Home Games Review: Just Dance 2014
Review: Just Dance 2014

Review: Just Dance 2014

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Console: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Players: Multi-player
Release Date: 1st October 2013
Developers: Ubisoft
Publishers: Ubisoft
Genre: Rhythm / Dance
Price: €39.99*

From the Dance Dance Revolution games tucked away in Arcades to the plastic mats, worn down buttons on controllers plugged into old consoles, the ‘dance’ game has been around for a while! So whether you spent hours mashing in sequences of buttons in your room or feeding coins into machines, the advancement of gaming technology changed the way many of us would take on the genre and since the release of the Wii, Kinect and PlayStation Move the market has seen it’s fair share of games emerge, among them, the Just Dance series.
First released in 2009, Just Dance from Ubisoft was exclusively launched for the Wii and it’s sequel, Just Dance 2 released a later was also a Wii only game! Just Dance 2014 is a multi-plaform release following it’s predecessors Just Dance 3 and 4, the series has spawned multiple spin-offs including ‘The Experience’ titles, seasonal specials, so to say the series has been successful is a big understatement.

Just Dance 2014 features forty nine tracks and a free DLC bonus track, multiple modes and the capacity for four players to dance together across selected tracks.

I’m no stranger to the rhythm genre and have been an avid fan of Kinect since it’s release but this is my first time playing the Just Dance series having nearly always opted for the Xbox only series ‘Dance Central’ and owning all of it’s current titles (as well as truck loads of it’s DLC… I was born to dance!) So can Just Dance 2014 sway me from my loyalty?

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Yes… it can!

The tracks available in JD14 range from classic 70s/80s anthems right up to chart stuff from today, Katy Perry, Daftpunk and Lady Gaga all feature in the game. So what set’s it apart from Dance Central?

First off there is a very different style to JD14, the game is vibrant, colourful, energetic and it attempts to create a more realistic experience for the player, opting for a more ‘human’ AI performer to guide you through the moves of each track. That doesn’t mean you’re facing off a super toned dance instructor straight off the set of a Black Eyed Peas video! Each track creates it’s own visuals and while the dancer on screen is your main focus, it’s hard not to get swept up in the background visuals – if I had to pick a favourite it would have to be, ‘She Wolf’.

There are multiple modes available as well, the ‘Classic’ mode returns where players can free dance to all the tracks available in the game, there is a ‘ghost’ mode where you can dance against the ghost of the previous player on the same track to see if you can out-dance them or you can go head to head in ‘Battle’ mode.
‘On-Stage’ mode  allows one player to take on a ‘lead’ dance role while two other players act as their ‘backup’ dancers. There are two exclusive modes available as well, WiiU owners and anyone getting their hands on an Xbox One console will be able to use ‘Party Master’, an update of ‘Puppet Master’ from Just Dance 4 where one player takes control of the game, changing the dance moves and even the song that four other players must perform to.
A second exclusive mode will be available for Xbox one and PS4, ‘Just Dance DJ’ lets players control the actual songs, reworking the beats in each song.
If you fancy taking your skills to the wide world, you can join other dances from around the world and show off your moves in ‘World Dance Floor’ mode.

On top of all that, as you dance and complete songs successfully you’ll earn ‘Mojo coins/points which can be spent to unlock alternate versions of songs as well as increased levels of difficulty.

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JD14 is at it’s element a party game and the sensors seem to be a lot more forgiving than the DC judges! You are tracked, from what I could tell by the position of one keypoint, your right hand (this would make sense considering the Wii-mote is the focal point in the previous games) and everything else is just for show, a really fast show! So you just need to move your hand and your good? Nope, it’s a dance game, you have to move and to get yourself in the right frame you’re going to need to move your whole body, in time and accurately! That might not always be possible if there are four players all moving at the same time and JD14 seems to take that into consideration…thankfully!
My time with JD14 was spent on the Xbox360 and Kinect and from my time on the dancefloor with Dance Central, I can compare them in terms of the reaction and response to my moves… I sound like a villain from an 80’s dance movie… move over Bacon, this is my town now!

So if you’re looking for something to do at your next party or you’ve just got to get up and dance, you can’t go wrong with Just Dance 2014… unless of course you haven’t got rhythm!

Just Dance 2014 is available now for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and WiiU and will be available for Xbox One and PS4 this November!

[easyreview title=”The Arcade Verdict” cat1title=”Gameplay” cat1detail=”Variety of modes available! Forgiving sensor!” cat1rating=”8″ cat2title=”Visuals” cat2detail=”Bright, colourful, everything you’d expect from a rhythm game” cat2rating=”7″ cat3title=”Music” cat3detail=”Good mix of new and old tracks” cat3rating=”8″ overall=”true”]

*Retail price may vary

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