Video Game Review: Just Dance 2014

Ubisoft

Get your groove on with Just Dance 2014.

LOVED IT: Varied track list, World Dance Mode adds to replayability

HATED IT: Some strange choreography

GRAB IT IF: You need an updated dance game

How do you update a motion-controlled dance video game?

It’s the dilemma that Ubisoft faced this year in Just Dance 2014. The well-honed mechanics of the game will never change, because they’re based in simplicity (um, just dance), never meant to get more complicated or unwieldy.

But the modes and the songs can change, so Ubisoft does its best to alter them enough to make this a different game this year. The result isn’t exactly a multiplatinum hit, but it is a solid effort for the venerable dance series.

Get ready for the best library of songs in the Just Dance series, delivering a blend of classics (Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”) and today’s hits (One Direction’s “Kiss You”). There’s a song for just about everyone in your family in this game, adding to the title’s mass appeal.

A handful of new modes also spice up the dancing experience. The new On-Stage mode lets one gamer take the dance lead while everyone else functions in a backup capacity, and while this is hardly revolutionary, it does provide some variety.

Even better is the World Dance Floor, which lets you compete over Xbox Live in dance-offs that are essentially drop-in, drop-out. World Dance Floor is a major step for the series, one that could finally help Just Dance evolve from another party game into a title that can be enjoyable for solo gamers.

Still, at times Just Dance 2014 tries too hard, and this is when the game fails. In several songs, the game ditches classic, easy dance choreography to introduce more nuanced moves, and these will routinely leave gamers - especially children - struggling to appreciate the game.

And at times, you can’t help but wonder if the additions in Just Dance 2014 are enough to justify a full-priced game. If you were happy with last year’s Just Dance iteration, don’t rush out to buy this one just yet. And if you’re pondering going next-gen, sit tight, because the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions of this title may pack more goodies.

But if you’ve never played a dance game before, give Just Dance 2014 a try. At the moment, it’s the finest dance game out there.

Just know that that moment may not last long.

Reviewed on Xbox 360