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‘Just Dance 2019’ expands the content of classic franchise

Disclaimer: This game was played on a PS4 using smartphone  controllers. This copy of the game was provided by the developer for  review purposes.
 

Even though I had relatively low expectations for Just Dance 2019,  I was still quite excited to play it. I am definitely a fan of dance  games and was hoping for nothing more than an “expansion pack” to  previous Just Dance games with new and current songs. In some  ways, this game definitely surpassed my expectations, but had some major  flaws in gameplay that were definitely disappointing. However, it  definitely fulfilled its purpose as a party game and had a lot of fun  content that is enjoyable for fans and casual players alike.

 


Smartphone control is a good concept that flops in reality

Image provided by Ubisoft

The idea of creating a smartphone app that players could use as  controllers, eliminating the need for motion controllers like  PlayStation Move, seems like a strong and bold move on Ubisoft’s part.  In theory, it definitely makes sense, as basically anyone buying this  game has a smartphone and can therefore play. However, getting the  smartphones to connect to the game and stay connected proved to be  extremely problematic. Of course, it should be acknowledged that this  may have been partly due to bad Wi-Fi and not solely an issue with the  game itself, however, the amount of trouble that it caused indicated  that it would definitely be a problem for other players. The controllers  would disconnect from the game extremely often; in fact, one of our  players couldn’t even make it through a full song with his. This was a  huge problem because we ended up spending about half of our time  actually enjoying what the game had to offer and the other half just  trying to reconnect to the game. Even then, we could usually only get  one or maybe two of our controllers to stay connected at a time.

Even without the connectivity problems, it was easy to disconnect by  user error as well. If, while dancing, you accidentally pressed the  wrong button on your phone, you would be disconnected either partially  (meaning you just had to re-open the app) or fully (meaning you would  have to reconnect your device). Additionally, if you exited out of the  app between songs to check on a notification or use another app, you  would be disconnected and have to connect your device again. Players  also need to be careful not to accidentally throw their phones while  they’re dancing, which may sound silly, but it did happen. Make sure you  have a good case and a firm grip when using smartphone controllers.

However, when the smartphone controllers were working, they were  surprisingly good at capturing motion. I was concerned that these  controllers would only vaguely capture motion, making the game easy to  cheat by just shaking the phone without really playing. However, the  scores were mostly accurate in their reflections of how well players  were doing. Players could shake the phone and still get mediocre scores,  but to do well, the game made it necessary to actually participate and  play the game properly.

Diverse array of content

Image provided by Ubisoft

One of the strong suits of Just Dance 2019 was definitely the  amount and variety of content it contained. There were different game  modes, including a mode specifically for kids that had nursery rhymes  and children’s songs, a “sweat mode” that helped track how many calories  players burnt while dancing, and a playlist mode where the game makes  playlists based on previous gameplay and players can make their own  playlists.

Not only did the game modes make the game’s content more diverse, but  the song list had a wide range of different music types. There were  current songs, as expected, but also songs from old games, and songs  covering just about every genre. Ubisoft had definitely taken the time  to ensure that they had enough differing songs that anyone who looked at  the menu would be able to find at least a few recognizable songs no  matter what their music taste was. Additionally, there is a subscription  available for purchase that contains over 400 songs, which is a huge  addition to the already large and varied catalogue. The visuals were  also more diverse than in previous Just Dance games; while past games have only featured the Just Dance characters as on-screen prompters, Just Dance 2019 used these characters along with actual dancers for some songs and even a claymation character in one instance.

Good party game fun

Image provided by Ubisoft

Just Dance 2019 was definitely intended to be a party game,  and to that end, it definitely succeeds. When the game is working, it’s  very fun not only to play, but also to watch. It’s a good dance game,  and it works with up to six players, making it easy to play in a  sizeable group setting. It also sets a good party atmosphere with upbeat  background music in the menus, energetic and aesthetically pleasing  visuals, and a fun energy overall. However, this definitely is not a  game that a player would necessarily play solo unless for fitness  purposes or even come back to with much frequency, which is something to  consider before investing in it. Although it offers more content than  some previous Just Dance games, it is overall quite similar to older versions that can be purchased for much less than this particular game.





Images: Ubisoft

Featured Image: Ubisoft

Video:
Directed by: Emily Reuben
Camera: Jeremy Rogers 
Editing: Emily Reuben
Graphics: Emily Reuben
Review Team: Tanner Kinney, Jack Gillespie, Trevor Sheffield, and Emily Worrell

Game Footage from Youtube User: Just Dance “Just Dance 2019: Official Song List – Part 1 [US] ”

Music: “All You Gotta Do (Is Just Dance)” Performed by The Just Dance Band © 2017 Ubisoft

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