Just Dance is a game in the dance (Dance Dance Revolution, Pump It Up) genre, and it allows up to four players to break it down. Each player has a bar showcasing the amount of moves that they have successfully completed, while a character on-screen provides them with further instruction. The number of different tracks that players can enter into is stellar, with over thirty tracks being available for rapid consumption. The different genres and styles of dance music are all covered, meaning that an act like The Beach Boys (“I Get Around”) is present just as cutting-edge music (“Hot N Cold”, by Katy Perry), are here.
The studio tracks are used here, ensuring that players that wore out their copy of “I Like To Move It” (Reel 2 Real) or “That’s The Way (I Like It)” (KC And The Sunshine Band) will not have their mojo screwed up by some nameless band and singer. The layout of the screen during Just Dance ensuyres that players have an up to date knowledge of how well they are doing, while they can easily compare their performance to that of any other player present. I can see Ubisoft coming with other versions of the title in the next few years, as the movements captured by Just Dance could easily be brought over to a strumming or drumming format.
The title does a great job in sailing between the mountains that are Guitar Hero and the aforementioned Dance Dance Revolution without seeming derivative in the slightest. This means that the title is fun, and the wide swath of songs ensures that fans of all ages will be eager to try out this title. Furthermore, Ubisoft has went and done something visionary in the creation of this title, in the use of real-life dance moves to each song. Where other titles avoid realism, instead using foot movements to represent the entirety of a dance, the full-body experience players will have when they play Just Dance will give them valuable instruction in the realities of dance.
Rating: 8.9/10
Just Dance (Wii) / 2009 Ubisoft / www.ubisoft.com