There’s certainly no need of long documentaries, TV shows or even video games to remind us of Michael Jackson and his remarkable feats. Nevertheless, given the fast eroding memories of our times, Ubisoft’s unveiling of Michael Jackson The Experience wasn’t really a surprise. We got the game’s PS3 version to relive those compositions and dance moves which have so succinctly shaped the evolution of today’s entertainment. However, the question is, does the title truly translate the spirit of MJ or just offers relics of the benevolence. Here’s a review as we try to figure out the same.
On the surface of it, the game is as simple as its menu which has three basic options namely The Experience, Dance School and Extra. You enter The Experience to play the game and Dance School for tips on how to get those moves right while Extra renders sections such as Gallery, Credits, Options and Exclusive Content. The Dance School videos form a part of unlockable items which will let you explore the game more deeply or so the developer believes. Attuned to the PlayStation Move, the title unfolds a space for motion-sensing gaming within living rooms.
With 29 songs from Jackson’s collection, The Experience segment offers limited tracks to select from. Furthermore, the choice of some songs remains vague. This becomes especially pertinent while we tried grooving along ‘Earth Song’ and ‘Heal the World.’ The assortment also boasts of popular tracks like ‘Black or White’ along with lesser known compilations including ‘In the Closet’ and ‘Working Day & Night.’ Significantly, the inclusion of songs spanning from the 70s, 80s and 90s enhances the authenticity of the collection. Additionally, there’s no career mode or unique progression scale to gauge your improvements.
You can’t really say ‘Beat It’ when it comes to Michael’s songs. Neither is it possible to match his steps nor sing those lyrics with immaculate precision unless you’ve practiced them for years. Nevertheless, the game makes it simple to earn a lot of points and even comments like ‘good’ and ‘perfect’ while tapping feet on ‘Thriller’ or ‘Smooth Criminal.’ This becomes especially significant as the Move only traces the hand in which the device is held and not the entire body. Conveying the same is the depiction of the gleaming white glove on the screen. We also inferred that matching steps with the on screen Jackson-like manifestation is not the motto here.
Fortunately, it’s not just another dance game as Michael Jackson The Experience lets you sing along as well. The game allows approximately four players to join the party in either role. While we tapped and boogied to some lyrical tunes, it was more than clear that even a simple shake to the Move could earn some points. Nonetheless, we could bag more points by performing accurate body movements than mere quivering the Move. We also noticed a degree of perplexity in the way points are rewarded. A sliding bar is flashed on either side of the screen and on both during a two player dance session, guiding gamers about the moves. It is easier to earn points and stars by merely following the routine position-wise than executing the whole of it.
Singing MJ tracks are easier said than done. Conversely, we sung them for fun and in the process, our respect for the King of Pop only increased. The lyrics appear at the bottom of the screen and there’s a pitch meter to gauge your singing abilities that eventually rates the performance with points and stars. But this again lets you cheat as the meter does not check either pronunciation or authenticate that the singer is actually humming the correct lyrics. On a lighter note, chanting these lyrics helped us realize that expressions such as ‘aaow,’ ‘eeh,’ ‘ooh’ are essentially a part of the song and not impromptu additions.
A very important element which restricts the game from being nothing more than mediocre is its disappointing graphics. Both Michael and the background dancers seem to have no features except for eyes. Even the eyes for that matter appear like black spots through several frames. The constantly changing background animations aren’t appealing and do little to enhance the title’s performance. The in-game environment is colorful but the title’s excessive dependence on the MJ brand name tends to fade the multihued backdrop. There are no voice-overs but Jackson’s compositions have been employed throughout the title without much creativity from the developer’s end. The extremely superior acoustics take away the cake and the appreciation as well.
The dance moves are impressive and probably one of the few things which make you smile. Most of them are reminiscent of the 80s and they did leave us with a smile all the way. Nonetheless, since the aforesaid limitations affect gameplay and the performance, in turn, as you can easily cheat by simply moving the hand along a set trajectory. The tutorials are not so enjoyable and more so, less interactive. As for the Extra section, there was little content here to satiate our longing for rich Michael Jackson trivia. Unfortunately, a few images as well as some details about album sales, some chartbusters and other generally known information is all what this section has to extend. In addition, the library of songs is exhaustive and no supplementary tracks have been released as DLC yet.
The Final Word: The best way to define what is being offered on this disc would be, ‘They Don’t Really Care About Us.’ The developer of the title has made little effort while trying to serve us a piece of MJ’s brilliance. The game’s performance falls far beneath the mark on several counts including graphics, a condensed menu, non-inclusion of actual videos and poor quality content. Of course, the saving grace here are the compositions rendered by the King of Pop himself and his classic dance moves. Michael Jackson The Experience has been priced at Rs. 1,999 but it doesn’t even minutely transform the time spent grooving and singing into anything like an experience.
Graphics: 5/10.
Environments: 5/10.
Gameplay: 6/10.
Sounds: 8/10.
Overall (not an average): 6/10.