Video Games Review

If the measure of a good dance game is the songs you want to dance to, then Just Dance 3 has that in spades.

If you have not heard of the game, you are not alone.

The first two games were exclusive Nintendo Wii titles, which used the motion controllers to register movements.

But with the arrival of Kinect and the PlayStation (PS) Move controllers, Ubisoft’s breakout hit has finally received the high-definition upgrade and mass recognition it deserves.

Unlike the PlayStation 3 version that has players hold motion controllers, the Kinect version for the Xbox 360 no longer requires controllers and the Kinect sensor now ‘reads’ the player’s entire body movements for scoring purposes.

This means you cannot stand still and wave your arms to gain points, and this is also why the Kinect is the superior platform for dancing games, compared to the PS Move, which measures only hand gestures.

From tracks by Katy Perry (California Gurls), Queen (Crazy Little Thing Called Love), A-ha (Take On Me) to Cee Lo Green (Forget You), Just Dance 3 beats most other dance games with its wide selection of tracks that covers the last three decades and various music genres.

Based on this alone, this Just Dance 3 game trumps Dance Central 2 as the game that most folks would rather boogie to. As a bonus, it also scores well in the dancing department, with its more fluid and natural motions.

Instead of an on-screen avatar to dance to, players see a silhouette and simply have to mirror the motions of the onscreen cut-out.

Like Dance Central 2, the Just Dance 3 game allows for two players to take the stage, but for select songs like Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time, Just Dance 3 allows up to four players to dance together, with a different routine for each player.

All the 40-plus songs also stand out, in that the accompanying videos are all unique.

Venus by Bananarama has the dance character dressed in a bright track suit, while Let’s Go To The Mall by Robin Sparkles will remind TV fans of the song’s origins – from the hit TV show, How I Met Your Mother.

As a klutz with two left feet, I appreciate the more forgiving nature of this game as it is easier to score.

This makes a world of difference when it comes to playing with friends and convincing them to give it a spin.

Each gesture and motion offered in the game also feels more natural.

When four people are playing, there is more fun as everyone is dancing to his own beat.

While I am a fan of Dance Central, Just Dance 3 is an improvement on many fronts.

All it needs now are step-by-step dance lessons for those who really want to master the moves.

Download now: Just Dance 3