If there is one criticism that could be made about Just Dance 2017 last year, it was its real lack of fun, the fault of uninviting songs, less polished choreography than usual and content that's seriously starting to smell like microwaved food. We could then have imagined a renewed confidence on the part of the developers, stung in their ego, but this year again, they have decided to keep their heads down, choosing the easy way and also that of bad taste. Because it must be admitted that in terms of tracklist, there is something to ask questions. Of the 40 tracks available on the slab, a dozen – barely – managed to enchant us, the others being either titles far too obscure to manage to give us a smile, or songs reluctant to chain dance steps. Obviously, all of this is subject to one's own affinities and musical tastes, we are well aware of this, but how do you manage to have fun on Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" or even Beyoncé's Naughty Girl, which are both of them soft at the knee and which do not agree with the festive atmosphere that Just Dance is supposed to bring us? Worse, certain titles such as Big Freedia's "Make it Jingle" or Headhunter & KSHMR's "Dharma" exude an anxiety-inducing atmosphere that immediately makes you want to zap. Even the "How Far I'll Go" from Moana's song is singularly lacking in pep and an inventive choreography to truly rejoice. This has been the big concern of Just Dance for two episodes, which has struggled to find unifying songs to make us want to wiggle alone or with others in front of its screen, without fear of the fear of ridicule. However, the game has been trying to tap into other registers for a few opuses with songs from J-Pop and K-Pop that we welcome with open arms. Unfortunately, this year, Ubisoft took the wrong road by offering us Wanko Ni Mero Mero's "Sayonara", an explosive cocktail halfway between metal and Japanese lolipop that has no place in the Just Dance playlist, either the title is the opposite of what is expected of the game, namely rhythm and beautiful melodies for dancing.
IN TOTAL FREEWHEEL!
It's not just the choice of songs that bothered us in Just Dance 2018, since the choreographies are also to be pointed out. If most of the dance steps turn out to be worked, pushing the player to know them by heart, there is also a lot of waste in the movements, often uninspired and often turning WTF. So certainly, these somewhat nawak gestures are – sometimes – in osmosis with the song in question (In The Hall Of The Pixel King, the alternative version of Dharma, Super Mario), but there is still a certain laxity on the part of dancers/coaches, who give the impression of wanting to go as simple as possible on the pretext that the piece in question is hardly interesting (Daddy Cool, the Super Mario theme, Carmen, Beep Beep I'm A Sheep, Blue Da Ba Dee) or just to kick the ass of the player, as in the alternate version of Side To Side by Ariana Grande Ft. Nicki Minaj, where we are asked to ride an exercise bike. Yes, there are slaps that get lost. But the bad points to distribute do not stop there, since Just Dance 2018 also disappoints a lot in terms of dressing, something that we thought was unthinkable until then. However, it's a cold shower this year with a presentation that often leaves something to be desired and which are more akin to screensavers (Keep On Moving by Michelle Delamor, Make it Jingle by Big Freedia, All You Gotta Do, How Far I' ll Go, Rockabye, Naughty Girl) when it's not a vulgar barely animated colorful background (Chantaje by Shakira, Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran, Super Mario, Tumbum). Not everything is to be laughed at, fortunately, and there are still some flashes in terms of creation. We think in particular of Automaton by Jamiroquai, Footlose by Top Culture, Risky Business by Jorge Blanco, Diggy by Spencer Ludwig, but very honestly, artistic successes are rare in this Just Dance 2018 which thus has a chain of disappointments.
But the bad points to distribute do not stop there, since Just Dance 2018 also disappoints a lot in terms of dressing, something that we thought was unthinkable until then.
Of course, to compensate for this flagrant lack of inspiration, you can always console yourself by going to the "Just Dance Unlimited" section, which is none other than the online store in which you can go in the 300 songs that are made available. The opportunity to find the pieces of previous episodes that have become legendary today. Unfortunately, we find that some songs are missing and that the offer is limited to 90 days before becoming payable, with formulas that range from ten to thirty euros. Suffice to say that if you discover the Just Dance series with the 2018 Season, you will have to take out the credit card to find better tracks than those offered in the basic game. By navigating through the various menus of the game, we also see that the designers continue to shamelessly recycle the interface of the previous Just Dance, which was already a repetition of the episode before and of the one that already preceded it. Suffice to say that at Ubisoft Montreuil, we do not really trample the leg, knowing that Just Dance is undoubtedly one of the least expensive games to manufacture in the catalog of the French publisher.
THE DUCK DANCE
What's left for Just Dance 2018 not to end up in the "scam of the year" category? In truth, not much. There is the "Dance Lab" mode, but it's actually a thinly disguised version of the "Just Dance Machine" mode that was introduced in the previous episode, and which had already replaced the " Showtime" from 2015. The principle has not really evolved, since it is a question of linking the choreographies in a medley of sounds as insipid as the themes proposed: embodying a flamingo, a frog, driving a motorcycle , play a game of tennis, all of which is spread over 8 episodes in total. If the first parts can be funny with several people, very quickly, we realize the very limited interest of the thing, especially since the pieces offered in terms of musicality border on absolute nothingness. The "Fitness" mode, which allows you to count the number of burned calories after each dance session, is still relevant, even if one wonders if there are people who use this option. This year, however, there is a rather welcome novelty: the “Kid” mode. Ubisoft has finally understood that Just Dance is not only of interest to adults and teenagers, since the youngest (between 3 and 8 years old) can also experience pleasure in wiggling their hips in front of their television screen. The developers have therefore personalized the game for our little toddlers with a dedicated playlist, adapted choreography and a cute full dress that will have its little effect with children.
This has been Just Dance's big concern for two episodes, which has been struggling to find unifying songs to make us want to wiggle alone or with others in front of its screen...
As for the rest, Just Dance 2018 does like its predecessors, namely being lax in the recognition of movements, the series being in no way punitive since the idea is to allow anyone, big or small, to have fun without the slightest fuss. There was still this vain attempt last year to make the game more serious, the franchise now being part of the figures of eSports, but Ubisoft has nevertheless understood that the core target of its dance game remains before the general public, those who shouldn't be too demanding in terms of results. On this subject, Ubisoft has respected the rules that it has imposed on itself, since we have managed to chain the Super and the Perfect while sitting on the sofa. Tell you how lax the game is... Otherwise, we always have the choice of device when launching the game. Smartphone, PlayStation Camera and PlayStation Move are the devices offered on PS4, Kinect on Xbox One, while on Nintendo Switch , it is the Joy-Con that are used, the latter being equipped with accelerometers as well. Before leaving you, we wanted to say a few words about the song reserved for Andy tells, the new YouTuber chosen by Ubisoft to try to seduce young people even more. We do not know who wrote the lyrics of the song in question, but its "rich rhymes" lead us to believe that the text was laid down in less than an hour by the first trainee lyricist to come. Likewise, in terms of musicality and rhythm, it's much less refined and effective than the Natoo piece chosen last year. In short, an episode to forget fissa!
