Just Dance 2018
Developers: Ubisoft, Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Pune
Publisher: Ubisoft
Price: ₹3,499 on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, ₹2,499 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
The late 2000s was the golden age of rhythm games, with titles like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. In the early 2010s, their popularity was waning, but it was a great time for technology, as millions of dollars went into sensors such as Kinect and the Nintendo Wii. All of these were made for dancing games, like Dance Central and its clones. While that dance was short-lived, Just Dance emerged as a survivor, coming out year-on-year with a collection of songs to dance to.
What’s it about?
Just Dance, as the name suggests, is all about dancing. It’s a rhythm game that lets you match moves with on-screen prompts. You can choose to play single player or have a dance-off against friends or even against multi-player opponents. Technology comes together to convert your living room into a dance floor.
While 2017 was hardly the year of dance hits, a few made it to the roster: everyone’s favourite earworm, ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi. Then there’s ‘Naughty Girl’ by Beyonce, Jamiroquai’s ‘Automaton’, ‘Side to Side’ by Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, ‘24K Magic’ by Bruno Mars and many more to groove to. If you prefer K or J Pop, then there’s Hyuna and Hatsune Miku.
Like last year’s Frozen tie-in with ‘Let it Go’, this year has ‘How far I’ll go’ from Moana . Which is incidentally where Just Dance 2018 shines the brightest. The perfect answer for every parent whose child has just eaten a truck full of candy, with a lot of energy to burn. As the father to a four-year-old daughter, I just kept Just Dance 2018 running, and watched the little tyke dance to sleep.
How does it play?
Kudos to Ubisoft for making Just Dance accessible to everyone. You don’t need fancy equipment like a Kinect or PlayStation Camera to sense your moves. Though it’d be best played with one, you can still enjoy dancing by syncing your Android or iOS device to the game, using the accelerators built in to sense your dance moves. It’s a bit hacky, but it works like a charm. Though there is the very real danger of losing your expensive iPhone X to ‘Despacito’. It also lets you keep your DualShock 4 controller as a sensing device in one hand for an easier time.
Just Dance is a lot of fun, especially for kids, mostly older kids, if you want your sensors to detect them. The dance moves are sort of arcadey, tuned for fun rather than accuracy. I noticed that several times my daughter did the complete opposite of what was shown on screen, and yet the game registered the move. Which makes you want to go to the next song.
Of particular note, the Just Dance Unlimited service is really good. Which is like a streaming version of your favourite songs from the past Just Dances and new exclusive content that’s added constantly. You get three months free and then it’s paid for.
So technically, if you do pay for it, you probably won’t need to pick up next year’s copy of Just Dance.
The game looks the same way it’s been for years. Which is dancing silhouettes in snazzy clothes. Occasionally, the game breaks into Willy Wonka territory, with dancing bears and whatnot. While the graphics may look like an acid trip afternoon for us adults, to kids it’s a barrel of fun.
Should you get it?
Can’t think of any game better than Just Dance 2018 to keep the munchkins happy and burning that sugar high. Sure it has its flaws, and the graphics are a bit weird, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2018
Developer: PES Productions
Publisher: Konami
Price: Price: ₹3,499 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, 2,499 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
If there is one thing we are sure of every year, it’s that there will be another version of games like FIFA, NBA or Just Dance. From incremental upgrades to entire overhauls, these yearly games provide updated content and more of the same fun. Which is exactly what (PES) Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 is all about. Taking that tried and tested secret sauce that made the series an intense soccer simulation, into something much more. But can it dethrone FIFA?
What’s it about?
Pro Evolution Soccer is a serious soccer simulator. Focusing on the technicality of the sport rather than the glitz, which is something FIFA, from EA Sports, really excels at. While FIFA treads that fine line between casual and hardcore, PES is definitely directed towards the hardcore.
How does it play?
One of the biggest and most noticeable improvements in PES 2018 is the graphical quality. With slick detail in not only the stadium, but also the players. Stadiums now come alive with animated crowds and anthems, finally capturing the atmosphere of the sport. Player characters look like their real-world counterparts, and the animation quality is definitely better. With a full body trap control that accurately maps realistic body part movements, like chest and thighs. Also, it runs the same graphics engine as The Phantom Pain.
2018 marks mostly a polish on the improvements over the last few years. Like the Real Touch+ system, that allows you to better control the ball across the field with contextual fielding, so that your player can actively put himself in a blocking position while dribbling the ball. The passes feel a lot more real, rather than the magnetic way passes seem to reach the other player. With better free-kick control, there is so much depth and strategy to sink your teeth into, which may be tough for casual players to get a hang of.
The campaign Master League has a lot in the way of gameplay, letting you play as a manager to a team.
You can also set random selection matches or you can co-op play in 3v3 matches online. One of the major downsides is the functional but dated user interface, that makes you wade through ugly menus after menus.
Should you get it?
For the discerning soccer enthusiast, who wants more out of their game, PES 2018 is a no-brainer, and definitely one of the best soccer games out there with deep, challenging mechanics to master.
The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel
