Friday, October 27, 2017

"Just Dance 2018" Review


"Just Dance" justifies its annual release pattern not only by cranking out fresh music and choreography to keep up with the times, but by drastically adjusting its formula year to year, giving players more ways to bust moves to their favorite songs.

"Just Dance 2018" ups the ante by making major strides in online play. You can join massive, worldwide dance competitions at any time, with randomized tracks that assign you to a crew and reward you for nailing coordinated moves. Feedback is instant and constant. In between each session you see your spot on the leaderboard, as well as your cumulative score. The additions are alluring inducements to keep you coming back day after day to strut your stuff.

The song list is a little light, at 37 tracks, but strong. Of course "Despacito" is there, and there's also Ariana Grande's "Side to Side" and Lady Gaga's "John Wayne." There are also less obvious choices, including entries from Psy, the Sunlight Shakers and Wanko Ni Mero Mero.

Eschewing the need for cameras, onscreen prompts suggest you use your phone as the motion tracker. I am still a sucker for its Xbox One Kinect integration. Despite Microsoft long since having given up on the peripheral, "Just Dance" remains fully committed to its integration, and this is one of the few games -- perhaps the only 2017 release -- that actually sticks to the old "Better with Kinect" credo.

An unmitigated joy year after year, "Just Dance 2018" is, as expected, the best version of the game yet and a must-buy for those who've got the beat, or at least pretend like they do.
Publisher provided review code.

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