Wii/DS/PSP/PS3/Xbox 360; �24.99-�34.99; cert 12+; Ubisoft
In an alternative development timeline, Michael Jackson: The Experience is an RPG where you can add Uri Gellar to your party to level up on magic and the big boss fight is with the ghost of your brutal, domineering father.
And that sort of inspiration is exactly why Ubisoft has turned over Michael Jackson: The Experience to a crack team of dance game creators and choreographers, rather than a crazy lady banging her keyboard and laughing. Instead, The Experience captures the furious perfectionism and physical exertion of Jackson's stagecraft and it is, unexpectedly, pretty good.
Motion control is a satisfying step up for dance games after mats (you remember, that dusty thing that's rolled up in the cupboard under the plastic guitars). Rather than stomping down step after step, you're scored on how accurately you mirror the onscreen dancers performing Jackson's routines.
Tracking is tied to the hand in which you hold the Wiimote, and is surprisingly effective ? all things considered, it's preferable to pulling on the ping-pong ball motion capture suit in your front room, though future releases for Move and Kinect promise alarming levels of precision.
The interface isn't wowingly pretty, with blank faced mannequins shaking it up in clip-art standard sets that vaguely recall the videos, but that's OK because it works. Upcoming moves float up the left-hand bar in the standard rhythm action get ready style, giving you a chance to pull off some really impressive stances.
And the moves you do are tough. Jackson was obviously no slacker when it came to choreography, and even the Easy stuff will put you through a substantial cardio workout. Tougher routines such as Speed Demon require a combination of fitness, grace and co-ordination that makes pulling of even a few Perfects feel like a triumph. The incentive to practise and improve is strong and satisfying.
If only the game gave you more encouragement to improve. The Dance School section is a collection of live-action videos in which an instructor takes you through specific moves and techniques. It would be a great supplement to the party game flailing encouraged by the main game, if only it wasn't sealed off as a series of unlockables. You've made the tutorials into the reward, Ubi? Here, let me explain some things I've learnt about game design while working on my pitch for the Jackson RPG ?
? Game reviewed on Wii
Denise Richards Jennifer Sky Samantha Mathis Samantha Morton Grace Park
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