Michael Jackson: The Experience (Wii) Review

It’s really not a concept that we’re foreign to in this industry. Release a new concept within a product, sell heaps, and develop multiple sequels and spin-offs to capitalise on popularity. It’s happened with Guitar Hero, it’s happening with Rock Band, and it’s very much already happened to Tony Hawks. Soon, it will happen with Ubisoft’s Just Dance series, with the developer pushing out at least three instalments since the original all within the space of one year. The only difference is that some of these franchises are struggling to stay fresh. Rock Band recently did something a little more unique, focusing on one of the greatest artistic and musical projects to have happened thus far: The Beatles. When Ubisoft announced that Michael Jackson would be getting his own video game, I was a little worried that the developers wouldn’t properly give the king of pop justice. But then I thought to myself “They have to, it’s Michael Jackson… right?” and as such my dilemma was born. Unfortunately, it seems most of my worst fears came true, and as a result, Michael Jackson: The Experience is nowhere near as amazing as I had hoped it would be.

The first thing you’ll notice with “The Experience” is the creepy Michael Jackson stand in that Ubisoft have employed. While it’s obviously not going to be the king of pop himself nor can it be recognisable as somebody who isn’t, the developers have created a kind of ridiculously light faced avatar that looks way creepier than you would hope to believe. That being said, The Experience employs many great settings that fans will recognise from his video clips, including a very impressive level themed around his Thriller video clip, complete with a transforming Michael Jackson. The team even cleverly tells players which hand to hold the Wii Remote with through symbolising the singer’s sparkling glove. The animation, as always in these kinds of games, are top notch, and the Michael Jackson avatar is perfectly decked out to mimic whatever video clip or song he’s re-enacting. All in all, a lot of effort has gone into the presentation of The Experience from the graphics, to the settings to the animations of the dancers themselves.

In essence, Michael Jackson: The Experience is a game that could be a re-skin of Ubisoft’s rather famous Just Dance series, except this title focuses entirely on Michael Jackson’s own songs. Considering that the excellent Just Dance 2 now has an online store with the ability to download songs, it’s a bit strange to see Ubisoft releasing the game on disc when they could’ve just put it in the store which could end up being a little bit cheaper, too. The reason I say this is because The Experience is an incredibly bare bones package. Players will play a few of the King of Pop’s songs and then just wonder what else to do. There is also a dance school option, though it is more of a video tutorial mode; we’ll touch on that later.

Generally speaking, the game requires players to match their movements to an on-screen avatar, while trying to mirror the moves as closely as possible. The experience offered here is pretty simple, where players can also use icons to work out which dance moves are coming up. However, these icons aren’t entirely accurate and it’s pretty hard to work out just what you’re meant to be doing. It’s also disappointing to see the lack of MotionPlus support, particularly since some of the songs we had a bit of trouble registering certain actions. Even the ability to play with two Wii Remotes (similar to Samba de Amigo) would’ve been a nice touch, especially for moves as sophisticated and complex as Michael Jackson’s. Herein lies the game’s biggest problem: sometimes the King of Pop’s trademark moves just are too complex for the average user to pull off properly. Couple this fact with the inaccurate motion detection and you’ve got a pretty frustrating package overall.

The biggest disappointment with Michael Jackson: The Experience, however, is that the game is generally pretty bare bones. Being a full disc based release, it would seem that the developers would put a bit more effort into detailing the popstar’s storied history throughout his different album releases and act as a full proper tribute to Michael Jackson, but instead we get a bunch of songs, all of which the player has access to from the beginning. There’s no online functionality, no store to download other songs the player may want, and a very bare bones multiplayer functionality. The second mode, “Dance School,” is a mode in which players can learn the dances in a slower manner, taught by three professional dancers. While this is a very nice addition, the only way to unlock these videos is to perform well in the songs themselves. Which seem to be a bit backwards. Besides that, there’s really not a whole lot going on in this “experience.”

Being a dance game based on one of the world’s most famous musicians, you would expect that the game’s soundtrack was substantial. Thankfully, the team have managed to squeeze most of Jackson’s greatest hits into the package, with almost thirty songs filling out the playlist. The songs are perfectly mastered and the sound effects throughout the game, although obviously not Jackson, do a good job at impersonating him. All in all, the game’s soundtrack is great and matches perfectly.

Michael Jackson: The Experience could’ve been something that would’ve really shined and had the potential to not only teach people to dance like the King of Pop, but learn his story throughout his whole career. Unfortunately, instead, all we’ve got is a pretty bare bones re-skin of Just Dance with modes removed. I am just praying that features were not removed to be added to the HD versions later on this year. Absolute diehard fans of Michael Jackson will absolutely love this, though you may be looking for more to do sooner than you thought.

Graphics 8.5

Great presentation and animations for the dancers, although the MJ look-a-like comes off as creepy.

Gameplay 6.0

The intricacy and authenticity of the dance moves make it feel great once you pull them off, but the inaccurate motion controls and lack of MotionPlus support really bring this one down. Uncoordinated players may have trouble reproducing the same moves with the same level of finesse, though.

Sound 9.0

If youre a fan, youll love hearing all of Jacksons hits, although some of your lesser known favourites may be missing.

Tilt 5.0

With all the songs unlocked from the start and a lack of other modes besides just dancing, The Experience really falls short with things to do. Dance School is a nice option but it really doesnt make sense to teach someone after theyve basically mastered it.

Value 7.0

Despite its shortcomings I really did have a bit of fun with Michael Jackson: The Experience. It was nice to dance to some of his tracks finally.