My sister introduced me to the Just Dance games for the Wii last year with the purchase of the original Just Dance. We would all crowd into her living room and boogie down to the Spice Girls’s Wannabe, Baha Men’s Who Let the Dogs Out?, and Reel to Reel’s I Like to Move it. So when I was given an opportunity to test and review the newest edition, Just Dance Summer Party, I was excited to have a copy of my own.
Just Dance Summer Party features the extra songs that were previously digital downloads unlocked or bought when using Just Dance 2. There are a variety of genres to groove to and all you need is a Wii remote, a clear space and the ability to let loose. Since I am not a strong dancer I always worry that I am going to look silly. With Just Dance the upbeat songs soon made me forget that I have two left feet and that my go to dance moves are from circa 1992.
The game is fun alone; I have been popping it into the Wii a couple mornings each week and use the Just Sweat option as my cardio for the day. There are three gaols and the competitive part of me is enjoying trying to fill mu daily sweat quota. For the ‘regular’ gaming option I can keep score based on the amount of correct moves and score for power moves. So far my high is 8811. Yeah. I’m hot.
With a group its just as fun. Playing with my daughter I am encouraged to keep up my high score, complete the moves and sing and dance. Just make sure you have enough space around you so that other players won’t get accidentally elbowed.
Play:
Up to four players can be scored at the same time while holding Wii remotes. The songs can be selected or there is an option to Just Sweat and have the songs run on a random continuous loop. There are options for full versions of the songs or shorter lung friendlier versions. As I said before, I had a some difficulty following all of the moves my first time playing but with more practice I was able to score higher and follow the moves better.
There is an option for a Dance Crew Face-Off in which you can make up a four person crew to battle friends. This feature will allow up to eight people to play. There are two person choreographies so you can dance with a partner and I love that the lyrics are on the screen. I can sing along with Kung-fu Fighting and FINALLY know the correct words to Estelle’s American Boy
Below is a video that my sister shot of The Bee and myself doing Maniac. Excuse her guffaws.
Nitpicky things:
The moves:
Some of the moves were difficult for me. Katy Perry’s Fireworks had me frustrated but after a few times doing it I was able to follow along more or less. It was difficult hitting the ‘gold’ moves. It seemed that no matter how much I tried I was always off and missed the points.
The ‘Wow’ factor of the music.
There are only a few songs that I knew when I first played the game. While there are a variety I was not immediately wowed by the listings. After a few attempts with the game I grew to enjoy the music but there was no immediate excitement like I had for the proposed list of songs for Just Dance 3.
Scoring:
Players are scored on the correct number of moves. To do the moves, players mirror the onscreen dancer. I dutifully followed the moves but my tween quickly realized that she could sit and shake her controller and score. Her loss but I found that I just worked that much harder to beat her “victories.”
The AMOUNT of songs.
I would have loved to have a few more songs. My daughter and I have played and played the game several times and while I am still trying to learn the moves, she is ready to move on to the next thing. There are twenty three songs and after playing for a few days she said she was going to alternate with other versions of the game.
Overall:
I enjoyed playing and for see a game day at work. Its a great group activity that encourages spirited competition and movement. The songs and moves are mostly kid friendly; there are lots of hip moves and gyrations but nothing too inappropriate.
I’d recommend this game and say let loose and have fun. To get your own check out Amazon.com, visit a local Toys R US or stop by your local library (total self promotion!) for a game day.
Getting my dance on,
-r
Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this UbiChamps blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.
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