Just Dance 2016
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Just Dance 2016
Just Dance is the sort of title that most players will already have feelings about. For some, this game is their worst nightmare, being the centre of attention and dancing in front of a room full of people is a very different experience to sitting down for a night of snacks and shooting things. But this game isn't aimed towards that audience.It may not have ground-breaking graphics or a heart-string tugging storyline, but that doesn't matter. It achieves its purpose extremely well, allowing people to spend a night in together and have a great time. The soundtrack and the new features introduced this time around make Just Dance 2016 the definitive version of the series so far, meaning that it would be a great time for newcomers to the franchise to jump aboard, and also worth it for serious players from last year to upgrade.The Just Dance Unlimited Premium package seems a little stingy compared to other recent music releases such as FreeStyleGames' Guitar Hero Live, which doesn't force you to spend a penny, but other than that this is a very strong party game which does the job of being fun.
Just Dance 2016 is best when playing with friends and family, but it's no more than a mild improvement on the last.
Despite my qualms, I had fun playing Just Dance 2016 -- but then again, it's hard not to. It's still a favored party game and one that has almost perfected the fun-for-all game model. Heck, it's reached a point where it's thrown in some mediocre new modes and a subscription model just to keep itself fresh, so in some cases you can call this a success. However you can also say that Just Dance is a dying breed, one that is taking its last breath to capitalize on the streaming craze that's enveloped our little gaming world. I say we don't think about it too deeply, and just dance.
All in all, Just Dance 2016 is the same Just Dance that millions of party people in varying levels of enthusiasm and sobriety have enjoyed for seven iterations now (not counting the multitude of spin-offs). Nothing's really changed there. What has changed, though, is how badly Ubisoft wants to get in your phone, your living room, and your wallet.
Just Dance 2016 is a one trick pony and if you have beers and friends, or children who need to be entertained, it's a great way to spend a few hours. As a solo game it's a bit dull and you do start to notice that the tracking of your dancing is dubious to say the least. It's also somewhat of a half-way house between a full release and a subscription service, and behind the pumping beats of Lady Gaga you can hear the sound of the bottom of a barrel being scraped as superfluous new modes are added to the game and cheap cover versions are used.
Fun but flawed, Just Dance 2016 is wildly entertaining with family and friends and offers instant pick-up-and-play appeal, but it needs a serious rethink in terms of its scoring system, track list and identity if it's to continue to be a success.
Just Dance 2016 is great fun for people of all ages, and is an excellent game among friends. The tracklist is diverse and the dances are crazy, and the addition of using a phone as a controller is the best idea that the franchise has had in a while. It's got replayability, variation, and – most importantly – fun in spades. We don't think that we can make this any more clear – this game Derules.
