Henry Walker
Harrison Drama Club crew doing Just Dance
If you’re looking for another game to dominate your friends and family in, and you have an affinity for movement, Just Dance might be exactly what you want! You may not have played it for a while, but it is totally breaking out again.
Just Dance is a fun, interactive Ubisoft game that came out first on the Nintendo Wii and evolved onto most other gaming consoles (including but not limited to PlayStation 2, 4 and 5, Xbox 360, Xbox 1, Xbox X/S, and most VR consoles). At the time it came out, the Wii was one of the only motion-controlled consoles of its kind.
Before the Wii, there was the Sega Activator (1993) and the Nintendo Power Glove (1989). While both seemed like exciting ideas, they were poorly executed and “…only a handful of games were compatible with [them]”, according to SDLC Corp. The Nintendo Wii came out in 2006, and it set the grounds for countless motion controlled consoles and games. The Wii itself was better made, but what made it truly effective were the games designed specifically for the console. When the Sega Activator and Nintendo Power Glove were made, there weren’t many games that were compatible with the technology, deeming them practically useless.
The Wii, however, was precise and had games tailored exactly to the console itself to best utilize the technology. Wii Sports were some of the first motion-based games released on the Wii, designed to attract players who weren’t typically drawn to video games. The Wii Sports featured games included boxing, baseball, bowling, tennis, and golf, which used the Wii’s unique technology to create fun interactive fitness games for those less inclined to sit down and play an actual video game.
Just Dance was released first on the Wii in 2009, just three years after the Wii itself had been introduced. Since then, a new edition has been released every year (except 2013, for some reason). Just Dances 1-4 are labeled as such, and editions made from 2014 to present day are named after the year they came out. Just Dance has also came out with some mini-series, including Summer Party and Just Dance Wii-U, and Yo-Kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special.
A poll taken here at Harrison shows that 84.2% of your peers have played Just Dance, and of those 16 currently released editions of the game, there’s a three-way tie for which students find to be the best. The tie is between Just Dance 4, Just Dance 2014, and Just Dance 2015. (My personal favorite is Just Dance 2019, but literally no one voted for it.)
Just Dance 4 features songs such as “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5, and more One Direction than I personally care for. Songs like “Starships” by Nicki Minaj and “Where Have You Been” by Rhianna can be found on Just Dance 2014; and Just Dance 2015 includes “Let It Go” by Idina Menzel, “Happy” by Pharell Williams, and the iconic “Macarena” by The Girly Team.
Most of the reasons behind these choices are based around nostalgia and good memories, showing that Just Dance is a game that brings people together. And gives you a chance to show off your awesome moves!