GameRoks Review: Just Dance
Most games have clever titles, usually barely describing the actual game play. Just Dance has to be the first game that spells out the game play and the content without any ambiguities. You will be dancing and nothing more. No button pressing, no hard to decipher puzzles or hard to kill enemies, just dance. A simple game with simple content can’t be fun… or can it? Being the fair journalist, I decided to review this game in its intended environment, a crazy multiplayer get-together (keg sold separately – we got one). From the very beginning I was worried about the peer humiliation I would have to endure by booting up a game that seemed lacking in substance. Everything about its presentation was bland. Not sure if the graphic department was laid off during the creation of it, but Just Dance was by far the simplest and less eye pleasing video game I have ever seen. But, and this is where it gets real interesting, none of the people in the room complained about it. They were too busy fighting over which song to begin this crazy dance off with. So after, a few confusing moments trying to figure who controlled what icon (I got stuck with the pink high-heel shoe), the game began.
On the screen jumped a colorful silhouette that began to get you ready to dance. The countdown expired and the song began to play. So now we are just following our virtual dance instructor with some meter bars underneath each of our icons. At this point, nobody in the room has a clue as to how they are scoring points, but they are having a blast following the moves on screen. In my game-nerd head I protest such blatant lazy game design choice. I mean how can a game be fun if I can’t figure what to do to score more points? There are no indicators to dictate at what point to execute your fancy dance moves, just some silhouette going nuts on screen. And despite the random scoring and lack of true game direction, the crowd in my living room was having the time and workout of their lives. I was truly shocked to see people who normally bash video-games as “boring,” indulging in the guilty pleasure of making an ass of themselves. Each song was an instant hit amongst the wannabe dancers and after each round of 5 was completed, they begged for more. Can this be the next karaoke like sensation? I personally doubt it, but I was asked to invite everyone again for more Just Dance, so only time will tell.
I don’t know if the great music selection or the ultra simplistic presentation was the perfect formula to salvage an otherwise awful game. You won’t find any catchy animations, no progress stats and no way of knowing if you beat the game. Everything is available to you as soon as you slide in the disc, so don’t expect any gratifying content unlocking. This offering fails miserably in all categories that make single players game great, but the reality is that this game is not meant to be a single player campaign. It was created to be played in groups of three or more, and in this context, this game succeeds in its mission to entertain. So when you head out to the store, don’t pick up this game unless you plan on having more than two people take control of their dance moves. You will be highly disappointed if you play by yourself, but throw in at a party and you will be a hero to toast to.
As I said earlier, there will be no button mashing here, Just Dance. And isn’t dancing just pure fun?
GameRoks Review: 7/10
