I think that it is safe to say that every person who is somewhat involved in gaming has heard of the Just Dance series. While I wouldn’t call myself a fan, I do recognize the importance of it in the dancing genre of videogames. The variety of dance moves to perform is what made this franchise so successful and fun to play. However, for some reason, Ubisoft treats the franchise like it’s FIFA or Call of Duty, oversaturating the market with countless of Just Dance titles across almost every platform. It seems like it was only yesterday that Just Dance 2016 got released. So what does Just Dance 2017 add to the franchise?
Solid gameplay
The gameplay hasn’t changed one bit, which isn’t a bad thing in this franchise. You mimic the avatar on your screen to perform all different kinds of dance moves, which can be done in several ways. Players can either use motion controllers (WiiMote and Playstation Move), smartphone app or a camera (Playstation Eye and Kinect) if you want the full experience. The smartphone app (introduced in Just Dance 2015) works surprisingly well and is easy to setup. Download the Just Dance app, connect to the network your console or pc is on and you’re ready to go. While the smartphone app is a decent replacement for motion controllers, it doesn’t warn you that performing all those moves may result in your smartphone flying out of your hands. This didn’t happen during my playthrough, but I was constantly worrying about it slipping out of my hand. The smartphone app also only reads one hand movement, which results in you flailing only your hand since that is the only part that can score points. If you have a Playstation Eye or Kinect, I highly recommend those as the way to play this game. Both cameras register your entire body, which means you have to mimic the dance moves exactly like they’re shown on screen.
There are different gameplay modes you can select in the main menu. You can play by yourself,with friends, people on the internet or against the computer AI. There is also the Just Sweat mode (introduced in Just Dance 2), in which the game gives you an approximate number of calories you’ve burned while performing dance moves. New to this installment is the Just Dance Machine. In this mode, you have to perform different styles of dancing in order to score points, which charges up an alien spaceship. While the gameplay itself is the same as in all other modes, Just Dance Mode offers you the most efficient way to learn and master all sorts of dance moves in the least amount of time. The core gameplay is the same in every mode, but it is also solid and easy to learn.
Mediocre soundtrack
Just Dance 2017 comes with over 40 tracks, consisting mostly out of songs that were released in the last two years. While the soundtrack has some good tracks, most of the songs sound the same and blend together. There are no tracks that stand out or have memorable dance routines. Luckily, there is also Just Dance Unlimited, a subscription streaming service that offers you over 200 songs that have been featured in previous Just Dance titles. The first three months are free but after that, you’ll have to pay in order to get access to these additional songs. While I’m not a fan of these kinds of subscription based services, it does give you a wide variety of music genres to dance to.
Conclusion
Just Dance 2017 is a difficult game to score. If you’re a fan of the franchise and have bought multiple Just Dance games in the past, then you can skip this one. Outside of the Just Dance Machine mode, there is nothing new in this title. However, if this would be your first Just Dance game, then you won’t be disappointed. Just Dance 2017 gives newcomers the best it has to offer in terms of gameplay. In short, it’s a good game on its own but it’s nothing special as the next installment of the Just Dance series.
