We Dance – Review (Wii)
Dancing games have a special place in my heart for a few reasons. One, I have rhythm and believe it or not can throw a few moves. Two, my memory of my 90′s clubbing days in Brighton come flooding back and three, I used to have Dance, Dance Revolution and mat on the PS2 to warm up with before necking rediculous amounts of alcohol and gurning like a loon in the Honey Club.
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Likes
- Great track listing
- Good suite of game modes
- very accessible
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Dislikes
- Mat seems like a step back
- Easy is a little too easy
So, when We Dance for the Wii turned up on the doorstep I was a little excited, but nervous at the same time. Father time has not been too kind to me over the past few months and my quitting smoking a few months back has led to me eating a little more than I should, probably drinking too, and ballooning to a weight that made my doctor go home for a clean pair of underwear.
I still know, in my head, that I can shake my arse with the best of them but will my body finally tell me that my hand eye co-ordination is failing me? No bloody way, as my 7 year daughter found out to her disgust.
Due to the new technology on various machines now, like Kinect on 360, there have been a deluge of dancing titles that all operate in a similar sort of way but what Nordic Games have done with We Dance is throw back old school dance title values utilising an eight directional mat and incorporate the Wii’s tech into the mix also by using the WiiMote and nunchuck.
We Dance’s premise is simple and mimicks the very essence of dance games. Up to four players can copy the moves of your on screen avatar as accurately as possible to build up your score. This, as ever, seems simple and timing is always key but the way that We Dance ups its game is by effectively utilising both input devices over three difficulty settings based on how well you can dance.
Starting out with easy level, dancers are required to copy the avatar using the Wiimote and Nunchuck only gaining a score for copying the required movement and keeping in time with the beat. With the medium level, you will need to know your left from your right as your feet are colour co-ordinated and again We Dance will require you to step on the required direction on the “star” mat in time to the beat.
Now, moving your arms on easy is, well, a little too easy and stomping in time to one of 40 classic songs, spread over a variety of genres and different decades reminds you of dancing games from yesteryear but combine the two in hard difficulty and We Dance finally starts to really come alive. Gesticulating whilst moving your beat in time to the beat can be a challenge at times but the choreography to the moves have been designed to create a smooth dance routine with just enough space to put your own stamp on the tune too, if you feel confident enough to gain a huge score which will register on the built in leaderboards.
For those that are finding it a little tricky can be relieved to find a dance school option within the game where you can practice the various components of the song at your own leisure before stringing the whole routine together. The fact that the moves are shown on a grid on screen in the dance school and during the game itself provide a lot of information on where you are going wrong, and also going right and provides a good indicator of your position, something that some of the other dance games around do not share.
Although the 3 difficulty modes and 40 songs would keep you happy, and dancing, for a long time Nordic Games have had the foresight to give you a little bit more for your money. Mini games in party mode offer a welcome break from the more serious nature of getting your moves right and not looking too silly and if you feel like kicking back and taking a break, well you can watch the videos to all 40 songs in all of their glory via the Dance TV Jukebox.
We Dance is a great concept that incorporates old and new concepts seamlessly and also provides enough content to make it good value for money too. There are concerns, however, over how We Dance’s more serious approach would stand up if a game similar to Just Dance appeared on the Wii but with a few mini games to play counteracts any worries there.
Overall, We Dance provides a balanced and addictive way to shake your funky stuff on the Wii. An easy to use menu system that navigates effortlessly between the various modes of play, with a responsive control system that incorporates old school values with new school tech makes We Dance stand out from the crowd. Add to that 40 songs from different genres and decades to suit all tastes including, Sister Sledge, Outkast, Gypsy Kings and Carl Douglas with the foresight to include warm up modes before you let loose and you start to see that Nordic Games have not just tried to jump on the bandwagon but also tried to use forward thinking in how to utilise the Wii and its features to the best of their ability.
We Dance provides a game that is not only a lot of fun to play but also incorporates a suite of features that will provide longevity and enough deviation to not be a one trick pony that is accessible to everyone, no matter how well you can dance.
