Despite the drop in popularity for music-based games like Guitar Hero , there still is a niche demand for home-based dancing games.
Year-on-year, Ubisoft has released their Just Dance series, and now the 2017 edition is here, bringing new music and dance moves for their Unlimited service. You can try your moves from the comfort of your living room.
What’s it about?
There’s no fancy story, and ‘just’ in the title means just, and not justice. It’s simple, all you need is the game, the console and your smartphone. Depending on how well you perform the moves, you unlock more music. The objective of the game is to have fun.
How does it play?
Here’s where Just Dance 2017 succeeds. Dance to tunes like Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’ or DJ Snake and Major Lazer’s ‘Lean On’. There’s even Japanese virtual superstar Hatsune Miku’s ‘PoPiPo’ to groove to. The animation of the semi-live action sort of presentation pops out of the screen and makes you work up a sweat. An hour of Just Dance 2017 a day and you can actually lose some weight.
When you run out of songs to dance to, you can sign up to the Unlimited service, which is paid, but you get a month’s free trial.
The ‘how to play’ section matters a lot though. You will need an Xbox One with Kinect, PlayStation4 with Move or a PlayStation Camera. It’s also available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. To get the best experience out of the game, you will need these motion sensing devices.
Now, if you don’t have one, there is a way you can sync your phone to the game. You can use its accelerometer and other sensors to act as a dance controller. The tracking is accurate for the most part, but there’s the danger of the phone leaving your sweaty palms and sailing across the room. A distinct possibility as one phone almost fell victim to the frantic movements of Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop me Now’. Not a good idea, especially if your phone is a Rs. 82,000 iPhone 7 Plus, jet black. Moral of the story, if you like Just Dance 2017 , just make sure to spring for a proper sensor controller. It’s guaranteed fun.
Should you get it?
If you love dancing, Just Dance 2017 is the best way to get down and boogie from the comforts of your living room with only your dog or cat to judge you. It’s a great way to work out and get your dance moves up to snuff, so you can show them off at the company dance-off.
The author is a freelance tech and lifestyle writer
