Just Dance (video game)

Just Dance is a 2009 music rhythm game developed by Ubisoft Paris and published by Ubisoft for the Wii. It is the first main installment of the Just Dance series. Expanding upon a concept introduced in a minigame for Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party, players mimic the motions of an on-screen dancer's choreography for a selected song, using the Wii Remote to judge the player's motions and accuracy (eschewing accessories such as physical dance pads). Just Dance was released to unfavourable reviews. It was criticized for its simplistic gameplay, poor motion detection, and a lack of progression or additional content beyond what was included on-disc. At the same time, the simplistic gameplay of Just Dance was praised for being accessible to a casual audience, its "fun" soundtrack and dance routines, and for becoming more enjoyable as a multiplayer party game. Just Dance was a major commercial success, selling over 4.3 million copies worldwide and establishing a franchise that, as of November 2022, had collectively sold over 80 million units, making it Ubisoft's second-largest franchise. After selecting a song and either a short or full version of it, players are presented with an on-screen dancer, as well as an occasional display of scrolling pictograms/silhouettes representing specific poses. While holding a Wii Remote in their right hand, players follow the moves of the on-screen dancer and their choreographed routine. Players are judged by their animated score icons on a ranking scale for the accuracy of each of their moves in comparison to that of the on-screen dancer, and receive points. There are three judgements, "X", "OK" and "Great". The "X" means that the player didn't get the move, "OK" means that the player tried, but isn't quite there, or the player is almost there, and "Great" means the player did an awesome job on the move. Some moves are shake moves, where the shake meter appears in front of their animated score icons, giving the players a chance to shake their Wii Remotes as fast as they can to earn bonus points. There are two scoring targets for each song: 10,000 points for a Standard target, and 15,000 points for a Master target. Along with standard play, three other modes are included; the "Warm Up" mode serves as a practice mode. In "Strike a Pose" mode, players are instructed at random to freeze (similar to Red light green light). In "Last One Standing" mode, players are given seven lives; players lose lives on mistakes, and gain them back after hitting five correct moves in a row; a player is eliminated if they lose all of their lives.