There’s something to be said for being straightforward. Ubisoft’s Kinect-ified dance game Just Dance 3 may be guilty of a few things, but none of them are false advertisement. You are just dancing.
With its blindingly bright color palette and incredibly low barrier for entry — even for the most rhythm-challenged among us — this game won’t chastise you for not being good enough. Hell, no matter how hard you try, you can’t even really fail out of a song. And being wrapped in this warm, fuzzy cocoon of no-fail puts the emphasis on simply moving and grooving to the game’s genre-spanning 40-plus tracks without much interruption beyond a scoring system and unlocking new content.
If you’re more used to, say, Dance Central’s style of gameplay, know that JD3’s eschews the simulation/dance-lesson environment of Harmonix’s street-crew–style challenge and opts to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jackson: The Experience — a pressure-free game that’s more about just tossing you full dance routines to mimic. And while JD3’s supposed to register your whole body via Kinect, on Easy or Normal, you’ll really worry only about your upper body to earn points and stars for accessing new songs and new mixes. There’s no career-style mode or any real punishment for not doing well, and the rather barebones menu interface has a limited number of options.
Though you can record and upload your own freestyle moves to share them with others, or download other players’ custom choreography, JD3’s content is slight if you’re looking for any real challenge or a true “game”-style experience. But the game’s spirited and silly choreography, diverse set of tracks (you’ll find everything from Daft Punk to Wilson Pickett to the Power Rangers–esque Sentai Express), and all-inclusive accessibility make it a fun go-to for party nights with Kinect.
Publisher: Ubisoft • Developer: Ubisoft Montreal • ESRB: Teen • Multiplayer: 2–4 same screen (local only) • Achievements: Sweaty • Cost: $40
+ Multiplayer is perfect for breaking the ice at parties.
+ Low barrier for entry makes it super-accessible for all skill levels; wide variety of music genres.
- Not much of a “game” per se; barebones presentation with minimal feel of progression.
? Can anyone besides pro dancers really nail the full-body moves?
