I discussed some levels that I disliked, now it’s time
to end this overall look at the Just Dance franchise with a final list of
levels that I personally enjoy. Mind you, there are few of those from JD2015
because they were all covered on my previous lists. This will contain mostly
levels from JD2016, and a few from JD2014. I had a decent list of levels I
wanted to include here, but for the sake of keeping it to a single list, I’ve
kept it to 12.
Before the list proper, a few honorable mentions:
JD2014: Maria (Ricky Martin), Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A
Man after Midnight (ABBA)
JD2015: Tetris (Dancing Bros.)
JD2016: Balkan Blast Remix (Angry Birds), Born This
Way (Lady Gaga)
Well, no time to waste, let’s jump into this right
away!
|
Dammit, I don't want to like One Direction!
But... that music... it's... so decent... I am... impressed!
Ack! No, that's how they assimilate you! |
I honestly have no idea how One Direction found their
way once again into my Top list. Sure, they’re at the bottom, but they reach
the list! No Control is on the first page of Just Dance 2016, so it’s one of
the first titles a player sees. And it’s a fantastic dance crew level. It’s not
too difficult for someone who just started playing the franchise, and it’s also
a great moment to present the dances with multiple choreographies that slightly
differ for each participant. I have a blast every time I play this level, I
almost cheer when it passes by in the World Dance Floor. That’s the mark of a
great stage. Definitely ranks up there with the better content we can access
through Just Dance.
|
A song to dance to with your father, or your son.
Or with your father and your son, if you're three
generations enjoying video games. |
I wanted to avoid DLC content for this list, because
it’s unfair to include levels you would have to pay for. However, I covered all
good levels for JD2015 on my previous lists and I couldn’t exclude this one.
Papaoutai is that French song that has been a surprise hit all over the world
(and it’s great to play to a French song for once). It’s so catchy, we almost
forget that it’s about Stromae growing up without a father because said father
died in the 1994 Rwandan genocide! Think about THAT the next time you tap your
foot to this ditty! The choreography is great, featuring a father and his son,
often doing movements one at a time as though the two were separated. That
doesn’t stop them from getting together at the center of the screen, son at the
front, father at the back, for an awesome moment where they complete each
other’s moves. It’s just a great choreography and I think it’s the favorite DLC
I ever bought from the series.
|
There are just too many great moments in this level.
A singele image doesn't do it justice. |
Any fans of comic books? You’ll be delighted by this
level. It starts with comic books spread on a table, then the dancer leaps out
from the cover in the center for the choreography. That’s actually a pretty
cool costume too, reminding me of famous hero costumes like Wonder Woman and Miss
Marvel, among others. The choreography itself is enjoyable, with the dancer
swinging her arms in circles, punching upwards… The developers went a step further with the backgrounds, throwing in various references to comic book styles.
The written onomatopoeia shows up at various places, explosion pass by through
the screen, the camera often moves back ever so slightly to reveal the sides of
the panel. The best might be when pages zoom in on the backgrounds and we see
panels drawn in the styles of famous comic book artists like Jack Kirby. I have
a total geek-out on this level! No wonder I love it!
|
That is not the Lion King I grew up with, but it's a Lion
King I could get used to. Besides, who doesn't love catchy
songs about tragic tales of loss and murder? |
Once again, a song that is surprisingly dark for how
catchy it is. “Dancing savannah animals” isn’t exactly what comes to your mind
for a song about a tragic murder in a club. Still, as with any item on this
list, Just Dance delivers with a level that looks great, plays great, and is
overall just loads of fun. No, I didn’t pick it just because it’s got a lion,
although I’m biased towards always picking that dancer whenever I play the
song. What else can I say, the lion looks cool with those Lennon specs. If lions aren’t your go-to wild animal, we also have a hippo, a lemur
and a giraffe. I chuckle at the thought of the motion capture session for this
particular song. Gotta love how colorful everything is, yet again, even if I
could say that for 95% of all friggin’ Just Dance levels. I also love the conga
parts in this choreography, it’s a nice touch, especially since the song’s
genre lends itself to that.
|
Just in case you needed a reminder of the sheer EPIC of the visuals
in this one. |
I don’t know half the names on this song. I did
discuss it in my proper review of Just Dance 2016, though, and spoiler alert,
another song I discussed there will show up later on this same list. Hey Mama
is one of those levels that is fun when you just play it, but fantastic once
you realize all the work that went into it. You mimic the moves of a dancer
dressed like a flight attendant, I think, and two guys in the background.
Replicated to infinity. I don’t think you comprehend the concept of infinity
until you see the same thing repeated to what seems like an infinite number of
times. The camera moves back from the dancers to reveal the two guys behind the
flight attendant, in the middle of a hangar. Oh, and just to hammer in the
endless repetition of these guys, at one point the main crew is on a moving
platform, passing by more floors crowded with these guys. Holy macaroni. If you’re
dancing to the level, you might not even notice them, but thanks to YouTube,
you can. It’s jaw-dropping.
I should probably add that a Just Dance level
featuring a few copies of the same dancer isn’t quite as impressive, unless you
turn it up to 11 as with Hey Mama did with its thousands of copies of the same
dancers. It’s more impressive if you use all different dancers showing up for
cameos, as seen with a dance higher on this list.
|
Why do I want a crown of flowers all of a sudden? |
The original song by The 5th Dimention was very groovy, but also five minutes long, so the game instead relies on
this cover by The Sunlight Shakers, which is shorter. I dunno why, I love this
sort of music, even if it’s as far from metal as can be. The cover is still
really good, and keeps all that’s really necessary for a Just Dance version of
the original track. I might have been a hippie in a past life, because I love
this song and the designs around it. The characters are two women in hippie
garb, and the choreography sees great chemistry between them. Hugs and
hand-holding are a part of it, too, and you all know how much I loathed whole
“Hold My Hand” routines in previous Just Dance titles; here, it’s manageable
since it’s temporary and doesn’t cause problems. Gotta love the visuals that
change drastically between Aquarius and Let The Sunshine In, going from watery
blues to vibrant warm colors, sun in the background and flowers sprouting
around. It’s a damn good level for a damn good cover of a damn good song.
|
And it's hilarious, too! |
Classical music in a game? Why, yes! And it works! As
a matter of fact, it also becomes a shout-out to the physical comedy of silent
films. Two jockeys dance on a race track, behaving as though they were riding
horses. Items come towards then like hurdles to jump on, while the background,
like a green screen, plays a recording that makes the race track feel so much
longer. That’s when you realize that everything is a prop, and the dancers are
actually on a stage. We’ve been played! This one is fun, not very difficult,
and all-around very enjoyable. The comical elements are well present, and I can
attest, everyone I’ve played this song with have had a great time. It’s also
the first time my mother scored 5 stars on a song on her first try, something
that would not ever be achieved again. Yes, sometimes my parents play too. This
is an inclusive game!
|
This is not your system crashing!
It's bound to surprise you at first, too. |
The 2016 edition had a lot of odd tracks, including
the Balkan Blast (AKA the Angry Birds theme song), Chiwawa, the William Tell
Overture, an Irish Meadow Dance, and then this one. The Ievan Polkka is a cheery,
funny song, and it’s sung by Hatsune Miku, which I’ve never really been
listening to. The voice does seem to add to the hilarious, though. To think she
dances on the screen while holding a leek… yeah, this is basically Meme: The
Just Dance Level. (And that’s before JD2018 came out with “Beep Beep I’m A Sheep”!) The background is pretty basic, a series of screens forming a complete
picture and sometimes showing different images. Best part might be when the
track seems to glitch along with the character who freezes on the screen in
different poses, before resuming as if nothing happened. Do not adjust your
system, it’s fine. I love the silly tracks in the series, it’s a nice change of
pace from the ones given to modern pop songs.
|
One of them looks like some metal band drummer, and I like that. |
AKA the only “seated dance” that doesn’t suck. This
one shows the two dancers in a close-up, only torso and up. It’s probably one
of the least exhausting dances in Just Dance history, though. The concept is
simple. These two guys are in a car, a really good some comes up, they dance in
the car. Just the arms and head. Making faces along with the music. It’s the
first time we get such a close-up of these porcelain white characters, and it’s
actually pretty cool – if you don’t mind the slight uncanny valley of these
bodies of utter whiteness, especially when they’re mouthing to the lyrics, and
all that’s in their white mouths is just more white. Seriously though, the guy
on the right is the better of the two. This level is just amazing – not that
the original choreography for Teacher isn’t good, mind you, I just largely
prefer this one. And while it’s a great level, never ever imitate these two
during a car ride, because the driver lets his hands off the wheel far too
long.
|
Why do I suddenly want to go watch Deadpool again? |
With George Michael’s untimely passing in Christmas 2016, early
this year I was interested in revisiting the duet choreography for this song.
Yes, the track that sounds unbearably romantic, yet is about guilt from
cheating on one’s spouse. Of course, as a result of the misleading music, the
choreography for the song is very romantic. Even if it shouldn’t be. A man and
a woman on a lascivious dance, requiring great chemistry between both partners
(making this kinda awkward if played by two people with no romantic interest…).
I’ve criticized other Just Dance levels for this, but here, it truly works. And
while it makes things a little tricky if playing alone, it’s still enjoyable.
You will just feel silly hugging yourself, is all. The level as a whole
breathes that romantic vibe, even if it’s not supposed to be. Really, one of the strengths of Just Dance is when you see levels that combine the mood of the track with dancers that embody that mood and a fitting animated background. It's difficult to get all the parts right, but here, that was definitely achieved. Also DAYUM, that saxophone.
|
Remember: As soon as you start listening to this song, a saxophonist lurks
in the shadows near you, playing along to the track. That's why the
saxophone always sounds so real when you listen to this song.
Saxophonists are great players, but also creeps. |
I talked about it at length In my review, and it’s one
of the shining examples, along with Hey Mama, of the improvements made in the
newer game. The sole dancer switches between a few different models, one which
wears clothes like Bruno Mars’ in the official video for the song. Yet, despite
the model changing frequently, the choreography seams flawlessly. On top of
that, the character is moved around a giant colorful city, with plenty of
monuments visible. Oh, and just in case that wasn’t enough, the character is
joined by multiple dancers from levels in previous Just Dance games in the
background. It’s not two guys
repeated thousands of times, but it’s impressive regardless. It ties the entire
Just Dance universe together, in a weird way. And it’s all over this song,
which is a treat no matter how often you listen to it, even three years after
its release. Would there be a better way to celebrate the series? Probably, but
this is as close as we get.
|
Just Dance Town. Population: Innumerable.
And we hope you like it as much as they do. |
|
This level has it all: Great song, great choreography, great
backgrounds, it plays super-well, it's just the right level
of difficulty... and it's HOT. |
Sometimes, all it takes is a simple song with a simple
level, along with cool graphics. No matter how many improvements the franchise
has seen with time, a fun dance is a fun dance, and nothing trumps that. This
is one of the unexpected entries on the list, even passing by some of the most
beloved levels in the series to steal the #1 spot. “Follow The Leader” is a
one-dancer choreography assisted by multiple dancers in the background, all of
which move in rhythm with the main one. I also love the juxtaposition of cold
and hot, represented by the factory at the back. Cooler colors in some scenes
featuring giant gears, and larger hot scenes with floating particles, lava thrown
upwards, even more gears, and a whole crew of back-up dancers in the dark.
Damn, is it me or it’s getting hot in here? The changing colors on the dancer’s
clothes wasn’t anything new by that point, but it meshes so well with the
backgrounds. The choreography is great, not too easy, not too hard, and very
enjoyable every time I play it. Truly a fantastic example of what can be
achieved with this franchise.
|
I don't get it. We're close to winter in Quebec, there's snow on the ground,
we are below zero Celsius, and I am sweating!
This is too hot. I'm hyperventilating! |
Well, I guess that’s truly all I had to say about Just
Dance. Closing the book on that franchise now. It was a fun time, wasn’t it?
Some cussing, some praising, a lot of music. Really, you should give the
franchise a try, if you haven’t. And if you already love it, more power to you;
keep enjoying it. I know I love it.
Next week… Hm… I really should do another Steam Pack.
No comments:
Post a Comment