16.4.2010

==Introduction==Dance games have been popular in arcades and on consoles now for the past decade. All previous games have relied on the player placing their feet in certain positions in time to the music. Just Dance for the Wii however brings a much needed change of focus to this genre of game, now your hand and arm movements are they key to big scores but does it work or will it just sell thousands of copies to people desperate to lose a few pounds after binge eating over Christmas?==Getting Started==I actually bought this game for my 9 year old daughter who fancies herself as a bit of a dancer. She loaded the game up with excitement, not really knowing what to expect.The first thing the game requests you do is a warm up.This is a nice gentle introduction to the game which is designed to get your muscles working in preparation for the more strenuous routines that are to follow. If this is the first time you have played the game, doing the warmup really is essential as it allows you to get used to the way the game works. In a similar vain to the yoga poses in Wii fit, you have to follow the actions of the on screen silhouette, making sure you keep in time. Although points are not awarded for the warmup, it is worth taking it seriously in order to get your mind focused on the task ahead. The warmup lasts for approximately 4 minutes and you can choose to skip it completely or cancel it at any stage.==The Game itself==The actual game has no real structure or story. It is a simple case of pick a song, dance to it, view your score and them start all over again. I am indifferent as to whether this is a good idea or not. There are however a number of modes, just to add a little variety. All dance routines have been designed and choreographed by professional dancers.Quick game - Here you get to choose a track from one of the 30 plus original tracks included with the game. Each track is rated on a 3 star system for both difficulty and effort. I have found this to be an accurate guide, one which should help you burn off the calories without having to perform anything too complex. For each track you get to choose either a short version of the full length track. Depending on which track you choose, you will find that in some cases the short version is more than enough to get you puffing and panting. Each move you make is categorised as either Great, OK or a miss depending on the timing. You can also perform combo moves which are a series of perfectly executed moves in sequence. I personally, am still to achieve one of these but my daughter is able to pull them off frequently which proves that they can be achieved once you have got over the initial learning curve.At the end of the track, the game shows you the stats of your performance, breaking it down into total score, % great, % ok, %miss and number of combos achieved. It goes without saying that the majority of my moves ended up in the miss section but even so, I was still tired after the workout so I suppose, even if you are not very good at the game, you will still get the benefit out of playing it.Challenge mode - This is similar to quick mode but with far greater configuration. You can now choose your own rules and also choose which choreography you want to dance to. I found this mode useful when I fancied a change but it wont be one that I use often.Last one standing - This is a very good mode for seeing how far you have progressed. You start with 7 lives at the beginning of the song and lose a life with each missed move. When all your lives have gone then its game over and the song stops. You can earn extra lives by completing 5 great move combos. This mode is fun in a multiplayer environment where you are trying to last longer than your family and friends.Strike a pose - This mode again, is best suited to parties when the drink has been flowing for a while. In simple terms, this game is musical statues, when the light is green you have to dance in time with the music. When the light changes to red you have to stay still in whatever position you are currently in. If you move whilst the red light is on then you stand to lose a lot of points. I enjoyed this mode a lot, it will bring out the competitive streak in anyone and the winner is not decided until the very last minute.==Track List==In total, the game consists of 32 tracks. These tracks cover music across the generations so there should be something for everyone here. What I did find a little bit strange is that, after naming the game Just Dance, the Lady Gaga track of the same name was not included. This doesn't take anything away from the game whatsoever but it just puzzled me personally.Acceptable in the 80's - Calvin HarrisA Little Less Conversation - Elvis PresleyBebe - Divine BrownCan't Get You Out of My Head - Kylie MinogueCotton Eye Joe - RednexHot n' Cold - Katy PerryDare - GorillazEye of the Tiger - Survivor (Rocky)Fame - In the style of Irene Cara (cover)Funplex CSS - The B 52'sGirls and Boys - BlurGirls Just Want to Have Fun - Cindi LauperGroove is in the Heart - Dee-LiteHeart of Glass - BlondieI Get Around - The Beach BoysI Like to Move it - Reel To RealJerk it Out - CaesarsJin Go Lo Ba - Fat Boy SlimKids in America - Kim WildeLe Freak - ChicLouie Louie - Iggy PopLump - The Presidents Of The USAMashed Potato Time - Dee Dee SharpPump up the Jam - TechnotronicRing My Bell - Anita WardStep by Step - New Kids On The BlockSurfin' Bird - The TrashmenThat's the Way (I Like it) - Kc & The Sunshine BandU Can't Touch This - MC HammerWannabe - The Spice GirlsWho Let the Dogs Out? - Baha MenWomanizer - Britney Spears==Verdict==Playing this game over Christmas gave me the opportunity to turn my Wii on for the first time in months. After playing beautiful HD games on my Xbox, this game looked very basic on the eye, but what it lacks in graphical beauty, it certainly makes up for in gameplay. I bought this game for my daughter after seeing an advert on the TV for it. I was a bit impulsive and hadn't even read a review about it so I had no idea if it was any good or not. As soon as she started dancing to the first song, it was obvious that this game would be a massive hit. From my experience, playing this game for half an hour each day will get you out of breath a lot more than playing Wii Fit (I haven't played Wii Fit plus so cannot comment on that version) and it is streets ahead of Wii Fit in terms of entertainment. You can play with upto 4 people at a time but logistically, this is impossible unless you are lucky enough to have a massive playing area. We found even 2 players to be difficult as quite often we were bumping into each other.This game will appeal to people of all ages, the kids will love it, parents will love it, even grandparents will be hard pushed not to get up for a boogie. I would seriously recommend this game to any Wii owner. It is great fun which will keep you entertained for hours.

9.4.2010

I think this is great fun. I haven't tried this in multiplayer mode so my review relates to my experience just dancing with this by myself!:)I am not the most well coordinated person when it comes to picking up dance moves so when I first put this on, I was a little frustrated to say the least! However, a couple of times dancing to the same song and I was finally getting the hang of it!It's not complicated in theory and you just have to follow the onscreen dancer. There is a strip at the bottom which will show you what move is coming up next and once you get the hang of using this, you'll start scoring points. There is a decent mix of dances that vary in difficulty so if you find it difficult to pick up the steps,just stick with the easiest ones first (they are rated so you'll know which the easy ones are) You can dance to the full version of the songs or a shortened version if you just want to try it out.If you're looking at this from an alternative-exercise point of view (as I was), I would say go fo it. Obviously with everything on the Wii (sports, fitness etc), you will get out whatever you put in and this is no different. If you do it half-heartedly, you're not going to get much exercise benefit from it. I am reasonably fit and I've noticed this definitely gets me sweating and gets my heart rate up once I'm in the swing of it!NEGATIVES:Just Dance is definitely fun but I think there are a few downsides:- You only use the Wii remote and not the nunchuck so I don't know how it's actually assessing what you're doing with your other hand or your legs for that matter. The game would have really benefited from a leg strap or something to monitor more accurately what you're doing.- There is no opportunity to create a personal profile and have your progress tracked. Anyone who's played the wii sports or wii active for example will know the benfits of having a profile and being able to chart your progress to see how you're improving. This is a big let down for me.- Tying in with the previous point, the singleplayer mode isn't all it could be. If there are no other dancers and it's just you, you always win which is a bit silly really. The game producers didn't think this through very well and Just Dance would have really benefited from some kind of profile tracking.SUMMARY:I've tried dance workout DVD's in the past and found myself just standing in front of the TV totally frustrated because I can't pick up the steps! Understandably I've always avoided dance workouts but honestly with Just Dance I am actually managing to find some rhythm! I don't know what it looks like when I'm 'dancing' but it feels like I'm dancing which is a lot better than anything I've ever been able to do before!! I think it's a good purchase and one that will keep me occupied for quite some time I think!:)

20.1.2010

I just got Just Dance today and had soooo much fun with it! There is a tutorial on this game but I didn't bother with it, it's very easy to figure out what to do. It has a warm up function which I really love which helps you to warm up to a music track and stretch before you start dancing. It has 2 main modes - challenge and quick play. Quick play is up to 4 players going head to head. You pick a music track (this has a selection of 30 music tracks from different eras/genres which will appeal to different ages) and then have the option to play the full song or a shorter version. Each music track has a difficulty and an effort score which I really liked.This is much easier to follow than a normal dance mat/arrows format.

12.2.2010

We bought a Wii in November 2009 about six months after I said it would be a great thing to have as we'd only got a PS2 and were getting a bit bored with those games. My boyfriend brought the subject up again and has since taken credit for having the idea to get one - well he's not about to admit it was someone else's idea, is he?Anyway, I bought Just Dance from Amazon for about £18 and think it was well worth the money. You don't need a dance mat, just a Wii Remote in your right hand and off you go. Now, it's not terribly accurate. You can be doing exactly the same as the character on the screen and it doesn't register but for me it's more about the exercise.

2.7.2010

Just Dance was recommended to me by another disabled person. Dance games look like so much fun but they do tend to focus on footwork, which can be tricky when you're a wheelchair user who has to concentrate just to stand still...Just Dance is different. It uses one standard hand-held Wii remote per person and you can play sitting, standing, or however else you're comfortable. Hurrah! As with many Wii games, this means my boyfriend played it while slumped on the sofa, half-heartedly twitching the remote and suggesting that I'll have more fun playing it with a female friend who actually enjoys dancing, and yet he still got a score.The scoring. Yeah. Let's be entirely honest here - it's not that accurate,

8.5.2010

How do you entertain 8 girls for a stay at home 9th birthday party? BUY THIS GAME!!! What a hit. Using three wii remotes, the girls were able to compete against each other, whilst the others shadowed their moves behind on the sofa. With the lyrics appearing on the screen, the girls were able to sing-a-long as well. I'd been slightly sceptical that they would not warm to the classic dance music - some 30 years old - but there was enough of a choice to enable them to choose songs that, either they could remember, or that daddy persuaded them were worth discovering for the first time.Just a word of warning - make sure you've got enough space: all those waving arms (not always in synchronisation)

12.4.2010

My 10 year old daughter bought this game with some of her leftover Christmas money.She sometimes feels a little disappointed with games when we get them as they're too complicated or just not as good as the adverts lead you to believe. HOWEVER, I put this game on and we couldn't stop playing it. We went through every song numerous times..... love Katy Perrys 'Hot n cold' & Spice girls 'Wanna be'. After several hours of practically non-stop dancing and jumping about like raving lunatics, we were absolutely exhausted and aching all over. This is without-a-doubt much more fun and a tougher workout that wii-fit.Having the lyrics is a great bonus...we were all singing along...If you can call it that.

20.2.2010

I ordered this a couple of weeks ago primarily for my daughter (aged 10) and eagerly awaited its arrival having seen the advert. Great excitement in the house when it arrived and my daughter and her friend put it on straight away without even waiting to ensure no-one was around to watch and laugh - so we watched! It is brilliant!It is easy to follow and the music choices span 4 decades so there is something to please all ages (except I don't like the B52s song - I would have preferred Love Shack, but that's being REALLY picky!). The instructions are simple and the whole thing is as entertaining to watch as it is to take part.

27.4.2010

I bought this game because it looked like fun and I love dancing anyway. I'm a woman in my twenties and spend most of my time at work so finding time to go to the gym is a real challenge. I had been trying to exercise at home and bought Wii fit plus, but found you spent an hour doing a half hour work-out due to menus and the trainers talking etc and I just don't have that time to spare.This game has been a miracle for me because it doesn't feel like exercise (although the gallons of sweat, red face and panting suggest otherwise) because it's just so much fun. There are songs on here like Pump Up The Jam that I love dancing to anyway and other songs which have really cool moves to do in the game.

26.1.2010

First of all a big plus in this - the music is all original, no euro-plop, no stand-ins, but real music. Ok so there are one or two dodgy tracks but in essence it's quite a varied line up with everything from MC Hammer to the Gorillaz. The dance routines are rated for difficulty and energy level so you can choose where to start, none are too difficult to leave you behind and my 8 year old got the hang of most routines after 2-3 dances. You can choose which track you dance to, there's a short or longer version depending on interest / energy level.The game is great for a party or for general fitness, I find it much more fun than Wii Fit and you actually get more involved the more you learn the routines.

21.1.2010

This is an absolutely fantastic game and a great price. I bought it to have some fun at home and to have a giggle. I have only played the single player mode so far but it is great to play on your own and try to beat your score each time. I'm sure it will be great fun with friends joining in too. I like the mix of music and the retro dance moves to some of the songs. The different game modes are also good fun. I like the stop, start game as it is a real challenge to stop when they say to and not lose any points and then join in the routine again at the right point! This would be better with more than one player I think.I bought this came mainly to have fun but after playing it for the first time yesterday for about an hour I discovered it will also make me fit!

27.5.2010

I use this game both for exercise and fun. There are a wide variety of tracks of differing effort and difficulty ratings. You simply select your track and copy the moves and are rated on your performance! There are options to go head-to-head with another person too.I only think it's a shame that the game doesn't have more options geared to creating a workout - for example, you can't select multiple tracks before you start - you have to stop and select each one individually. Also you can't see the track duration or the duration of your session, and it doesn't seem to save your score to compare against future scores.I know the game was probably more geared towards social play than fitness but for a small amount of effort you feel it could have been a lot better.That said,

29.4.2013

I bought this for my wife! However, I love using it too. There are great challenges within the songs and the multi player function is exciting. As a retired P.E. teacher, I was a bit sceptical about its ability to improve fitness levels. I was wrong. It's a great piece of fitness kit. Each song gives a very good workout, though if I was to be a little critical, it favours upper body workout better than legs. There are built-in features so that you do not do too much in one session, which is useful. As the oldest swinger in town, I'm getting to know a whole range of new tunes. The graphics are good and it's easy to follow the dancer on the screen. It's always a challenge to fill up the pink progress bar and and get over 1000 points.

7.5.2011

We bought Dance Dance Revolution based on the wonderful reviews, and perhaps we are not coordinated enough, but it never was a hit at our house. It was too complicated and the kids lost interest quickly.'Just Dance' however is great fun for all - my 4 year old and my 9 year old as well as me!. You only need the regular wii remote and you simply do mirror images of the dancer on the screen.The songs are popular favorites (with clean versions of songs like Katy Perry's Hot n' Cold). The moves are repeated and you can get scores. They are easy enough to begin with, but you can also keep repeating the songs until you perfect the moves.You can dance with up to 4 people and watch a bar that shows

8.3.2010

I got this game to add to my "Fitness Collection" - what a workout! I particularly like "Jing Go Lo Ba" - that really works up a sweat. I did find at times that the Wii didn't seem to be picking up some of my moves even though I was close to dislocating my shoulder trying to make myself noticed. However, once I changed the batteries in my remote, all was fine (actually, it was probably picking moves I wasn't even doing then!). A wide selection of songs - but extremely disappointed that there is nothing from Michael Jackson - the King of Pop (and some would say Dance) not represented on Just Dance??? That's just wrong dude.....Would love to see the updated version whenever it comes out,

Just Dance (Wii) - Reviews

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