmonix.

Dance Central takes the rhythm genre practically perfected by Harmonix with series like Karaoke Revolution, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and applies it to the genre of dance, allowing gamers for the first time to play without any sort of button inputs. And the results are very impressive.

Dance Central, at its core, looks like most rhythm games. There are prompts on screen, to the beats of a song, and players must try to match those beats. Except, in the case of Dance Central the prompts are a character on screen performing a dance routine, and to match the beats, the player simply mirrors the routine.

The Kinect camera is responsive enough to properly track these movements in real-time, giving the player feedback on the routine, similar to that of Rock Band. Stringing together successful moves increases the score multiplier, and performances are rated on a five-star scale. Sound familiar? Harmonix takes a proven formula and uses it to bring the dance gaming genre a long way from Dance Dance Revolution.

Much of this is presented cleverly on a boom box next to the dancer, displaying the score, multiplier and stars in one fell swoop, blending in perfectly with the aesthetics of the game. Likewise, the characters and arenas all have that over-the-top Rock Band feel, but enough of a cool factor to make even those with two left feet feel awesome trying to hop along to the beats. "Flashcards" on the right side of the screen show the current and upcoming moves, while a spotlight provides feedback and the "Helper Frame" shows the player how Kinect is reading his or her movements.

With Dance Central's "Break it Down" option for every song, inexperienced dancers can run through the routine move by move, practicing each three times to get it just right before stringing it all together in the full version. "Dance Battle" allows two people to jump in and out in a back-and-forth dance-off to attain the highest score, and the "Challenge Warm-Ups" tie together a series of songs for a sort of grand finale for the tier. A "Workout" mode can even be toggled on to estimate calories burned during a given session, and flashcards can be toggled off for the experts.

But what makes Dance Central a true hit is its melding of an incredible level of accessibility and hardcore challenge, similar to what Harmonix has pulled of with Rock Band. Through the tutorial mode, and three levels of difficulty that let players start on "Easy," Dance Central's E3 presentation proves no lie - just about anyone can get involved in this game, even if dance has never been his or her thing. The aesthetics and fun factor are simply inviting, and Dance Central makes it easy to get out on the dance floor.

On the other side of things, seasoned dancers can work through "Medium" and "Hard" difficulties, with more of the game's 650+ dance moves coming into play over more than 30 tracks available on disc (and more via downloadable content). A ranking system also helps entice gamers into some sort of progression in what also works very well as a party game. It is the combination of all of these elements that makes Dance Central the game to own for Xbox Kinect. It upholds the standards set by Harmonix, and uses Kinect to better ends than any other game currently on the market.

Final Score: A