Review
Michael Jackson: The Experience
By Jorge Figueiredo - April 24th, 2011
About a month ago, Mike Jackson and I got to try out Michael Jackson: The Experience for the Xbox 360 (using Kinect). Even though it was intimidating being around professional dancers, we still had a good time looking like fools. Shortly after that, Thumbs’ Jackson posted a review of the Wii version of the game. Now, I am following up his take on that version with my take on the Kinect version, now that I have had the chance to enjoy it in the comfort of my own home.
One of the first things that I noticed about the Xbox 360 version was that it contained more songs than the Wii version; this healthy cross-section of over twenty-five songs will make both fans and non-fans very pleased with the content. Music that everyone will recognize (Beat It, Billie Jean, Bad, etc.) will help break the ice when it comes to playing this game; everyone at some point or another has shaken their booty to a Michael Jackson song.
Ubisoft puts you on the screen – front and center.
MJXP is similar in interface to another Ubisoft title: Your Shape Fitness Evolved. Ubisoft’s “Player Projection” technology places an image of the player on the screen; navigating through the menus is done by using gestures (your on-screen counterpart acts as your “pointer”): point to where you want to go and then hold your hand there to make your selection; a verification icon comes up (MJ’s glittering glove) underneath your choice, allowing you to confirm your action. The game choices are pretty straightforward, allowing you to practice or perform; there is no campaign mode. This could be good or bad (who’s bad?): on one hand, not having a campaign mode means you have access to everything right off the bat; on the other, it means that aside from achievements, there is nothing to unlock. Since I am not a great dancer, I’m of the mind that losing the campaign mode makes the game easier for me to play.
Most songs have multiple options for playing: Dance (just dancing), Performance (dancing and singing) and Master Performance (more complicated dancing and singing). For those who want to brush up on their MJ, there is a practice mode which allows you to repeat sections until you get them just right. There is also a section called MJ School which has dancers showing you some of the more complicated Jackson moves in small pieces that end up being assembled into a whole routine (this is actually really awesome). Performing movements and singing successfully result in neat visual effects. Also, your picture will be taken at some point during the song and used as a marker for your high score – so comb your hair.
The Kinect microphone does a good job picking up your vocal stylings.
I will admit that while I like to sing, MJ songs are usually out of my range. The dancing component is what really captured my interest at the event a month ago, so I gravitated toward that aspect of the game when I first started playing. The setup for the dancing component is very simple: your projected image is accompanied by backup dancers who are located slightly behind you on either side; “flash cards” indicating upcoming moves are shown at the bottom right-hand side of the screen while your score is located on the upper right. The Kinect camera does a great job detecting your movements and even though there is lag, the synching with your backup dancers is not too shabby. You are given a “grade” for each set of movements (obviously, your score will be much higher if you perform the dance moved correctly). There are some neat little touches in the game, such as the prompt to mimic something a bit more involved (like a small section of the moonwalk) which results in your on-screen avatar doing a more expanded version of the same move. This mode is a lot of fun by yourself or with other people.
Having played a few rounds of Dance, I started getting into the game. It was only natural to move over to Performance mode, which (as stated earlier) involves not only dancing, but singing as well. Songs are split into dancing sections and singing sections, which breaks up the action nicely (good for recovery for each type of play). As with the dancing component, the Kinect microphone array is effective at picking up your singing (even if you do it somewhat quietly). It’s mainly looking for pitch and rhythm, so you can sing in your own octave, which means you won’t have to grab your crotch in an attempt to sing like MJ. As I progressed in the song (Billie Jean) I really started enjoying this mode. It would be interesting to see how well the microphones pick up your voice in a noisy party setting, although you will probably have so many people singing along that it won’t really matter.
Multi-player mode allows you to play with others, but not at the same time.
I won’t say too much about Master Performance mode, as I only tried it out a few times (it is an exercise in humility). Basically, it is like Performance mode on steroids: more challenging dance moves and more singing (be warned)*. Multi-player is great, allowing you to compete against each other (individually or in teams) and co-operatively as well. Each player is assigned an icon (glove, hat, etc.) and will be given a cue and countdown to jump in (tag-style). To play MJXP in a party setting is probably one of the biggest draws of the game. Just think about it: you’re singing and dancing to songs that we all grew up with; you’re doing this in a group of like-minded people; what can go wrong? Nothing, that’s what.
With a solid play-list, decent backgrounds, great backup dancers and a great interface, Michael Jackson: The Experience for the Microsoft Xbox 360 (with Kinect) is just as much a fun individual experience as it is a party crowd pleaser. With no controller (except for you), it’s easy to pick up and go, especially with some catchy beats. While not quite as “technical” as other dancing games, MJXP is definitely a must-have for MJ fans and even for some that just want an enjoyable and casual dancing game experience (unless you ratchet up the difficulty with Master Performance mode).
