Just Dance was the title that blew every retailer’s mind by that fact that they had to order more, more and then some more. There was no real hype to Just Dance; it seemed to be just another Wii dance game. Even after reviewing it and thinking on its release day that it was a really good game but needed more songs, I did not think it would sell as well as it did. To give you an idea of the sales of the first title, it held the number 1 spot on the UK charts for over a month. Most top sellers hold it for a week, before the next one comes along.
Just Dance 2 follows the same principle as the first game. Pick a song in karaoke style and, although the words are displayed, it is not singing you will be doing. Follow the cartoon image of the dancer to build up score by doing to the correct moves. The player will only hold one Wii remote, in their right hand, and the other body movements are “free” in the sense that the game cannot pick them up.
They will only help if you performing the moves in a row and help you not look like a complete idiot moving only one arm to the music.
The game is all about dancing and having fun doing it. I’ve had friends dance with even if there were not enough Wii remotes… the songs are that good at pulling you in. You may ask why one can’t have two Wii remotes in each hand and the nunchuks strapped to their thighs to pick up my every movement of their body. This would be a very accurate but selfish way of playing because only two players would be able to play. The game would also become epic in difficulty with this form of measurement. I can ace songs but getting my legs to go along with the arm movements at the same time is very hard most of the time.
Just Dance 2 starts with a list of new songs that are up-to-date and popular. These new songs still have the element that makes you tap your feet and want to join in – even if there is no space or Wii remotes available. So with 4 Wii remotes and some banging tracks I’m set for some great moves and some great laughs… but Just Dance 2 boasts that there are modes that support 8 players.
The Wii’s limitations are very clear in that only 4 controllers can be used with a Wii at a time. So how is this done, you ask? With turns. Set up the 8 players and take turns in fours or twos in dancing to the song and showing off your skill. It’s a very fun mode that can have teams getting into the music and trying to do all the moves to show off their skills to the other players, but this sometimes has them bumping into each other and falling over. You have my full permission to act like a child and not play with those “clever” people that just move the one hand to get a perfect score; kick them in the shins at the same time if you can… foul play!
They can’t just bring out a game that has more songs – there has to be a few improvements and features. The visuals have not changed much but the changes that have been made are “bright” ones. The hand that has the Wii remote in it is highlighted for the player to easily tell which hand they are supposed to be moving. Left handed people do things the other way so having the Wii remote in your left hand just means you move in the opposite directions.
Easy bidirectional movement achieved with a bold hand.
The animations displayed at the bottom do not trigger in the middle of the screen but rather a little off to the one side. Players of the first one will need to adjust but will understand why this is needed when two different types of moves are required by multiple players. Lastly, the indicator of which player is holding with remote can again be seen with a shake of the Wii remote but a push of the A button will highlight the centre. When you have finished all the songs and only have the mastering of them left to get through, is it time to look forward to Just Dance 3? Nope, connect your Wii online and under extras you can download more songs. They are big but the option to download them onto your SD card is there to keep the music pumping.
At A Glance:
The improved successor of Just Dance, with more songs and features, makes for a great party and a bit of a workout.
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Distributor: Megarom
Platform:
Wii