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Just Dance 2015 Review for Xbox One

Just Dance 2015 Review for Xbox One

I Learned to Dance on Just Dance 2015

I have a video game store just a few blocks away from me that I frequent more often than my wife would like to know. Needless to say, they know me by name there and have a good idea of the types of games I like to play. So when I walked in recently and talked about my newly acquired Just Dance 2015 , I got more than a few odd looks. And the comments… “ Just Dance , huh? Really? I mean, cool, those games usually get really good reviews, and my little brother swears by them, and…” To which I could only reply, “It’s not exactly for me—I’m writing a review on it.” And then the obligatory short concluding “Oh, cool” that really means “Yeah right” made me feel even better.

Suffice it to say, I’ve never really been a fan of the Just Dance series to this point in my life. In fact, until the last couple of days I’d never even played one of the titles. So when I tell you now that I not only played Just Dance 2015 , but I actually enjoyed it, you can be confident that I mean it. Because the truth is, as much as I would love in one sense to only review the games that I know I’ll love, it’s probably better for me and for you if I try out some titles that have no place in my gaming background. Bias won’t affect it.

A few opening remarks about my time with Just Dance 2015 . First and foremost, I did my playthrough on an Xbox One, for obvious reasons (namely, the Kinect). And boy am I glad I did. The “next generation experience” truly noticeable, as the graphics were gorgeous and the music was as good as any album I would pop in my surround sound system. But more important than that, Just Dance 2015 really gave me the opportunity to take my brand new Kinect 2.0 out of the garage and onto the Autobahn for a legitimate test drive. Let me tell you, it flew like a Ferrari.

Just Dance 2015 Screenshot

If you haven’t played a Just Dance title before, it isn’t too complicated a premise to figure out. Essentially, you quickly create a character from a pre-set group of avatars, and move into a starting group of songs that are—for the most people—easily recognizable. Once you select a song that you want, instructions are given to follow the actual artists dancing on screen with your own dancing moves that are being captured by the Kinect. The better you mimic the moves, the higher your score, and the more unlockables (songs, avatars, venues, etc.) become available to you. In a way, it is similar to the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series’ in that players have the opportunity to embody the rock likenesses of their favorite rock/pop stars, and feel better about their “skills” in the process. Only in this case, unlike a plastic guitar or drum set that requires no real musical talent to play, you actually have to dance a little in order to proceed in the game. Don’t get me wrong, the moves are basic and the game is forgiving, but it’s definitely a step up on the realness scale from the video game versions of Simon that most of us have become accustomed to. That said, your actual dancing prowess only matters insofar as you set the difficulty to something that matches who you consider yourself to be. As with all music games, some songs are naturally tougher than others, but the game is ultimately pretty fair in its scoring, mainly due to the relative accuracy that the Kinect 2.0 offers with regard to the players’ moves (or in my case, movements).

Just Dance 2015 Screenshot

Getting back to my driving analogy, one of the benefits of playing Just Dance 2015 on the Xbox One is it allows the player to see and feel the functionality of the Kinect 2.0 as it was meant to be seen and felt. There is a wonderfully smooth intermixing of voice control and the camera/gesture effects that make the actual Xbox One controller virtually unnecessary. Voice control is also a nice addition when players opt to use karaoke functionality, which allows for you to rid yourself of any desire to lip-sync and belt out your favorite verses as you dance to the rhythm. I put it down at the beginning with the expectation of picking it up between each song, but I never needed to. In fact, I didn’t touch it again until the end, and only then because I wanted to see what the game would play like with it over the motion controls (answer: not nearly as fun).

Gripes over Just Dance 2015 are few and far between, and I while I wasn’t the biggest fan in the world of the actual song list (ranging from the aforementioned Lady Gaga to Miley Cyrus and Pharell Williams, with some Idina Menzel and Aerosmith for flavor), I won’t let that affect my review. It would be one thing if the songs were cheap no-name garbage tracks, but these are names everyone has heard of: Rihanna, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, Will.i.am, and so on). The series makes its money putting dance routines to popular party tracks, and this iteration is no exception. Whether you are a teenager who likes to get down to some hot music in your bedroom before homework, a college kid who wants to get everyone ready for the club later that night, or a mother who wants to strengthen the bond between you and your kids, you will find reason after reason to enjoy Just Dance 2015 .

Just Dance 2015 Screenshot

Before people jump all over me in the comments, I did in fact have the opportunity to take a look at some earlier versions (particularly 2014) of the Just Dance series to make sure my review made sense from the standpoint of comparison, and I feel confident when I say that this is more than just a quick expansion pack with some new songs. The visuals, sound, interaction with motion control—all of it feels new and fresh, and the variety of multiplayer options including the “Community Remix” that allows players (even those without cameras enabled) to “coach” the Just Dance choreographies, and the “Challenger Mode” that offers players the unique ability to dance against each other at different times (with one saving his or her dance in the system until the other is ready and able to compete as well). It’s all brand new material and makes the experience that much cooler when seen for the first time.

All in all, Just Dance 2015 is a worthy title for next generation consoles that until now have been somewhat lacking in the game library department. Whether you are a series lifer who has been waiting for this version for months, or a newbie like me who wanted to just see what the hype is all about, you won’t be disappointed when you fire up the game and stand at the ready to match new moves with new tracks and new high scores in the process. Just be forewarned—it took less than twenty minutes as a casual player to build up a sweat, so make sure you plan your wardrobe and company accordingly.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.8 Graphics
Sure, there are other games that show off the power of next gen consoles more, but the visuals here do exactly what they need to do, and look good in the process. 4.2 Control
Solid controls, especially with the Kinect 2.0 in play. The game listens and watches as well as any I have seen so far, and is very accurate in measuring dancing hits (and misses). 4.3 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Obviously one of the main areas where the game butters its bread, the tracklist is good for the genre and the renditions and effects are tight and make you want to keep on dancing. 4.3 Play Value
If you are into this kind of game (and there are more of those types of players out there than I would have guessed initially), the value is high. Party gamers, music gamers, casual gamers…hell, even so-called “hardcore gamers” could have fun with this one if they let themselves. 4.1 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Community Remix: Be a part of the game! With the all-new Community Remix feature, you can become a Just Dance coach who players everywhere can dance along to.
  • Dance Challenger Mode: Never dance alone! In the new Challenger mode, you can dance against friends and family abd top-ranked Just Dance players from around the world.

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