Just Dance 2016 is a 2015 dance video game developed and published by Ubisoft. Unveiled on June 15, 2015, during its E3 press conference as the seventh main installment of the series, it was released in October 2015[1] for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, and Wii U.[2]
| Just Dance 2016 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | |
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
| Series | Just Dance |
| Engine | UbiArt Framework |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Wii |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Dance |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The game notably placed an emphasis on the use of a smartphone mobile app for motion detection, and introduced a subscription-based service which offers streaming access to a back catalogue of songs from previous entries in the franchise, as well as additional content that is exclusive to the service.
Gameplay
As with previous installments, players select a song, and then follow the motions of on-screen dancer(s) and their choreographed routine. Players are judged on a ranking scale for the accuracy of each of their moves in comparison to that of the on-screen dancer. The game supports the use of each console's motion controller accessories (Kinect on Xbox 360 and One, PlayStation Camera on PS4, PlayStation Move on PS3 and PS4, and Wii Remotes on Wii and Wii U); alternatively, players can utilize a smartphone app for motion tracking.[2][3]
Standard gameplay has been re-organized under the banner of "Dance Party" mode—encompassing competitive and co-operative multiplayer modes, with co-op mode allowing players to earn jewels as a team, with up to 10 jewels for either a four, five, or six person team, and the ability to send recordings of performances alongside challenges to other players.[2][3] In the "Dance Quests" mode, players compete against a computer opponent across three randomly selected songs.[3] Versions for eighth-generation consoles also include "Showtime", which allows players to record short lip sync music videos to songs with themed visual effects.[3][4]
While the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game are based on Just Dance 2015, all of the online features from that said game, including the "challenge" feature, the "Just Dance Wall" feature, and the "World Dance Floor", made a return. The "Community Remix" feature, returning from Just Dance 2015, was revamped with player videos being added into the background of the original choreography, excluding "Uptown Funk", in a full screen format instead of the windowed format, with the latter format still being used in the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Mashups now use the remade versions of the routines shown in the first three main games in the Just Dance series, first shown in Just Dance Now, unlike the pictures of coaches using the original designs from these games being remade in Just Dance 2015. The Wii U version doesn't have the ability to apply effects for "Autodance" videos, just like in previous entries.
All online services of the game were discontinued for the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions on November 19, 2018,[5] followed by all other platforms on July 3, 2023.[6]
Soundtrack
The following songs appear on Just Dance 2016:[7]
- ^ Angry Birds theme composed by Ari Pulkkinen.
- ^ Also available on the demo version of the game.
- ^ Also known in the Chinese version of Just Dance 2020 as "Shuai Cong Ge"
- ^ Arranged and Voice Manipulated by Otomania. Based on the original song, written by Eino Kettunen.
- ^ Also available as a bonus song for the demo version of Just Dance 2020 for Xfinity customers, alongside "Old Town Road (Remix)"
- ^ The original version of this song was meant to appear in the previous game: Just Dance 2015, but was taken out for an unknown reason.
Just Dance Unlimited
Versions of the game on eighth-generation consoles support Just Dance Unlimited, which offers subscription-based access to a streaming library of songs from previous Just Dance games, and new songs that are exclusive to the service. Ubisoft stated that the service would offer at least 150 songs on-launch.[2][8][9] A three-month subscription to Just Dance Unlimited is included as part of a higher-priced version of Just Dance 2016 known as the "Gold Edition".[10]
Songs exclusive to this service include:
| Song | Artist | Year | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn remix)" | Omi | 2014 | October 20, 2015[8] |
| "Smile" | Iowa | 2012 | October 20, 2015 |
| "Better When I'm Dancin'" | Meghan Trainor | 2015 | November 25, 2015[11] |
| "Shut Up and Dance" | Walk the Moon | 2014 | January 20, 2016[12] |
| "Get Ugly" | Jason Derulo | 2015 | February 26, 2016 |
| "Taste the Feeling" | Avicii and Conrad Sewell | 2016 | March 10, 2016 (Classic) July 11, 2016 (Alternate) |
| "Am I Wrong" | Nico & Vinz | 2013 | April 21, 2016 |
| "Hold My Hand" | Jess Glynne | 2015 | May 19, 2016 |
Reception
Steve Hannley of Hardcore Gamer criticised Just Dance 2016 for its lack of differentiation from previous versions, especially for a franchise described as having reached "Guitar Hero levels of saturation". Although the Dance Quest mode was partially praised for being a new feature at all, it was declared redundant to manually picking three songs to play in a row, and all of the new modes in 2016 were panned for being "glorified ways to play the game in exactly the same way". The soundtrack was considered to be worse than that of Just Dance 2015 (which he had previously described as having the worst in series history), citing "terrible" songs, lacking "underground" electronic dance music, and containing too many older songs (noting that only 8 of the 44 on-disc songs were released within the year). The Just Dance Now service was speculated as being the potential future of the franchise, noting that "at $39.99 a year (or the insane $6.99 a month), it's priced just under the cost of the game at retail and considering the gameplay hasn't changed the past three years, it makes sense to simply phase this in as the complete replacement of annual releases." In conclusion, Hannley gave Just Dance 2016 a 2.5 out of 5, concluding that "while the core gameplay remains fun despite some questionable choreography, the overall package reeks of complete and utter apathy. Basic Kinect features have been stripped, there's an unnecessary focus on smartphone use and only eight licensed songs of the over forty included in total are from this year, which is a huge issue considering that the series has devolved into a glorified track pack."[13]
Awards
| Year | Award / Film Festival | Category | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2016 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Video Game | Won | [14] |
References
- ^ "Ubisoft reveals Just Dance 2016 release date". GameZone. July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Just Dance 2016 Announced by Ubisoft at E3 2015". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Just Dance 2016 Review". PSU.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Gamescom 2015: Showtime Mode Revealed for Just Dance 2016". IGN.com. August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ Ubisoft Support Staff. "Online Services Update Masterlist". Ubisoft Forums. Ubisoft. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "Online services in Just Dance 2016, Just Dance 2017, and Just Dance 2018 | Ubisoft Help". Ubisoft Support. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Just Dance 2016 tracklist". Just Dance website. Ubisoft. September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ a b "Ubisoft unveils new subscription service for Just Dance 2016". MCV. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ^ "Video: The Just Dance Unlimited Subscription Service Gets a Quirky Trailer". Nintendo Life. October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ^ "Just Dance Gold Edition Coming to Wii U, Xbox One and PS4 in October". UbiBlog. Ubisoft. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ "Seven more songs head to Just Dance 2016's Unlimited streaming service". stevivor. November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com.
- ^ "Review: Just Dance 2016". Hardcore Gamer. October 24, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Here Are The Nominees For The 2016 Kids' Choice Awards". MTV. February 2, 2016. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.