What separates one dance game from another? I've looked at five new titles for the Kinect (supplied by their publishers) launched for the 2011 holiday season and found that while all had something to offer - none were complete bombs - many suffer from what I call Macromediocrity.
This unfortunate condition results when a game designers think they can make a "new" game by slapping on different licensed characters to a programming toolkit for a particular game genre without focusing on how many times its been done before, without sufficient regard to content, value, or target market. It is a cynical practice, one that nearly killed the eduatainment genre when hundreds of "abc 123" games (written with a toolkit from Macromedia, now known as Adobe) flooded the market. These disks were nearly identical, save for the character on the box, each reusing the same games over and over again.
Kids were bored, parents got hip, and the idea that learning could be fun and helpful on a PC practically died on the vine.
Now, everyone has a dance package, thanks to the ubiquitous toolkit for Microsoft's Kinect. Developers rushing games to market rely so heavily on Microsoft's tools that they sometimes forget to customize their game to the particular demographic they are aiming at. As always, games for young players (who need the most help) often get the smallest production budget. Consequently, programs for kids are often lacking in age-specific play value. Let's see how this plays out in dance games 2011.
Dance Central2 (Harmonix)
Is it any wonder that the company that gave us the Rock Band franchise delivers a nearly perfect dance experience? However, you should be aware of one big caveat: if you're considering Dance Central for your family, remember that it is rated "T" for "adult" lyrics. If you're thinking about dancing 'round the Christmas Tree, consider the audience and content.
The premise for this and nearly all dance games, is that you copy the moves of the dancers on screen, hitting their moves on the beat as the Kinect watches and evaluates your steps. From that basic premise DC2 generates hours of sweaty fun as you play solo or with another player. The game makes it easy to jump into the action: Just make yourself visible to the Kinect, raise your hand and you're in!
Kinect integration is more complete in this game than any of the other dance titles. Not only is motion detection excellent, but voice control is also integral including the ability to set difficulty by simply talking to the console.
Beyond dancing against your friends and the console generated characters, there are special modes that make the game a must-have including a "fitness mode" that counts calories as you dance.
One of the things that sets this game apart from the others is the "break-it-down" mode, which lets you work through the routines step-by-step. You can even issue voice commands while in this mode, to make it easier to skip to the part that is giving you trouble and even slow it down while you practice. The game even has enough smarts to track areas that you need to focus on.
Downloadable songs, one of the hallmarks of the Rock Band line, are also front and center here. You can add new music to the game via Xbox Live for an additional fee.
You don't actually see yourself dancing most of the time. Instead the quality of your moves are reflected on the animated character on the screen. However, at certain times in a dance the camera will capture you in a sort of psychedelic mode and then play back your moves in speeded up stop-motion, a la Benny Hill.
Still, the game has a few limitations: You can only have two people dancing at a time; Just Dance 2 by contrast tracks four players. Also, there is no on-line player vs. player.
Regardless, with an excellent playlist, tremendous user interface, and downloadable content, Dance Central is clearly the (teen and adult) dance game to beat.
Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft)
Oh no they didn't! Ubisoft throws down the challenge to Harmonix with the latest version of Just Dance rated E+,. With the ability to score four players at once, this might be the best slumber party game ever! Unlike the Dance Central 2, an image of what the Kinect is seeing when it watches you is always on the screen, so you can see (and adjust) for the device and learn from your mistakes. I also love the "create your own" dance mode which puts you in the role of choreographer. Like Dance Central, there is also downloadable content and a fitness mode. A fun touch is that the game sometimes puts you in a virtual disco, so that you can see yourself dancing in various settings.
Let's Cheer (2K Play) Let's Cheer was a surprise hit with our testers. The game mixes the game mechanics of dancing with the fantasy of becoming a star cheerleader. Instead of a dumbed down dance game, we get a title that goes beyond. In some cheers, for instance, learning the moves isn't enough; you have to shout out the words as well! The game does a good job of allowing for the skills and coordination of girls.
The game doesn't berate you, it encourages girls to practice and develop confidence as you move up from local rallies to state and national competitions. Ultimately, it is the game's blend of skills and fantasy that makes this more than just a dance game.
If you've got a girl whose dreams of "growing up" include a stop on the cheerleading squad, this is a perfect holiday gift!
Nickelodion Dance (2K Play) The idea of Dora, the bilingual, animated star of Nickelodian was at one time an inspiration: Not only was she cute, vivacious, and inquisitive, her ability to seamlessly move from English to Spanish encouraged kids to learn a second language themselves even as they were watching a cartoon.
While there is a smattering of Spanish in this game, it is little more than an ornamentation. A few "excelentes" does not make for a bilingual game. Dora games could really do something about Spanish literacy if only a bit more effort was made to include this kind of content and make it integral to the game.
Likewise, the designers missed an opportunity to teach using the music. For generations, kids have learned the body parts in French by singing Allouette and pointing to the parts of the body as they are named. Yet here, the dance has nothing to do with the words.
On the positive side, the playlist of over thirty TV, classic and pop tunes, will appeal to kids enamoured of all things Nick. On easy mode the game is forgiving of mistakes, which is a good thing, because there is no practice mode.
As a parent, you're going to be irritated by the sing-songy, grating way Dora and company yammer at you. Every time a song is played you get the same instructions to follow along like you're looking at a mirror. By the tenth time you've heard the same instructions you and your child are likely to want to change the channel.
The dances are also fairly fast; there is no way to slow things down.
The overall impression is that the designers kludged the Dora license manual with the Kinect API and threw this one out the door without enough customization for the age group it aims to entertain.
Nevertheless, if you have a child that is a Dora fan, and could use some "get-up-off-the-couch-and-move" fun, you could do worse.
Just Dance Kids 2 (Ubisoft)
Just Dance Kids 2 is aimed at tweens who might not love the idea of being called "kids". However, the moves here are decidedly teen-like, so much so that you may be shocked. "Not for any five year old I know and love", I thought as I watched testers play it.
The music is directed at tween girls, a mix of pop songs (Whip My Hair) and Kids TV show songs. Songs that you might think of as for younger kids (the Hokey Pokey, for instance) are still done by tween girls at parties, and they figure prominently here, too; though our tweens scoffed at "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes".
The choreography is challenging; again aimed more at tweens than younger kids, though with practice (and easier settings) the game can work for elementary school kids if the choreography isn't too racey for you. One thing missing here, is a rehearsal mode to help you build up confidence.
Overall, it seemed like the grown-up engine for Just Dance had been "resurfaced" rather than "redesigned" with younger players in mind. One nice feature, however, is that the dances feature real kids, not animations. This inspires an "anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better" rivalry between kids and their virtual opponents that encourages them to keep dancing. Designed for up to two players, the game gives a good workout, and our users particularly liked the ability to record their own dance videos. There are songs in English, French, German and Spanish. Parents complained that the music, particularly that between dances was too frenetic, but weren't your parents always telling you to turn the music down?
