Just Dance video and preview (Ubisoft, I be hard!)

Dancing?  Check.  Accurately dressed representations of the period?  Check.  A video of Matt and I making fools of ourselves at iDEF while checking it out?  Double check!

At the recent iDEF convention (whilst feeling physically ill at their representation of F1 racing) Matt and I wandered over to the Ubisoft stand, which was pretty much central to the whole expo.  Being habitual trouble-makers, we saw the potential for some fun.  It was Ubisoft’s Just Dance, which was being manned by some very bored (and very tanned!) models.  I turned to Matt, he saw the pleading in my eyes and gave a nod of ascent.  We then marched ourselves onto the underlit disco-style floor and took up our positions.  After an extremely short tutorial Matt and I were thrown head first into MC Hammer telling us that we Can’t Touch This.  I would love to tell you that it was at this point that Matt and I decided to throw down and school everyone regarding dancing … unfortunately it was not to be.

Now you can dance just like Katy Perry!

In the version available, we had our choice of eight songs (full version will have thirty) ranging from MC Hammer to Katy Perry to The Trashmen (look them up).  A game in which you dance along is not new (Dance Dance Revolution, for example) however they have definitely come up with a much more party friendly style, as is Nintendo’s wont these days.  Say goodbye to the frustrating dance mat and say hello to the advantage of the Wiimote in these games.  Due to there being no mat, up to four people can easily play in a 4′ by 4′ area.  Also, with less attention needed for focussing on a mat, there is much more room for smack talk (“You dance like Joey Fatone! … He was in ‘N Sync … Go to hell!”).

The dance moves scroll in from the right, and there is an aptly dressed character in the centre to demonstrate how you’re currently supposed to be flailing.  The only problem in the beginning was that the screen demonstration faced us as it danced, so we were unsure whether or not we needed to be inverting our dance style (we didn’t).  Once that crisis had passed we had already been soundly beaten by our model competitors and decided that there was only one thing for it … REMATCH!

We  then told our would-be defeaters that it was time for Pump up the Jam by Technotronic and, flush with confidence, set out to win our pride back.  It was at this point that this kind of game’s major selling point came to the fore as a crowd had started to gather around us.  It was being dazzled by the power of watching two men try to both pop AND lock along with the vendor models who had been making themselves acquainted with the game for hours prior to the doors opening.  I found my mind wandering, as I thought of quite a few friends of mine who would find this a great tool to get a dance floor going at a house party.  Whilst my mind wandered, Matt and I had been soundly beaten again (I didn’t ask him where his mind had wandered).  It was at this point that Matt and I walked off with the modicum of respect we still had … is what I would say if I were a pansy!  We put it all on the line and declared once more: REMATCH!

Dressing as the dancer is not a necessary part of play.

We rolled the dice and declared that we would use the song that Family Guy has given some fame to of late, Surfin’ Bird by The Trashmen (B-b-b-b-b-b-b-bird  is the word!).  Selecting this song, I was then privy to the selection process and seeing that you were capable of doing both a 30 second or full length version of each song.  I had to admit that this game, whilst physically oriented, was not physically taxing.  This, I believe, was due to the fact that the Wiimote is held in hand whilst dancing and then basically forgotten about.  No aiming required.  No over head smashes. Just dance (see what I did there?).

All in all, I would have to say that this game shows great potential as yet another Wii party game.  I don’t see it earning the praise of any hardcore gamers, but it is yet another step in making console gaming more mainstream.  A must buy for those of you looking for an easy way to get people dancing at your parties.

Wha…?  Who won the final dance off?  Why, we did, of course.  Thanks for asking.  Our killer moves are demonstrated up top.

Just Dance will be released on the 17th of November in the US, on the 26th of November for other regions.  We previewed it on the Wii at the iDEF Expo.