The Just Dance series has done remarkably well on the Wii since launch, one of the few titles that properly used the unique controllers by Nintendo. Bolstered by the Wii controllers accurately monitoring wannabe dancers flailing around their living room in embarrassing escapades since late 2009, fans of the series can shake their booty’s one last time in Ubisoft’s final Wii offering.
It took Ubisoft 3 short years from the launch of the Wii to the initial launch of Just Dance, bringing a star-studded roster to its inaugural title such as MC Hammer, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, and even Gorillaz. Just Dance’s unprecedented success gave Ubisoft the opportunity to release yet another title roughly a year later for the same console, creatively titled Just Dance 2.
Imagine dancing to Bad Guy in #JustDance2020 and @billieeilish sneaks up behind you…
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) November 8, 2019
The series didn’t fare so well on the Wii U, which may be due to the Wii U not faring so well itself. Wii U support died out by publishers and Nintendo themselves after Breath of the Wild, with the console being relatively silent since then. Perhaps the bulky screen, lack of power, poor third-party support, bizarre control feel…it’s ultimately a mystery to everyone why the Wii U failed following its predecessors’ sound success, the Wii.
Yet with every death, new life is bestowed, and the Wii continued to receive an influx of titles that take advantage of the Wiimotes and nunchuck, well after the final bell had sounded for Wii U.
The final title will continue Ubisoft’s tradition of modern headbangers such as Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy, or Ed Sheeran’s I Don’t Care, and God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande. These more modern tracks are mixed with amusing titles, such as Monty Python’s Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life produced by the Frankie Bostello Orchestra.
The game boasts 42 tracks being included in the initial launch, with more possible to follow as was tradition in the older titles. The game also promises further customization of the players’ avatar, as they boogie across the stars to unlock all of the tracks.
It seems a little bittersweet in its totality; a final farewell by Ubisoft to a system that continued to push the boundaries of what game consoles are, and could be. The game looks excellent, offering all of the various bits that fans have come to expect from the franchise, along with the return of co-op mode.
As playing it, however, it’s difficult not to dwell on the death of the Nintendo Wii.
