When I first heard about Dance Sensation by Majesco, I was looking forward to trying it out. They claimed that you could “Learn 4 different dance styles…each with a progressively complex set of over 40 real steps”. So when I read that, I figured this would a game where one could actually learn and perform real dance steps. Sort of like Just Dance, but where you’d learn real hip-hop, jazz, ballet, and Latin dance moves.

Unfortunately, after I got the game, I found quickly that it fell far short of those expectations.

Like many rhythm games before it (Dancing with the Stars, High School Musical, etc.), the game doesn’t involve real dancing at all. Instead, you just swing your arms to match on-screen cues.

The problem, of course, is that you’re not really dancing nor even learning the steps. At the very least, it would have been nice to have a step-by-step tutorial for each step that the on-screen character performs. But the character moves so fast and the steps are so complex that you don’t really have a chance to examine the real moves, much less to “learn” them.

The game is definitely geared towards young girls, with the usual trappings of typical Wii games. All the on-screen characters are girls whom you can name, dress in different outfits, and change hairstyles for. As you progress through the game, you can unlock different locations, medals, costumes, and hairstyles. And of course, there’s the high-pitched, overly effusive “Great! Way to go!!” positive reinforcement every step along the way.

If you have a young girl in the house who’s taking dance and would appreciate having the reinforcement of learning different dance moves (by seeing, if not doing), I’d say this would be a good title for you. But if the goal of you or your child is to actually dance those moves, chances are you’ll be disappointed.

Rating:
3 of 5