The rhythm game genre remains a bit dormant after the great boom and bust of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Harmonix tried its hand at music-themed Kinect games Dance Central and Fantasia while former employees debuted more experimental fare like Thumper. But the big successful exception is Ubisoft’s Just Dance series. The motion control dance game that rides the perfect line between fun and accuracy has been trucking along for a decade now selling boatloads of copies on every system it graces.
And those system still include the Nintendo Wii. It makes sense why Just Dance was a big hit during the console’s prime. It’s a really fun and accessible casual motion-control party game. But there have been two Nintendo systems since then. So at E3 2019 why did Ubisoft announce that Just Dance 2020 is still coming to the otherwise dead standard-definition system?
It’s not money, although that’s probably part of it. The actual answer, as pointed out on social media, may warm your gaming heart.
many hospitals and rehab centers use the just dance games to help patients who have limited mobility due to accident or illness build up strength and muscle tone, etc.
these hospitals purchased wiis for this purpose and are still using them to this day! https://t.co/2m4MvKnOP9— ✨RARING TO GO✨ (@alienaishas) June 10, 2019
Back during the height of the Wii fad we heard tons of stories about grandparents in retirement homes getting active again with virtual Wii Sports bowling. And Just Dance does advertise itself as an exercise tool. So it’s good to know the game’s potential health benefits are being put to great use by hospitals and physical therapists. And it’s nice to know that Ubisoft, the same company that gave away Assassin’s Creed Unity for free when the real Notre Dame burned down, isn’t ignoring this aspect of how the game is played and supports it with new content.
Besides, how hard can it be to keep making Just Dance for Wii anyway? One of the more clever aspects of the design is that it’s just live-action music videos with colorful filters and some code to track your synced movements. The game isn’t exactly pushing a lot of polygons. Heck, you can even expand your music library by subscribing to what really is just a streaming live feed. The Wii wasn’t the most powerful system even when it launched in 2006. But it can stream some online dance videos just fine.
Whichever version you get, Just Dance 2020 launches this November. Just Dance wasn’t the only game at E3 2019. Check out the biggest games from the show and watch some trailers you may have missed.