Just Dance 4

What can I say about this latest release in the Just Dance series from Ubisoft? Well, to begin with, it has undergone some quite large changes to the format of the first three games, including bringing back some old features and introducing several brand new ones.

I gave this game four stars out of five as I tend to be quite biased about this series (haha) and I am trying to give a helpful, open minded review. The graphics are excellent, even when played through an old banger of a TV like my own,and the dance coaches are sharply defined against more imaginative backgrounds than the previous games.

Gameplay is as easy as it always was; choose a mode, pick a song, then dance. You can use the ready made screen names so you can get dancing straight away, otherwise you can choose to create a new DancerCard. This is the first "new" feature of the game and basically it's so you can quickly track your statistics (play time, best songs etc) or in Sweat Mode, to keep track of which classes you have completed and the overall calories you have burned. To create your DancerCard you simply have to enter your name, age and gender. You can then choose an avatar, the first feature I noticed reminiscent of Just Dance 1 (remember that chibi thing and the doughnut?) though until you've played the game a bit and started unlocking rewards there are only about ten to choose from.

Choosing a song to dance to is the same, again the song selection screen slightly similar to Just Dance 1. There's a good selection of music here, most of it very lively, though I expect some people will have their complaints.(See full track list above on main page).

The "Mojo" feature of Just Dance 3 is still here, with each song you play gaining you mojo, the level of which depends on how well you did at the song and how many of the personal "quests" you completed. After playing your first song, a drop-down list will inform you which of these you have conquered during that song. Each time you fill your Mojo bar up completely, you will unlock a new reward, which I find makes for very addictive playing! There are new rewards to collect, as well as the original Dance Mash-Ups and Alternative Versions of the songs. These no longer have a separate playlist as in Just Dance 3; you now use your directional pad on the Wii Remote to choose which version of the song you want to play.

If, like myself, you bought this game as a fun and different way to get your daily exercise, you'll be interested to hear about the upgraded Just Sweat mode. I was very please to hear that Ubisoft were finally going to integrate a calorie counter, as trying to work out what you had burned via the Sweat Points made it difficult to keep track of how far your were into your workout. Plus the most common formula (for every 4.2 Sweat Points you burn 1 kcal) seemed a bit ridiculous - that meant dancing to some slower songs that barely made me out of breath "burned" around 40 - 70 calories, which is practically impossible! So although I used another method (every 10 Sweat Points = 1 kcal) I was pleased to see that the hard work would be done for me.

I entered Just Sweat to try it out on my first play. Now I have to mention here that I have been spoiled for years by Konami's Dancing Stage dance mat games, which had a superior workout mode well ahead of it's time. In Just Dance 4, you can choose between three lots of "classes": 10 mins = 50 kcal, 25 mins = 120 kcal, or 45 mins, 230 kcal. The only fault here is that don't ask you to enter your height or weight. The average calories burned is therefore based on what I should imagine is an average weight of maybe 9 - 10 stone, which of course burns much fewer calories than someone like myself who is...er...not 10 stone. There is also no "Free Session" - the game automatically generates the songs that you are to play. No choosing your own workout. This was the only real reason I gave the game four stars instead of five, as I was quite disappointed.

Finally, there are two main modes (aside from the solo), which are the Duet and Dance Crew modes as seen in previous games. The other dance modes/choreography types are given as unlockable rewards, these are : Battle Mode, where two songs go up against each other. If you are playing solo, you can play against the computer, which I think is a great feature. The second is dance mash-up, which is the same as Just Dance 3, though it seems to me they have used far more dancers/choreographies per song, including dance coaches from all the four Just Dance games. The third is the alternative choreographies, where you can unlock different or more difficult routines to the songs on the playlist, and the final one is the good old Non-Stop Shuffle.

Overall this is an excellent game, whether you're looking for a new workout option or just want to have some friends round and make a fool of yourself. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

Beware not as advertised on the TV. I am sure my daughter won't be the only person having received this for Christmas later finds out the Psy's Gnamnam style is NOT included on the disc as per TV advert. In fact you are prompted to buy it for download for £2.30 or 300 Wii points. I won't be buying Just Dance 5 or any other from from that range now on.

I love this game!
I only received it today...but I have already been playing it for 3 hours straight. Just Dance 4 is really addictive and fun and being able to achieve next levels encourages you to play for even longer.
I got 'Just Dance the Best of' and really liked playing that, so I just had to get this.
This game is even better, good music and dance moves. A bit more difficult to learn than the other games, but that makes it better!
Over 40 songs and you can buy even more with your wii points if you like.
The just sweat part teaches you dance moves and work outs - you can choose which types of dancing you like most and learn the moves/ work outs.
I'd recommend this game to anybody who loves dancing!