_John Vellenga is a junior journalism major and writes ‘John the Gamer’ for The Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to John at jvellenga@bsu.edu.
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The newest installment in the “Just Dance” franchise, “Just Dance 2014,” combines what everyone has come to love about the series with some new upgrades to remain the No. 1 dance game.
“Just Dance” is the perfect party game. It combines catchy songs, colorful graphics and simple, yet entertaining choreography to ensure hours of fun.
Song titles range from modern hits by artists such as Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry to classics like “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People and “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr.
“Just Dance” has the right song for every taste of music.
While the motion capture technology of the Kinect sensor impairs the accuracy needed to capture every nuance of your movement, it really doesn’t matter. The game provides involving graphics that perform the moves the player is meant to mirror.
This allows you to feel as if you are moving along in perfect harmony with the dancers on screen. The characters you dance along with also add to the overall enjoyment of the game through their costumes and silliness.
Characters include the Genie from “Aladdin” and Slimer from “Ghostbusters.” The game’s outlandish alternate mashup versions of several songs include costumes of giant fruits, a giant panda and even a “Gundam” robot facing off against a cat-eared anime girl.
With the introduction of the game’s first ever online multiplayer mode, World Dance Floor, you can dance with anyone anywhere in the world. This allows players to compete based on different themes — boys vs. girls, crew vs. crew — and track their standings on a global leaderboard.
The On-Stage Mode is another new way to enjoy “Just Dance.” This mode allows a player to take the spotlight with the help of two backup dancers. You can even sing along if you want to, which is another feature accessible in any mode. With the words displayed at the bottom of the screen, it gives players a chance to earn bonus points.
Just Sweat Mode is one area that hasn’t changed much since it was first introduced.
Players can personalize their workouts with custom playlists or dance along with any of the pre-loaded workouts. It also tracks the calories that you burn with a new option to track them in all game modes.
Another upgraded area of the game is Autodance. This takes the moves you perform during each song and remixes them into a entertaining video with customizable graphics and themes to enhance the experience.
With the help of Just Dance TV, you can upload and share the videos with anyone around the world.
“Just Dance 2014” is available for Wii, Wii U, PS3 and Xbox 360 with versions for the PS4 and Xbox One in the works. The new versions will be able to implement six-person dances with choreography for each person involved.
Amidst the game’s shortcomings in ability to track your movements precisely, it is still a wildly entertaining game for parties of any age. At one point while playing, I received a “perfect” score while laughing.
“Just Dance 2014” is what a dance game should be — fun. You don’t need any skills or training, just a few friends and some time to kill.
“Just Dance 2014” receives 5 out of 5 stars.
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