Just dance 2014 is the upcoming arcade dance simulation game that is currently in development under Ubisoft (Splinter Cell and Assassins Creed), it is currently set to be the fifth installment in the already massively popular Just Dance series which first launched in November of 2009 and has since become one of Ubisoft’s most financially successful video game franchises.
On October 1st, 4th and 8th 2013, Just Dance 2014 was released on all current generation consoles (Wii, Wii-U, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) and is also scheduled as a release title for the upcoming next gen consoles, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
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The development cycle for the Just Dance series of games has remained largely unchanged since the first game in the series arrived in 2009, since then the games successful mechanics have seen little need for innovation and only minor tweaking, putting an emphasis on gameplay refinement rather than changing a winning formula. Players have been expecting a considerable jump forward in the games overall responsiveness and ability to better recognize player inputs thanks to the technological leaps made with the new Kinect Sensor and PlayStation 4 Eye.
This will give the game a much better degree of recognition when it comes to reading body movements, which are of course the central focus of the game. First announced during the Ubisoft press conference at E3 2013, this latest entry into the dance-centric series is also going to be the first Just Dance game to have a year following the title, rather than a number, with the last game being titled Just Dance 4, which was gifted with the 2013 Kids’ Choice Award.
Similar to all the previous Just Dance games in the series, the players’ goal is to mimic an on screen counterpart as they dance their way through a predetermined dance routine, to a song of their choice. The better the players’ synchronicity with this digital double and their entourage of backup dancers, the higher the score earned. Regardless of which console you purchase the game on, you will still have access to the “Classic” free dance game mode, wherein you choose a track that you want to dance to, and the computer AI generates a dance routine for you to follow. One of the newer gameplay modes, “On-Stage Mode” enables a new multiplayer focused dancing game.
Player one takes on the role of the main act, performing their dance routine as per usual, whereas players two and three fulfill the role of backup dancers performing their own separate routine which is designed to complement the first. If players have enabled Ghost Data recordings, then players can compete against each other’s digital counterparts,(similar to how racing games allow players to compete against ghost copies of their fellow players for a higher score) effectively creating a “dance of” scenario.
An exclusive game mode that’s reserved for the Nintendo Wii U and Xbox One versions of the game is an updated model of the “Puppet Master Mode”. In Puppet Master Mode, one player can choose to alter the game’s rules, current playing track and dance moves for the other 4 players. This is accomplished through the Wii U’s gamepad touch screen, and the Xbox One’s accompanying app “Xbox SmartGlass” as part of Microsoft’s second screen initiative.
Thanks to the powerful new Kinect Sensor, the Xbox One version of the game will be able to support up to six players at once. For consoles that support microphone add-ons, there is also a karaoke mode in the game. Players are scored on whether or not they sing the right notes in the right key, but due to voice recognition limitations, they are not penalized for singing incorrect lyrics or using fractured sentences. Accurate notes is all that matters. The game mode “World Dance Floor”, will be made available on all consoles and serves as the game’s online multiplayer component.
All players around the world are placed on one huge scoreboard where they compete for rankings and high scores on leader boards, to make it fair and balanced; all players must dance to a set track list that cannot be altered. Exclusive to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners is the “Just Dance DJ” mode which is returning out of popular demand. This gives the player limited control over musical beats between songs, but more important when used in conjunction with “Endless Mode”, the player can continue directly from one song to the next differently each time.
Other returning game modes are Dance Mashups, Extreme and sweat versions as well as the competitive battle modes. Players that are utilizing an internet connection can share short clips of their dance routines directly to their Facebook page and twitter feed, as well as the Just Dance AutoDance network. One small change to gameplay is the difficulty, songs used to be rated by difficulty on a scale of numbers. This has been replaced with an Easy, Medium, Hard and Extreme difficulty selection.
At the moment, the track list is subject to change due to DLC, Pre-Order incentives and regional differences. But right now, the following tracks have been confirmed to be in the final product by default alongside 4 confirmed regional exclusives.
DLC songs
Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.