Dance Wii

We got a Wii for Christmas last year (’09). I’ve mentioned before how I’m not real impressed with the Wii system, and that explains why I never mentioned getting the thing. As far as I’m concerned it’s pretty much just a toy for the boys.

Oh, we play some games as a family, occasionally. Tennis, bowling, tanks. But I find it really boring. It’s basically just 1980’s Atari games with better graphics, (and on a bigger TV).

But we recently got Just Dance 2 for the system — obviously not my choice. I was directed to read the instructions and figure out how to play the game because, well, I really don’t know why. It’s a video game, so I’m the default go to guy in my family. Anyway, I put in the game disk, and fiddled through the various options and songs.

The game has over 40 songs, so that’s decent. I like most of the songs, and the dance moves look easy enough for most folks to duplicate. To play, you mimic the moves of the stylized dancer on the screen. But, as seems on par for the Wii, the moves to play the game are easy to fake.

When playing Wii Bowling, I’ve been chastised for just staying in my seat and flicking my wrist to “play the game.” Well, Calfgrit10 found “dancing” with Just Dance 2 to be equally as easy. He sat on the sofa during one song and just bounced the wiimote on the cushions in time to the song beat, and he did alright. He kept scoring “OK,” OK,” “OK,” to all the moves without ever actually doing a single actual dance move. That’s pretty damn pathetic game play.

Calfgrit6 likes to get up and try some of the dances, especially with his mother. But me and Calfgrit10, we’re not so interested. Calfgrit10 is a bit self conscious about any kind of performance in front of people, and I just don’t care for choreographed dancing.

And something that the boys get hung up on is doing “girl dances.” Most of the songs have just one dancer, (no choice), you’re supposed to emulate, and if that dancer is female, then to them it’s “a girl dance.” Why didn’t the game makers make male and female versions of the dances? I mean, really, that seems like it would have been a no-brainer to include. Some of the dances do look very feminine, and I can’t imagine guys in a Wii-party situation wanting to dance like that.

Well, there are probably some guys who would be comfortable throwing their arms up and shaking their hips to the beat with “It’s Raining Men” or “It’s In His Kiss”. But they don’t seem to be in the Grit family.

The only dancer in the game I’m the least bit interested in mimicking is the sombrero-wearing bandito who dances like riding a horse and shooting pistols. To the song, “Viva Las Vegas,” that’s awesome.

Bullgrit