Just Dance 2015 Review – Family Gaming Everyone Will Love

I’ve always wanted to try playing those dancing video games but have always been too embarrassed to play them in public. I was even more excited to received a copy of Just Dance 2015 for our Xbox One than my daughter. Oh my goodness, this game is so stinkin’ fun!

Just Dance 2015 Review

If you’re not familiar with the Just Dance series, the game features real dancers in crazy neon costumes and in front of off-the-wall backgrounds. Most of these are fun and silly (except the one for Bad Romance is just weird). While you try mirror the featured dancer(s), upcoming moves are indicated in the lower right-hand corner. The maximum number of players depends on the gaming platform you have but Xbox one allows up to six.

Just Dance does not necessarily teach you how to be a better dancer. It does, however, get you up and moving. You can even unlock fitness modes, challenges to play with other players online, and alternate choreography. Parents will be happy to know (or not) that “Let It Go” is one of the songs that kids will love. My daughter’s favorite dance routines are for “Break Free” by Arianna Grande since the theme is a female super hero and “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by the Bench Men since you have to dance like old men 😛 For me, I enjoy “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, “Best Song Ever” by One Direction, and “Walk This Way” by Run-DMC & Aerosmith even though it’s fairly hard.

There is a variety of music genres included in Just Dance 2015 but most of the songs are current pop songs. That was fine for us as those are best known to my teen daughter and her friends. Some songs, in my opinion, are not family-friendly (such as Bang-Bang, 4×4, I Love It, and She Looks So Perfect) with a few including bleeped out cuss words. Fortunately, there’s enough variety that you can get along just fine if you avoid those. Additional songs can be purchased for $1.99 or $2.99.

Just Dance 2015 – Best on Xbox One with Kinect

While Just Dance 2015 is available for Wii, Wii U, Kinect for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, I personally feel that you’re missing out if you play on anything other than an Xbox One with Kinect (probably also PlayStation with a camera but we haven’t tried this).

The absolute most fun feature of Just Dance 2015 for the Xbox One with Kinect is the recorded video. Yes, the Kinect actually records you while dancing and plays it back. But it doesn’t just play back the video normally. No, just specific bits are included and they are sped up and repeated to match the music. If desired, you can even save or share the clips. We have had tons of laughs with these recordings and it’s been a nice way to reminisce when friends come to play.

The Kinect tracks each player fairly well but can get confused once in a while when players change spots. You do need a good amount of room if you want 3+ players to play at the same time. Expect silliness and multiple accounts of bumping into each other. We LOVE not having to use any controllers! The karaoke portion doesn’t really track accurately as the Kinect tends to pick up the tv’s audio.

Just Dance 2015 – A “Must Have” Family Game

In just a few weeks, Just Dance 2015 has brought so many fun times. It’s a great way for the family to do something active together, which is especially important during these seasons when we’re forced to stay inside more. All ages and dance levels will have a blast playing Just Dance 2015. I can’t wait to see what additional songs they will make available for download!

Game download provided for review, part of my participation as an UbiStars official blogger for Ubisoft titles. All opinions are my own.