Do the D-A-N-C-E

It is another year, and that means another Just Dance game. Just Dance 2022 will launch on November 4, and it's got ??some new jams to move your feet and hands to.

Today's E3 Ubisoft Forward focused on one song in particular, "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" by Todrick Hall. Hall and the Just Dance team will be collaborating to provide an exclusive version of the?? song for this year's game.

//youtu.be/z1pd-Tc2-wA

Buying this year's game will also net you a month of Just Dance Unlimited, t?he continuously updated music ser?vice with seasonal content.

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'A lot of our players are children and families who continue to play on Wii'

Just Dance was originally released in 2009 on the Nintendo Wii. That's ?just "Just Dance," by the way, no year, no extra subtitle, just...you get it??????????????????????????.

From there Ubisoft moved to sequel naming conventions (2, 3, 4) and then years (2014-2020). All of that time, across the span of an entire decade, Ubisoft remained committed to the Wii. As the series expanded to other platforms in 2011 with Just Dance 3, Ub?isoft never faltered with their support of the Wii, even as other co?nsoles came and went.

So it wasn't a massive surprise that Just Dance 2020 would be launching on the Wii this November. Speaking to Polygon, an Ubisoft representative said that the reasoning was easy to understand: people still play it. A rep noted, "A lot of our play?ers are children and families who continue to play on Wii."

A few viral campaigns that popped up recently seemed to focus on the fact that hospitals and rehab centers still use the Wii console, but Ubisoft was quick to note that they are not a benevolent force: the audience, and thus, the money is still in the banana stand Wii.

Wi??i games are still being made in 2019 because peop??le are using it [Polygon]

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And the other usual places this November

It wouldn't be a Ubisoft E3 press conference without Just Dance. It just wouldn't.

This year, we're onto Just Dance 2020, and oh my goodness it's still coming to Wii. I have ??to respect that commitment. You'll also be ??able to bust a move on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and even Google Stadia. The console release date is set for November 5, 2019, with Stadia support coming later.

"We're celebrating 10 years of Just Dance and the team is back bigger than ever with Just Dance 2020 launching with 40 new songs," the company said. Co-Op ??mode is back, too. Here's the song list:

• I Don’t Care - Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber
• Old Town Road (Remix) - Lil Nas X Ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
• 7 rings - Ariana Grande
• Taki Taki - DJ Snake Ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna, Cardi B
• bad guy - Billie Eilish
• Kill This Love - BLACKPINK
• I Like It - Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
• Talk - Khalid
• High Hopes - Panic! At The Disco
• God Is A Woman - Ariana Grande
• Con Altura - ROSALÍA & J Balvin Ft. El Guincho
• Con Calma - Daddy Yankee Ft. Snow
• The Time (Dirty Bit) - Black Eyed Peas
• Soy Yo - Bomba Estéreo
• 365 - Zedd & Katy Perry
• Rain Over Me - Pitbull Ft. Marc Anthony
• Everybody (Backstreet's Back) - Millennium Alert
• FANCY - TWICE (트와ì´ìŠ¤)
• Into the Unknown - Disney's Frozen 2 (available on November 22)
• Baby Shark - Pinkfong
• Keep In Touch - JD McCrary
• Get Busy - KOYOTIE
• Só Depois Do Carnaval - Lexa
• MA ITŪ - Stella Mwangi
• I Am the Best (ë‚´ê°€ ì œì¼ ìž˜ 나) - 2NE1
• Skibidi - Little Big
• Bangarang - Skrillex Ft. Sirah
• Bassa Sababa - Netta
• My New Swag (我的新衣) - VAVA Ft. Ty. & Nina Wang
• Just An Illusion - Equinox Stars
• Stop Movin' - Royal Republic
• Tel Aviv - Omer Adam Ft. Arisa
• Ugly Beauty (怪美的) - Jolin Tsai (蔡ä¾æž—)
• Vodovorot - XS Project
• Bad Boy - Riton & Kah-Lo
• Sushi - Merk & Kremont
• Policeman - Eva Simons Ft. Konshens
• Fancy Footwork - Chromeo
• Fit But You Know It - The Streets
• Le Bal Masqué - Dr. Creole
• Always Look on The Bright Side of Life - The Frankie Bostello Orchestra
• Infernal Gallop (Can-Can) - The Just Dance Orchestra

As expected, Just Dance 2020 supports Just Dance Unlimi??ted and its library of 500+ songs. Ubisoft is including one month of free access to the subscription service with copies of th??e game.

Kids mode and Sweat mode return as well????, and you'll be able to use the optional free Just Dance Controller App for iOS and Android to play along with up to six players on PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia.

As much as people like to rag on Just Dance, I genuinely appreciate these games. They hit the spo??t. The series has surpassed "67 million units sold," according to Ubisoft, which is just bonkers.

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Promoted from our community blogs

_{[It's easy to laugh off a title like Just Dance when there are a lot of other games to play, but Boxman felt he absolutely needed the exercise. And really, with a goal of some exercise when the fail state is absolutely no exercise, Just Dance delivered for him. His experience with it here is frank and refreshing. Don't worry about it, just dance! ~Marcel Hoang]}

My work has a program we call "LiveWell." It's really just a program to encourage our employees to improve their health and wellne??ss. This year, a big thing is "experiments." Try something for ??a short time, like a week. See how it goes. Did it help? Did you enjoy it?

A bunch of coworkers did an experiment for one week where they didn't use any electronic screens for one hour before bed. This was to help them sleep. I refused to participate in such a ridiculous exercise, but they all reported improved sleep at the end of the week. I should probably do it. But I ??won't.

I lead a very sedentary lifestyle. I work a desk job and therefore I sit on my butt for eight hours a day. I then go home and sit on my butt for the rest of the evening. Then I go to sleep, wake up, and do it all over again. I'm acutely aware of how unhealthy it is. I desperately need to exercise, but how can I do it? I hate exercise! A little over a week ago, I had a realization. I should Just Dance. I decided to play Just Dance every day for at least one w?eek. I would play for at least 30 minutes each day.

This isn't a review of Just Dance. It's just a discussion of how well it worked as an exercise to?ol.

I should start by discussing my goal with exercise. I really have only one concern: I'm overweight, but I do??n't really care about losing weight. If I lose it, that would be marvelous and I'd be very happy. But that isn't my goal. I don't c??are about gaining muscle mass. My real concern is my heart.

I'm in my late twenties but I have absolutely horrific?? cholesterol. Combine that with my lack of exercise and I have a recipe for a heart attack in my forties. I am absolutely terrified about this idea. So what I need is some aerobic exercise to get my heart rate up for at least 30 minutes. The ideal would be to get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. I don't know that I can maintain that long term, but if I can at least get above zero exercise, that would be great.

I don't exercise. Almost at all. Occasionally I'll do some yoga (I'll plug the excellent YouTube channel Yoga With Adriene here), which is wonderful. But it doesn't accomplish my goal of keeping my heart rate up. And that's all the exercise I get. I need to do something. But I hate all forms of exercise.

Except, it turns out, for Just Dance. 

A couple Christmases ago I purchased Just Dance 2017 for my wife on PS4. She rather enjoyed it. I did not. My biggest gripe with it is that it uses your cell phone as your controller. I have a massive phone. ??It's unwieldy. And if I throw or drop it during exercise, it could break.

This past Christmas I bought the 2018 version for my wife on Nintendo Switch. It's infinitely superior because you have the option to use the Joy-Con for control. These are much easier to hold. They have a wrist strap to deal with drops or throws. And of course, they're made of Nintendium. The Switch also would allow me to take it out of the house, but I haven't utilized this benefit for Just Dance. 

Just Dance is a simple dancing? game. It's a rhythm action game. A licensed song plays on your speakers while the si?lhouette of a dancer plays on screen. Your job is to hold a Joy-Con in your right hand and mirror every move of the person on screen. Not complicated. Anyone can understand it. 

The game is basically all pop songs. The majority of them are contemporary (I gather that the 2019 edition is all contemporary). You'll see Bey??once, Selena ??Gomez, and Shakira. 

Speaking of Shakira, her music is wonderful for this game. Basically all of the Latin tracks are fantastic for exercise. They really get you moving and they're very fun??! Very energetic! 

Not all tracks are created equal. Some of ??the choreography is really simple. Some is just kind of dumb. Some involve a lot of spinning around. This is awful. I get dizzy very? quickly with this.

If I were in charge, I would strongly discourage any spinning in the choreography of the dances. I would even go so far as to limit each song to a maximum of one spin around. Seriously though, try playing You Spin Me Round without getting dizzy. 

The choreography in the ga?me is mostly silly.?? You won't be learning serious dance moves. If you perfect the dances in this game, don't expect to be able to go cut a rug in a dance club. A lot of the movements feel like Tae Bo, frankly:

I do appreciate that, ov??er?? time, you can unlock additional songs. You can even unlock alternate choreographies for various songs. You unlock things very frequently, but most of the unlocks are dumb and pointless. They're "stickers."  Very helpful to have digital stickers.

I also rea??lly enjoy that the variety of songs gives you varying intensity of music. Some songs will really get your blood pumpi?ng. Others are comparatively relaxed. I like to do about five songs, give or take.

I'll start with one about medium intensity. Something like Eye of the Tiger. Get warmed up and energized. Then I'll do a less intense one. Then I'll do a really intense song like Footloose. Then a lighter one. Then I'll end on a medium. This is a very rough idea. I don't follow it strictly. And sometimes you guess how intense a song will be and you are way wrong. 

Another feature the game has that I really enjoy are Dance Labs. They are a sequence of five activities that aren't really dances, but are played the same way as dances. The premise is that aliens come to earth and you must teach them all about life on earth using interpretive dance. For example, you might imitate a frog, then a miner, then an astronaut, then a jellyfish, and end as a baseball player. It provides great variety and varying levels of intens??ity wit?hin one routine. 

But here's the big thing to be aware of: If you're going to use this game as an exercise tool, you really ought to consider subscribing to Just Dance Unlimited. It's a service that gives you access to hundreds of songs via the Internet. Almost like a Netflix of Just Dance. If you just play the songs available on a single editio???n of the game, you'll get bored in a few weeks. My copy of the game came with a 90-day trial of Unlimited and it's been really fun. It provides a ridiculous amount of variety.

If I continue using this as an exercise tool, I will gladly pay for Unlimited. A year costs about $25 when I checked. If you compare that to a gym membership, it's pennies. As a game service, I think it's expensive. But for an exercise platform, super affordable. It's all in how you look at things (and no, this blog is not sponsored by ?Ubisoft in any way).

But what if you don't have money for that? Heck, what if you don't even have a game console? You're not out of luck! You can often find people streaming Just Dance and you can simply play along with them at home. You won't get feedback on your performance, but you'll s??till be getting your body moving and that's awesome! I haven't looked, but I'd wager you can find recordings of people playing it on YouTube, which would a?lso be a free way to play.

Another thing is this is so much fun to play with other people. Four people can easily play if you have four Joy-Con. Some songs are even designed for four participants. You could even do a massive group. Put the game up on a projector screen and just have everyone play without Joy-Con. Take it to your next family reunion and lead everyone in exercise like Dan in Real Life:

One last thing I'd like to men??tion is feet. You hold your Joy-Con in your right hand. The game only tracks your success with the movement of that hand. Any left-hand movements are unscored. And any foot movements are unscored. At times, the footwork can be really hard to perform accurately, at least for someone as uncoordinated as me. But if you play this game for the purpose of exercise, really try to keep up with the footwork. It will greatly improve the quality of the aerobics. Your heart rate will go and stay up much better.

Overall, I had a lot of fun playing Just Dance! I'm very surprised by this, and pleasantly so. One of the nicest things is that time really flies by when you play this. Half an hour is over before you know it, and you may even want to play more! Just Dance is super approachable.

Since it's a game, the scores provide you with instant feedback. Seeing a good score is instantly gratifying. You can even turn on "sweat" mode which just estimates how many calories you burned after each song. This is all really great. One?? of the many reasons exercise is so difficult is that your only motivation is the theoretical future you that is healthier, skinnier, hotter, etc. You still have that here but it's coupled with the instant reward of a high score. 

For my purposes, Just Dance is an extremely effective exercise tool. Depending on your exercise goals, it may not be as good a fit (you're not going to build massive biceps with this, for example). But if you just need to get off the couch and get your heart rate up, Just Dance will absolutely accomplish this. You'll have fun. Time will go by swiftly. You'll feel good. Y??ou may even learn about some music that you weren't familiar with before. Here is my favorite song that I newly encountered this week:

My experiment was a great success. I will absolutely play Just Dance more for exercise. I don't know that I'll do it every day. But I will continue. My invitation to you is to try an experiment in your own life. It might be trying an exercise routine. Or perhaps you could add or remove something to your diet. It could be something less health-oriented. You could reduce your spending on something to save money. You could try reading a book or consuming another bit of art. You could listen to Ted Talks or something like that. You could journal. You could do so??mething nice for someone each day.

Just try something out for a short time (a week is great but it doesn't have to be one week). See how it makes you feel. Did it improve your life in any way? If so, consider implementing th?at as a more permanent thing. If it d?idn't improve things, that's okay. Try something else next week or next month!

So please share your thoughts with us. What are you doing to improve your health or wellness? Also, what are your thoughts on Just Dance if you've played it?

Last, I'll leave this here with no context:

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Oh I guess there's another Just Dance

[Update: Ubisof?t has confirmed that the game will launch on Wii, Wii U, and Switch. Wow, the Wii!]

Ubisoft knows how to open a conference built for core gamers -- Just Dance baby!

Although it was sorta kinda revealed through leaks earlier this week, the publisher officially unveiled Just Dance 2019 into the world with a very ?long and exhausting diarrhea of ra?inbow colors parade.

And that was kind of it! No details, no talking, no platforms, that will all come later. For now you can stare in ??the eyes of the panda. He knows what you're doing right now and he's not happy about it.

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You can't make this up

When you hear the name Just Dance, you think of some of the hottest names in the music industry. The artists t?hat radio stations play on loop all day every day. The likes of Lady Gaga, Bruno ?Mars, Shakira, Katy Perry, and TomSka.

Oh?? yes folks, YouTuber TomSka has a song in the upcoming 2018 iteration of the dance game, about how to beep beep like a sheep.

I'm not going to judge the song itself, as I think it's decently catchy, just more that it's a curious pick for the game. Usually these types of games focus on a more mainstream appeal when choosing their songs, so to see one that's mainly internet famous is very odd. If I had to guess, they're trying to expand the audience that the setlist appeals to, as Hatsune Miku is also included. Although it's also not the worst choice, since apparently they ruined "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" recently by using The Emoji Movie characters as dancers.

Just Dance 2018 releases on October 24 for every platform under the sun, including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Wii ??U. Nintendo Switch owners that pick this up will be able to play an exclu??sive mode that allows players to use two Joy-Con controllers at once.

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At least these have kids in them

Last week, Nintendo released some advertisements for the Switch in its home country. Earlier ?today, some English language commercials for the Switch were relea??sed, and they'll no doubt be unavoidable if you have a kid with any sort of screen in your house.

The commercials focus on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Just Dance 2017 and the party game 1-2-Switch, and the latter reuses a little bit of the video we'd already seen in the Switch's Super Bowl spot. On the plus side, the new ads show how easy it is to move from onscreen to personal play. However, despite the upbeat music and multi-ethnic parties going on, these new ads thrill me less than the Japanese commercials did. Maybe it's because these these don't show off quite as?? much new gameplay footage. Still, there are only 18 days until the Switch launches worldwide, and I can't deny I'm more than a little excited. You can check out the new commercials below.

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What an odd choice

Many people may have forgotten, but Ubisoft announced last year that it was looking to expand into the theme park game. Its plans included a "next-gen" theme park in Malaysia with a tentative opening of 2020. It looks like Ubisof?t isn't done staking a claim in Asia, as its next venture involves a partnership with Dubai's IMG World Indoor Theme Park.

U??bisoft has explained that the reasoning for these theme parks is that it is looking to expand?? its catalog of franchises beyond gaming. I don't know how a French company in love with America is going to gain any traction bringing its Westernized franchises to Asia, but I'm not its creative planner. Maybe there is something I'm just not seeing.

Much like the park in Malaysia, this new park will include characters from the Assassin's Creed, Just Dance, and Rabbids franchises. It won't be a separate park, but rather incorporated into IMG's World of Legends park. There is going to be a total of nine zones, with the three aforementioned franchi?ses making up different areas.

Along with the French company, it looks like IMG is also teaming up with Mattel and Viacom, so there will be areas based on SpongeBob SquarePants, Power Rangers, and Dragon Ball Z, to name a few. This sounds like a pop-culture tribute more than anything, but I guess it should be a blast. I?f there is a rideable Megazord, I'll be there.

Ubisoft Bringing Its Franchi??ses to a Massive Indoor Theme Park in Dubai [GameSpot]

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I've had a little bit too much (much)

Yes, another Just Dance -?- the seventh in the series -- has arrived. This latest edition is no exception to the usual hallmarks that defines the series with its ease of accessibility and colorful party atmosphere. It holds onto the same format it’s had for ??years -- select a song, do a jig, and embarrass your friends by uploading the clips to Facebook.

There’s n??ot a whole lot of ingenuity to this installment, but then again, that’s part of the mass appeal of the series to begin with. This time around there are a few additions to the roster: new modes and an unlimited streaming service to name a few. But let’s be honest -- we’re all just here to dance, rinse, repeat.

Just Dance 2016 (Xbox One [reviewed], Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Wii)
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
MSRP: $49.99 (Just Dance Unlimited streaming service is an additional $6.99/month, 39.99/year)
Release Date: October 20, 2015 

In addition to the usual modes in the Just Dance series there are a few new ones present to ??provide different offerings to newcomers and spice things up a bit for se??asoned players. Along with the normal competitive Dance Party mode, you can now play cooperatively with other players and work together to reach a high score. Dance Quest is also new, showcasing an interesting concept where you compete against a robot leaderboard and move through the ranks in a set playlist. World Video Challenge allows players to compete with people from around the world in a pre-recorded environment, and Showtime is the most different of the bunch, essentially allowing players to participate in glorified karaoke.

Perhaps one of the most useful features to be carried over from Just Dance 2015 is the ability to play the game without a Kinect by holding your smartphone, and allowing up to six players to join in. The Kinect seems to be a forgotten accessory these days as the game no lo?nger supports menu navigation through Kinect, rather players need to use the controller to scroll through. I find this to be a win in my book as I never felt as if it did a good enough job of tracking navigation anyway.

The phone navigation is fairly smooth overall but with a limited interface compared to using the controller. I also found the phone tracking buggy at times and even less reliable than using the Kinect to play. For example, if my phone had some kind of notification (like a low battery indicator) go off, it paused the game mid-dan??ce. This caused a lot of frustration since I didn’t really feel like disabling notifications every time I turned the game on. However, I do feel the added flexibility of allowing smartphone play is worth it overall and I’m glad they included it again.

Unfortunately the meat of the game, the song list, is lackluster. Recent hits seem sparse, and the variety of genres and time periods also seem to be? missing. A majority of the music combs sub-par top hits from the past five years, with only a few one-off gems out of the bunch. I would have liked to see more hits from the '80s and '90s, or at the least better songs from recent years. The choreography for the most part seems lacking across the?? board with a few exceptions. Perhaps it’s impossible to raise the bar here with six other versions behind its back, or maybe it's betting on the unlimited streaming service to fill the gaps.

Some of the dances stand out -- for example, in “Und??er the Sea” you mimic Ariel and have to sit down, using arm movements and moving your “fins” to the beat. There are also a few interesting choices that mix the game? up including a kung-fu style choreographed segment, an Irish dance, and a song featuring Hatsune Miku. These are the high points of the game, especially if you love making your friends dance to silly songs. Outside of this, it’s standard pop fare.

The new Showtime mode isn’t much to talk about unless you enjoy humiliating your fri??ends, in which case it’s a complete masterpiece. There is no set choreography, just pure singing and forming your own dance moves to an effects-driven video filled with overlays. It’s not something I enjoyed doing on my own, but watching friends go through it was delightful. I do however wish it offered more songs as you can only pick from a handful -- I suppose designing those overlays and graphics takes a lot of time.

The game overall feels a bit limited -- despite all of the new modes, it doesn’t seem very open in terms of what you can do. For example, the Showtime and other video uploads only show a few brief clips from other players around the world, and the?re isn’t really any way to sort or find new videos -- it only shows you what’s popular and what’s most recent. I was also disappointed that Dance Quest mode, although a bright concept, was extremely limited in that you’re dancing against robot scores (not real people) and you’re not able to create playlists or jump around to?? different quests.

Despite my qualms, I had fun playing Just Dance 2016 -- but then again, it’s hard not to. It’s still a favored party game and one that has almost perfected the fun-for-all game model. Heck, it’s reached a point where it’s thrown in some mediocre new modes and a subscription model just to keep itself fresh, so in some cases you can call this a success. However you can also say that Just Dance is a dying breed, one that is taking its last breath to capitalize on the streaming craze that’s enveloped our little gaming world. I say we don’t think about it too deeply, and just dance.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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$40, 10 songs

Ubisoft has earned Electronic Arts level hate as a publisher, but I am curious who bears responsibility in this meager Yo-Kai Watch offering. Level-5 has been going fucking ham on the seemingly Pokemon-popular Yo-Kai Watch. Even one of its spin-off games has an extra release in the Red/Blue/Yellow vein. So clea??rly it's getting away with some shit.

And so here's Yo-Kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version, a collaboration between Level-5 and Ubisoft for Wii U. It is due out December 5 and is basically just face-less Just Dance mannequins in new costumes and it is going to cost $40 and it contains just 10 songs.

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Surprise!

For the love of money, Level-5 and Ubisoft are joining forces to put out Yo-Kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version, a crossover (for Wii U of all things) that's a sure-fir??e bet to sell millions.

The announcement comes via the latest issue of CoroCoro Comic, a monthly manga magazine:

Yes, it appears those are Just Dance avatars in Yo-Kai Watch costumes doing this dance.

Now, I know this may seem surprising and outlandish and bizarre, but remembe??r.??..

Someone once told me time is a flat circle. Everything we've ever done, ??or will do, we're going to do over and over and over again. And again. And again?. Forever.

[CoroCoro via Jin115]

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Unless you're rocking a 2004 Razr

Man, so many people just want to dance in front of their video game consoles. You may scoff, but Just Dance is the most successful music franchise ever, so that statement applies to so?me folks. For those ??who haven't already adopted, Ubisoft made it considerably easier.

During Ubisoft's E3 press conference, it was revealed that Just Dance no longer requires a dedicated camera console. Now, any smartphone will serve as the camera needed to track?? body movement. Of course, i?f you already have a console camera, that will still work.

On top of that, Just Dance 2016 will have a steaming service where you can subscribe monthly and have access to a whole bunch of extra tracks. That's not for everybody, though. While the game's also coming to Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3, only those playi?ng on Wii U, Xbox One, or PS4 have that option. Get in on current consoles if you want to boogie all night long.

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I'm tempted

It's much easier to stomach Electronic Arts when you're only paying a fraction of the original price, as is the case with these Xbox One deals via Live?. Come on, latecomers. This one's for you:

• Battlefield 4 - $13.20
• Battlefield 4 Premium Edition - $24
• Dragon Age: Inquisition - $35.99
• Dragon Age: Inquisition Deluxe Edition - $41.99
• Just Dance 2015 - $30
• Need for Speed Rivals: Complete Edition - $15
• NHL 15 - $24
• Peggle 2 Magical Masters Edition - $4.95
• Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare - $10
• Titanfall - $10
• Titanfall Deluxe Edition - $12.50
• Titanfall Season Pass - $6.25

I think I paid $10 for Titanfall or thereabouts, which was low enough that I? couldn't be too upset? about its dwindling player base. Fun game when you can play a full, well-balanced match.

Same goes for Garden Warfare, my eighth favorite release of last year. And Dragon Age. Oh, Dragon Age. Dare I sacrifice my coveted Xbo?x One hard drive space f??or you? Nah. PC version it is.

[Via NeoGAF]

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And I'm really starting to get sick of this Pharrell song

Just Dance 2015 and Just Dance Now are thin?gs that are happening, Ubisoft announced?? today.

The former looks to be the next iteration of the series you've become accustomed to seeing on consoles over the past few years. Just Dance Now, h?oweve??r, will make use of your phone. Now you can bump and grind on the go. You can dance everywhere, guys. Because you totally couldn't do that before.

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Also Assassin's Creed IV moved 11 million units

Tons of Ubisoft-related news today. The Division has been delayed, we're getting a new Far Cry, and in general Ubisoft titles have been performing well across the board. In particular, Assassin's Creed IV moved 11 million units, Far Cry 3 sold 9 million units, and Just Dance 2014 hit 6 million units.

As part of their quarterly report, Ubisoft also shared the top 20 game franchises of the past nine years. The figures were gathered from 2??005 to 2013, and is the cumulated retail sales of games that appeared on the Xbox 360?, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Assassin's Creed sits at number four on this list, right behind FIFA, Mario, and the Call of Duty franchises. At number 13 is Just Dance, which comes in right above World of Warcraft.

The purpose of this chart was to show that franchises have long-term visibility. Ubisoft hopes titles such as Far Cry, Watch dogs, The Division, and The Crew will be strong con?tenders for the top 20 list with the new generation of consoles.

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It now recognizes Far Cry as a major franchise

A lot of companies have been releasing their financial figures lately, but it doesn't seem as if any can hold a candle to Ubisoft's performance. While most had a non-remarkable or down ??year in fiscal 2013, Ubisoft reported profits of $83.3 million and revenue of $1.615 billion.

An increase in sales of 18.4 percent over 2012 is the major contributing factor for the stellar year. Of this, Ubisoft attributes Assassin's Creed III, Just Dance 4, and Far Cry 3 for leading the way. Assassin's Creed III recorded an astounding 12.5 million units shipped combined with digital sales, while Just Dance 4 and Far Cry 3&n??bsp;moved 8.5 million and 6 million copies,? respectively.

The most interesting tidbit to come out of the company's report may be that it now recognizes Far Cry as one of its cornerstone franchises, as it "confirmed a strong comeback in the major segment of shooter games." If it wasn't already obvious by the existence of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more Far Cry -- probably annually.

The post Ubisoft had a great year, up $83.3 million appeared first on Destructoid.

Plus The Cave, ShootMania Storm, and more

It's Monday, and that can only mean one thing: it's ?the beginning of anoth??er week of new releases!

And what a great week it is, most notably containing the release of the long awaited Ni no Kuni, Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's sumptuous RPG. Jim's review is now live, and it soun?ds like an absolutely delightful, if traditional JRPG. Just what the doctor (if I can find my fake medical license) ordered.

In addition, we've got Ron Gilbert and Double Fine's inventive underground adventure, The Cave; the TrackMania-style FPS, ShootMania Storm; Strike Suit Zero, a space combat sim inspired by Colony Wars and Freespace; Croixleur, a hack-and-slash brawler for PC; an alien-slaying FPS for the Vita, Gun Commando; and a whole bunch more arriving this week.

Blimey, that's a lot of gaming. ?Anything tickling your fancy?    

Xbox 360: The Cave, Max Payne 3: Deathmatch Made in Heaven Mode Pack, Naughty Bear: Double Trouble!

PS3: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, The Cave, Max Payne 3: Deathmatch Made in Heaven Mode Pack

Wii U: The Cave

PC: DmC: Devil May Cry, Strike Suit Zero, ShootMania Storm, Dawnstar, The Cave, Croixleur, The Sims 3: 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff Pack, Max Payne 3: Deathmatch Made in Heaven Mode Pack

Vita: escapeVektor, Gun Commando  

PSN: Ninja Gaiden: Sigma, Just Dance 4

The Cave (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)

ShootMania Storm (PC)

Strike Suit Zero (PC)

Croixleur (PC)

escapeVektor (Vita)

Dawnstar (PC)

The Sims 3: 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff Pack (Mac, PC)

Naughty Bear: Double Trouble! (Xbox 360)

DmC: Devil May Cry (PC)

Just Dance 4 (PSN)

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Watch gameplay here

PSY's crazy popular "Gangnam Style" DLC is now available at the Just Dance store for Xbox 360/Kinect. As for the other versions of Just Dance? 4, this DLC goes live tomorrow for the Wii, a few days later for the PS3, and in December for the Wii U.

In t?his new gameplay video we have you'll see the choreography for the dance and how it matches the moves of the music video. You'll also find the trailer for this DLC below.

This "Gangnam Style" DLC is priced at $3 on your favor??ite digital content provider.

The post ‘Gangnam Style’ now available in Just Dance 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

*does horse dance move*

Op! Op, op, op!

Hey, sexy ladies: The ridiculously popular dance song by Korean artist Psy, "Gangnam Style," is coming to dance game Just Dance 4 as DLC. That's...fantastic!

“Gangnam Style and Just Dance 4, I can’t wait to see all the YouTube videos,” said South Korean rapper, Psy?.

Ubisoft says that the song will be available for all motion sensor platforms this November. Details and pricing will be along the lines of previous Just Dance DLC, they say. Look for final dates and prices s?oon.

Venting : 

Look, I've listened to Asian music my entire life. I truly love that America is so down with a Korean song (over 480 million YouTube views!). And I love all the parodies and grandmas doing the dance. And I think that it's great that Just Dance 4 will add the song as DLC ?-- it'll be a lot of fun.

I'm truly thankful to Psy for making the shit that comes out of our radio stations a bit more international and fun. I'm also thankful that I've learned how to properly scream at an ass. And I think Psy is a great guy, and tha?t he is taking his fame in the best way.

But Psy's "Gangn??am Style" frustrates me to no end. So??rry to get all judge-y hipster on you.

I hate that this song is the world's only idea of what K-pop is like. There are so many talented artists on the southern half of that little land mass that it's a shame that Psy's big head and sunglasses are over??shadowing them all. You can find great dance stuff, talented (truly!) boy bands, crazy rap, and the sweetest love ballads ever created over in the K-pop scene. But no one is listening to any of that. Just "Gangnam Style." Over and?? over.

Ugh.

The post Heeey, sexy lady: ‘Gangnam Style’ comes to Just Dance 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's something I'd love you to do, Destructoid. I'd love to see you dance for this "Just Dance to Justin Sweepstakes" by dancing to Justin's Beauty and the Beat song. Winners will have their dance video ?featured as part of the stage presentation at Bieber's Believe Tour, which kicks off next mont?h in Glendale, AZ. I would die of happiness if we could have someone in a Destructoid helmet dancing on stage with Beebs.

Please do this. 

Also, winning this could get you concert tickets and meet-and-greet passes to the concert, which is being sponsored by Ubisoft's Just Dance 4. 

And in related news, "Beauty and a Beat" by Justin Bieber feat. Nicki Minaj will be a playable song in Just Dance 4,?? which launches on October 9 on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. 

The post You should Just Dance (4) for Justin Bieber’s 2012 tour appeared first on Destructoid.

American Corgi is proud of Ubisoft's lineup.

Ubisoft will be in full force at San Diego Comic-Con this week with Assassin's Creed III (Booth #5345), The Expendables 2 Videogame (Booth #4035), Just Dance 4 (Marriott Hotel), and Marvel Avengers Battle For Earth (Booth #2329). Plus, fans that pre-order Assassin's Creed III at the Ubi booth w?ill be given an exclusive t-shirt.

On top of all the playable games, Ubi will have some presence at a couple of panels. On July 12 starting at 3:30 in Room 6BCF, Creative Director Alex Hutchinson will present a live demo of Assassin's Creed III. Marvel Avengers Battle For Earth will also make an appearance during the Marvel Video Games panel on July?? 14 in Room 6A.

The post Assassin’s Creed III playable at San Diego Comic-Con appeared first on Destructoid.

[Update: Just Dance 4 will launch in October for Wii, K??inect, and Move, and for Wii?? U in its launch window. It will ship with over 40 new tracks, some of which Ubisoft has already announced:

• Carly Rae Jepsen - "Call Me Maybe"
• Rihanna - "Disturbia"
• Flo Rida - "Good Feeling"
• Nelly Furtado - "Maneater"
• Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera - "Moves Like Jagger"
• Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"
• The B-52's - "Rock Lobster"
• P!nk - "So What"
• Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass"
• Barry White - "You're The First, The Last, My Everything"
• One Direction - "What Makes You Beautiful"
• Will Smith - "Wild Wild West"

Exclusive to the Wii U version is a "Puppet Master Mode" for up to five players. It lets one player use the Wii U tablet controller to change the dance routines being performed by the other players, as well as take photos and vi??deos of their performances. Sounds fun!]

And that's it. Ubisoft just opened up their press conference with a performance by rapper Flo Rida, some girls danced and there was a giant banner saying Just Dance 4. So, you know, it's a thing.

Guessing it's going to be for the Wii and the Xbox 360 at the very least. We'll update this post with more once we ??get some real info.

The post E3: Rapper Flo Rida introduces us to Just Dance 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

As co-host of The Destructoid Show, I consider it my prerogative - nay, my mission - to embarrass myself on a near daily basis. It's not something I typically take issue with, as long as I can say that at the end of the day, it was for journalism. Needless to say, when I pitched the idea of a Kinect-themed fitness segment to our producer, I was immediately met with an incredulous, "Are you sure you want to do that? People are going to see?? this, you know."

So, after some heavy reconsideration and one too many gin and tonics, I decided to go for it. Who needs a future career in politics a??nyway, right?

Check out the video above for my run-down of some of Kinect's top fitness games, including Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012, UFC Personal Trainer, Zumba Fitness Rush, and more!

The post Tara Long’s Kinect Fitness CHALLENGE! appeared first on Destructoid.

When game publishers ask Mega64 to make a commercial for one of their upcoming titles, do they go in with any knowledge of Mega64's body of work? Do they just think, "Oh! Fun?ny Internet people! Here's some money. Send us the video by Wednesday"?

Anyway, here's the Mega64 Just Dance 3 commerci?a?l. I said, "What the fudge?" at the 1:38 mark.

Mega64: "DANCEMAS" Just Dance 3 Commercial [YouTube]

The post All Mega64 wants for Christmas is Just Dance 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

There's no getting around it; the Just Dance series is huge. Like, really huge. Here's some stats to put it into perspective. Since launching back in October, Just Dance 3 has a total of 8.4 million players. According to Ubisoft, that's equivalent to the attendence of 84 Bonnaroo festivals. On a daily basis, 9.4 million minute??s of Just Dance?? 3 is played. That's 17 years of non-stop dancing!

I'?ll personally never understand why so many people are playing these games. Sure, it's convenient and it's fun to play with friends. But if you wanted to dance that bad you could always just as easily go out and dance yourself. I guess it's getting people to play games and that's always a good thing. I'm sure a few of you out there are part of the 8.4 million user base, so what exactly is it that keeps you coming back to the game?

The post Just Dance 3 boasts some impressive stats appeared first on Destructoid.

Okay, whoever buys this game for their child rather than regular ol' Just Dance 2 is a lame parent. Thankfully for Ubisoft, there's a huge market to tap into. Just Dance Kids 2 has been announced for Xbox 360 (Kinect), PlayStation 3 (PS Move), and Wii??. It's set for release on October 25 in ?North America.

To give you an idea of what we're dealing with here, let's look at some of the confirmed songs: "Whip My Hair," "Just The Way You Are," "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," "The?? Hokey Pokey," and "I Am A Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear Song)."

That last one is a real thing which exists on this planet. It's NSFL, readers.

The post Just Dance Kids 2 hits North America this October appeared first on Destructoid.