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Just Dance 3 is the latest in the line of top selling dancing games from Ubisoft. Previous incarnations have used the motion based controller method to track body movements, but with the release of Kinect we can now do away with the controller and allow the camera to track all of our body movements as we dance away in the comfort our front rooms. At least in theory, that’s how it should work.

Everyone loves to dance, either throwing shapes, to the envy of foot tappers, in the local nightclub, or with hairbrush in hand in their bedroom with the radio blasting. Just Dance 3 with its party game approach and radio friendly play-list should appeal to everyone, especially those who felt a little overwhelmed with the technical approach of Dance Central.

The first thing you notice with Just Dance 3 is the shiny HD background and neon dancers lining the stage. The game instantly screams fun at you from the moment you select your first song. Every song has a theme running throughout; from multi-coloured afro-sporting disco dancers, to skeletons and pumpkins dancing around in a graveyard. Romantic duets are livened up with a deep-sea diver attempting to woo a mermaid and solo performances have you using the whole floor space. It really is as crazy as it sounds, yet fits perfectly with bringing the feel of the game down to the level of silliness required to dance around without embarrassment.

Once you have chosen your song and decided on Easy or Normal, which for reasons we’ll come to later, makes no difference at all, it’s down to the serious business of dancing. Your suitably themed on-screen dancer acts as your mirror opposite, while a glowing hand becomes a focal point as you attempt to copy the routine in time to the music. A series of on screen icons will scroll along the bottom of the screen giving you an indication of the next move in the routine. They’re not the clearest instructions in the world and eventually just act as indicators as to when the routine will change. It’s often much easier to follow your on-screen dancer until you learn the moves. Most moves are repeated throughout the song for the verse and chorus with slight variations of each thrown in. Occasional gold moments at pivotal points in the song will appear for extra points.

Higher tempo songs will have you linking together trickier moves and spins whilst jumping from one side of the room to the other and specially created duets will have you fully interacting with your partner. Four player dances are even more impressive with everyone doing different routines and swapping around in a flurry of arms and legs. It comes with high recommendation that anyone with Just Dance 3 must get four people together and attempt to perform ‘This is Halloween’; it’s pure entertainment and comedy gold.

Each song has an indicator if it allows one, two, or four player routines as well as different difficulties. My only gripe with the track list is there aren’t enough of the multiplayer dances. Of course three other people can easily jump in and perform the same routine on any song, it’s not quite as entertaining as a full-on four player disco session though.

Each routine, whether solo or multiplayer is both enjoyable and borderline crazy. Theyr’e all designed in a way to bring a smile to the face of the dancer and everyone watching. The over-the-top moves will not go down well with those looking for the more realistic dance approach offered by Dance Central, however those looking for pick up and play enjoyment without the need for genuine dancing skill will feel perfectly at home.

Okay, Good and Perfect are the limits to the scoring system in Just Dance 3. Without the ability to fail a song and only the odd gold movement to perform everyone can feel enjoy this game. Even those with the in-built rhythm of a sloth will still be able to achieve the dizzy heights of 3 stars, while energetic kids and fiercely competitive parents will soon learn the basics of the routines to gain 4/5 stars with ease.

Scoring well isn’t critical in Just Dance 3. With new content becoming unlocked with “Mojo” earned, it’s only a matter of time before you do level up, no matter how terrible you are. This is all about having fun and looking silly. Hard-core dance fans wanting a realistic dancing game need not apply; you are suitably catered for with Dance Central. The fact that there aren’t any coaching modes to slow the routines down into sections shows the mind-set of the developers.

Every song on the track list will be instantly recognisable for anyone who has listened to a radio in the last few years. Each pop friendly dance track is top 40 material and extremely family friendly. From disco hits such as ‘Boogie Wonderland’ to the gentle swaying of ‘Something Stupid’, right through to modern artist’s such as Katie Perry and Jessie J. Someone in your household will have danced to these songs in front of a bathroom mirror at various points in their life.

Play-lists are available for those looking to string together a collection of their favourite dances, although the ability to create your own would have been nice. The fact that the vast majority of songs and content is unlocked from the start shows the game’s intention of jumping in and playing straight away. Of course the online store will allow you to purchase new content and there are a few songs are available from launch for 240 MSP each.

Just Dance 3 uses the same menu style as Dance Central to navigate your way around. Everything is lined nicely down the left and right sides of the screen, requiring a swipe approach to access the menus. It may borrow from Dance Central, but it’s not as slick and easy to use as its rival. After a few frustrated attempts to select the next song you’ll find it easier to pick up the control pad and use the traditional approach to using the menus. This may be the age of controller free gaming but sometimes the old ways are still the best, even just for the sake of your own sanity.

Sweat mode does pretty much what it says on the tin. Activating this mode will give you an extra rating on your performance based on how active you and the routine are. Build up those sweat points on one of the set play lists, or simply leave it active as you go back to single dance routines. This simple mode adds a great deal of purpose to the game and allows players to think less about just dancing and more of trying to keep fit. Approaching from a different viewpoint, Just Dance 3 is instantly better than many fitness games on the market at the moment.

Those looking for a more professional dancing approach can try their hand at creating their own routine to share with people either local or online. Just Dance 3 displays your body and movements in the same neon shapes as the on screen dancers, so you don’t have to be too worried about looking the fool. Likewise, you can download routines that others have created to add a little variety once you have mastered all of the routines offered on the disc

This is a dancing game however, and your main time will be spent in front of your Kinect sensor performing routines. The Kinect sensor does a very good job to detect and track you as you dance around the room. Second, third and even fourth players can easily jump in mid-song without too much difficulty regarding tracking. It’s not faultless though as hectic four player dance routines often leave the game struggling to determine players apart after the chaos of switching positions with other players. When players are dropped from view it’s often a struggle to jump back into the routine after the Kinect sensor has lost you. It was a brave move to attempt four player tracking and will no doubt work a little better in larger rooms, it is however not ideally suited for your average sized front room. Those dancing solo, or with a partner in an average room will have no problems with the Kinect tracking you. The problem will frequently be though, what it actually does track.

You may remember earlier that I said selecting Easy or Normal makes no difference at all; Easy apparently tracks only your upper body movements, while Normal will track your whole body for a more challenging experience. Except that it doesn’t. Normal mode only seems to track your upper body movements; in fact at times it feels as though it simply only tracks the glowing hand. With no on-screen indicator to tell you which body part missed the move and the ability to score perfects by simply moving one hand in time to the music, it’s a little strange to ask you to perform full dance moves if it doesn’t actually track them. This however does not become obvious until quite a few hours with the game and many playing and performing full body moves will be oblivious to this fact. For a dance game to actually use so little of the Kinect features is disappointing to say the least, it completely removes all the fantastic feelings you had about the game, making you wish you had never realised this little faux pas the first place. Ultimately you will feel a bit let down with Just Dance 3 and almost cheated, after initially promising so much it fails to deliver on the most important feature to set it apart from other platform versions.

However, playing solo as a fitness workout mode or after a few drinks with a group of friends and family is how this game will be mostly played and enjoyed. It may lack the sophistication and technical dancing appeal of Dance Central and veterans making the crossover will be disappointed at the lack of full body tracking. Those looking for a quick pick up and play party experience however will be happy as the user-friendly approach and top 40 track lists will appeal to many.

Just Dance 3 is a rather strange game to attempt to summarise. The quirky visuals and radio friendly tunes sit perfectly with the hilarious routines and multiplayer dances. This is a dancing game that is easy to access and will bring hours of entertainment to a room full players of all ages. It never ceases to bring a smile to your face as your dance your way across the room. It is just let down so badly with the lack of full body tracking. Asking you to perform dance moves using your whole body, while only tracking your arm brings nothing new to the game to make it stand apart from its predecessors. As a dance game this falls leaps and bounds behind its nearest rival, as a party game this is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a night with your Xbox and Kinect. It really depends on which type of experience you’re looking for.