Some of you may deny it, but we have all danced around a living room at some point. Whether you busted a move in joyful celebration or did a drunken jig, no home is safe from random acts of dancing. We can’t all be the best dancers, but it’s still fun to move around to music in the privacy of your own home. Just Dance 2017 takes that joyful expression to a whole new level.

The gameplay is straight forward enough. Using your console’s camera, or PlayStation move controllers, or mobile app, you dance to the songs using a particular routine. An avatar in the center of the screen shows you the moves you should be recreating while a crawl along the bottom right gives you a heads up on the moves that are coming up. Get moves right and you earn points, eventually getting stars for your outstanding dancing.

I don’t own a PlayStation camera, or move controllers, so I was using just the mobile app. It really is pretty good. Sure, it can only pick up what you do with your right hand, but its approximations of how well you are dancing isn’t too bad. Plus, using the mobile app you can dance with more of your friends and not worry too much about all fitting within the camera’s field of view.

Just dance 2017 select dancer

Be warned, though, the app will drain your battery faster than Nosferatu, so be prepared to recharge after about half an hour to an hour of gameplay. I also struggled with some connectivity issues; the app would work fine for a while, but then randomly claim that the phone was disconnected and I needed to reconnect. It’s not the biggest issue, and it never happened during a song, but it can be irritating. Plus, notifications can get in the way of your experience – when my phone was warning me of low battery, the app didn’t pick up any of my moves until I dismissed the notification.

Just Dance 2017 comes with a real range of music. The 40 songs included in the base game feature pop hits like PSY’s DADDY, Sia and Sean Paul’s Cheap Thrills and Shakira and Wyclef Jean’s Hips Don’t Lie. But there are also rock songs like Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now and J-pop like Hatsune Miku’s PoPiPo. My favorite song (although not necessarily my best scoring dance routine) was O-Zone’s Dragostea Din Tei – better known as popularized by the Numa Numa guy on YouTube. I was fairly impressed with the range of music, although even 40 songs can feel repetitive if people keep picking the same ones over and over again to dance to.

Just Dance 2017 comes with a 90-day trial version of Just Dance Unlimited, a dance-on-demand service that includes over 200 songs from previous Just Dance games, and promises to bring more new music on a regular basis. I really liked the offering, although I struggled to actually make use of it. The downloads from the server are slow even with a fiber connection, and I couldn’t manage to get through an entire song without the servers crashing on me, sending me back to the title screen. Should Ubisoft’s servers become more stable, it really is a cool service that would mean you could invite friends over for a dance party without all dancing to Justin Bieber’s Sorry all night.

Just Dance 2017 DADDY

Most people will probably make use of the classic gameplay modes, the one where you jump into any song and dance, maybe with a friend or two for a duet or a group dance. However, there are more modes included. You can also try out the Just Dance Machine, where aliens need to harness your energy to refill their spaceship’s batteries and return home. Yes, it is a really bizarre premise, and the gameplay is equally bizarre. You don’t dance to a whole song, but rather just perform different segments ranging from Ballet to Flamenco to Charleston.

There is also a Dance Quest mode, where players dance to three songs back to back against other AI competitors and strive to rank in the top 3. Sweat and Playlists lets you make a playlist or exercise routine of back to back songs where points are substituted with calories burnt as you literally dance your butt off. There is also a Just Dance World and Just Dance TV for those who want to share videos of their rad dance moves and challenge others to the ultimate international dance off. Or, you know, watch videos of people’s moms walking in while they’re trying to record.

Just dance 2017 don t stop me now

As an adult, it’s easy to dismiss a game like Just Dance as silly cheesy gameplay that’s just for kids. And yet, as I grooved my way through Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), I couldn’t help imagining how fun it would be to get my friends over for a party and make them play. It is silly, and yet it is fun. Sure, there are issues with servers, and the controls aren’t always the most accurate, but I honestly didn’t care – I just want to dance around my living room to mindless music, and rope my friends into doing the same.

Last Updated: November 3, 2016

Just Dance 2017
Even if Just Dance 2017 isn't the greatest game, it's still a whole lot of fun. If you have previous iterations, I'm not sure the new modes or songs are a reason to upgrade, but if you don't have a home dance game, this is well worth picking up for kids or partying adults.
7.0
Just Dance 2017 was reviewed on PlayStation 4
73 / 100

21 Comments

  1. Alien Emperor Trevor

    November 3, 2016 at 13:34

    You can’t compete with the ultimate dance machine!

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      November 3, 2016 at 13:37

      Who is that smooth dance demon?

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        November 3, 2016 at 13:38

        He has no name, but you know him by his moves.

        Reply

        • Original Heretic

          November 3, 2016 at 13:42

          S Double D he will be. So he is named, and so shall we know him.

          All hail the S Double D!! Ye mere mortals who think ye know the dance, you know NOTHING! Ye are a bunch of Jon Snows.

          Reply

    • Zoe Hawkins

      November 3, 2016 at 13:49

      I forgot how much i love this video!

      Reply

    • Lord Chaos

      November 3, 2016 at 13:59

      I thought Batman doesn’t dance.

      Reply

      • HvR

        November 3, 2016 at 14:01

        Back then Geoff was still Batman

        Reply

        • Lord Chaos

          November 3, 2016 at 14:02

          I don’t think anyone remembers a time when D wasn’t Batman.

          Reply

    • 40 Insane Frogs

      November 3, 2016 at 16:48

      I’m surprised the D didn’t walk away with that girl’s number. Those moves would make any women fall head over heels in love with you. Those were true mating call dance moves!!!

      Reply

  2. Original Heretic

    November 3, 2016 at 13:36

    I only dance for my 2 year old boy. And then only because he finds it bloody hilarious and won’t stop laughing.

    Reply

  3. Andre Fourie

    November 3, 2016 at 13:45

    Where is Hammer’s Twerking Hulk. Where is it????

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

      November 3, 2016 at 13:45

      XD

      Reply

  4. Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

    November 3, 2016 at 13:45

    Dance like no one is watching….. DON’T LOOK AT ME!

    Reply

  5. Andre Fourie

    November 3, 2016 at 13:52

  6. HvR

    November 3, 2016 at 13:54

    What a clickbait title.

    Came here to watch some Lazzy gamer journos whip and ne ne

    Reply

    • Lord Chaos

      November 3, 2016 at 13:57

      Indeed

      Reply

    • Zoe Hawkins

      November 3, 2016 at 13:57

      I plan to bring the game when we go on TV, but Matty has said he won’t dance with me…

      Reply

      • HvR

        November 3, 2016 at 13:59

        Zoe, does he have a choice?

        Unacceptable.

        Reply

      • VampyreSquirrel

        November 3, 2016 at 14:23

        Matty is such a deek!

        Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Thanks to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and microtransactions, Ubisoft had its best year ever

Here’s something unbelievable: Apparently global pandemics are fantastic for the video gam…