Michael Jackson The Experience

by Ubisoft

Product Features

• Party to his music, sing along with his unforgettable songs, and of course, master Michael's legendary moves
• Got rhythm? Practice Michael's moves in Video Training mode, then show off your skills and be the life of the party.
• Up to four players can jump in and out of the spotlight in a variety of fun multiplayer modes.
• Select to display the lyrics on-screen, then sing along with all of Michael's iconic tracks!
• Expect all the fun, laughter and dancing spirit that has won over dancers of all kinds and ages with Just Dance!

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00434FED2
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches ; 0.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 23, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (580 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #5 in Video Games > Wii > Rhythm > Dancing
  • #8 in Video Games > Wii > All Games

Product Description

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Amazon.com Product Description

Michael Jackson The Experience is a dance and party game for Wii in which players at all levels can groove right along with the King of Pop. Designed as a complete Michael Jackson gameplay experience, the game features 26 unforgettable hits, authentic choreography, lyrics to each song and visual representations of "The Gloved One" made famous in live performances and music videos for each song. Additional features include: 4-player support, and multiple modes including co-op and competitive as well as a practice mode.

Groove Like the King of Pop

No artist in history has commanded the stage like Michael Jackson, the undisputed King of Pop. With over 800 million albums sold worldwide and 13 #1 singles in the US, there is no doubt that Michael Jackson's music influenced pop culture as we know it today. Michael Jackson The Experience is the ultimate performance game featuring the world's ultimate performer - providing an interactive experience that enables players to step into the shoes of Michael Jackson himself and relive his most iconic moments through their own performance.

The ultimate dance/party game for fans of the King of Pop.
View larger.

Gameplay

Michael Jackson The Experience is the essential Dance and Party game for fans of the King of Pop. Packed with 26 of Michael's most unforgettable hits including "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Smooth Criminal" and many more. The game features full 4-player support requiring only a Wii Remote for each player. Your Wii registers the movements of each Wii Remote as players follow a series of small on-screen silhouetted prompts, or those of the King himself as they work through authentic choreography from both famous Michael Jackson live and music video performances. Individual player performances are rated in real-time on-screen and lyrics are streamed as you play for full effect and aid of your timing. The game features a variety of modes including single player, a challenge mode featuring 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 support and a practice mode in which anybody can learn to groove like the King of Pop.

Key Game Features

• Unleash an instant dance party as you attempt to master authentic Michael Jackson choreography from famous from both his live and music video performances
• The game features 26 of Michael's most unforgettable tracks, including "Beat it," "Smooth Criminal," "Billie Jean" among others, with lyrics laid out for you as you dance
• Practice Michael's moves in Video Training mode, then show off your skills and be the life of the party
• Up to four players can jump in and out of the spotlight in a variety of fun multiplayer modes
• Battle one-on-one (or two-on-two) in Challenge mode, form your own dance crew, or be the star with your friends as your very own back-up dancers

Additional Screenshots

Authentic choreography. View larger.

26 unforgettable hits. View larger.

4=player multiplayer. View larger.

A variety of play modes. View larger.

Product Description

Get ready to rock your body to decades of iconic tracks by the King of Pop. This unique interactive experience will have you hitting all the moves as if you've danced right into Michael's shoes. No artist in history has commanded the stage like Michael Jackson, the undisputed King of Pop. With over 800 million albums sold worldwide and 13 No.1 singles in the U.S, there is no doubt that Michael Jackson's music influenced pop culture as we know it today. Both his music and his moves were often emulated, but no one could really hold their own with the King of Pop until now. With Michael Jackson The Experience, anyone can dance like Michael to legendary hits such as Beat It and Billie Jean while mastering the moves he made famous in iconic environments inspired by his most popular music videos and stage performances. Up to four can play with Wii Remotes, but at this party everyone can join the dance crew and groove with the King of Pop. Michael Jackson The Experience track list: Bad, Beat It, Billie Jean, Black or White, Dirty Diana, Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Earth Song, Ghosts, Heal the World, In The Closet, Leave Me Alone, Money, Remember the Time, Rock with You, Smooth Criminal, Speed Demon, Streetwalker, Sunset Driver, The Girl Is Mine, The Way You Make Me Feel, They Don’t Care About Us, Thriller, Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, Who Is It, Will You Be There, Workin' Day and Night.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

198 of 201 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Workout, November 24, 2010

By 

Sherri Kaye Sneed (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Michael Jackson The Experience (Video Game)

First I would like to say that this game was a lot of fun. I got it yesterday and played it for an hour and was sweating so much it was crazy. If you're a MJ fan, then this is the perfect game for you. I danced, I sang, then I danced some more. Interesting enough it wasn't hard to follow the moves from the pictograms or even MJ himself because they depicted his signature moves. I'm totally in love with this game.

Now for the bad... unlocking training videos, really? Training and warm/up videos should have been a feature that is available to the user before they begin attempting the dance moves and not something that the user gets after he has attempted the dance moves. The next thing that I found annoying was that I had to enter my name each time I completed a song. I should have been assigned a avatar/user at the beginning of the game to eliminate this need.

Overall, BIG FUN!!! But, I couldn't in good conscience give this game the full five stars because of the problems with game usability. The realism and fun of the songs and dance moves are a solid 6 stars but the usability is a only worthy of 2 stars. Thus, I'll compromise with a rating of 4 stars.

323 of 354 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Jackson is the reason I bought a Wii, November 23, 2010

By 

Kaio (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Michael Jackson The Experience (Video Game)

I used to like video games, way back when, but never wanted a Wii since I figured there wasn't anything I'd want to play. I hate violent shoot 'em up, or beat 'em down type games, which seems like what most have devolved into. But then I heard about Michael Jackson The Experience, and went right out the next day and bought a Wii! I guess celebrity endorsements really do work -- especially when it's a celebrity of this caliber!

Michael Jackson and Wii are the perfect match -- they fit like a sequined glove; hence why they included one with this game. Silly enough, there's a disclaimer to not wear the glove while playing. I guess they're afraid of lawsuits if the remote slips out of your sequined hand and into something valuable. The glove itself is pretty cheap and barely fits my hand, but it's still a very cool memento.

Both MJ's moves and his music lend themselves exceedingly well to a game like this. And when I saw the trailer for the game, I was instantly sold. The thought of dancing and singing along with the King of Pop literally gave me goose bumps. No, MJ is not in this video game -- but his spirit exudes each and every song/dance number. And the dancers they used to replicate his moves are very good and completely embody the spirit of MJ. The game's graphics wash out the exposure on the dancer's faces just enough, so that you can imagine you're dancing along with the real MJ. And the costume and makeup department did an excellent job replicating each and every outfit MJ wore in his videos. You really get the look and feel of a custom tailored MJ experience straight from his iconic videos. And his moves are so iconic and unmistakably Michael; no other artist could pull off a game like this. No other artist has enough meat and substance in their catalog to justify the effort or the purchase.

MJ's choreographer, Travis Payne (who also appears in the game's Dance School) said it best in one of the bonus documentaries on the This Is It DVD -- he explained how Michael insisted on keeping his dance moves and his music simple; because if they can whistle your melody, then your music can be loved all around the world. Well, that little nugget of insight explains why Michael is hailed as the King of Pop the world over. And like any true virtuoso, MJ had the same approach with his dancing; knowing that if people can replicate his moves, then they'd dance along with his music the world over too -- he literally put his music inside all of us. Hence why this game works so well -- it makes use of MJ's most iconic moves and add a few others inspired by MJ; yet the moves are simple enough so that anyone can easily follow along.

Michael's dance moves are so iconic, and so ingrained in our culture, that you see evidence of them everywhere -- from the obvious, like thousands of prisoners doing elaborate choreography inspired by Thriller; to variations of the moonwalk and other signature moves seen on popular dance shows. It doesn't matter if it's a ballroom routine or hip-hop -- evidence of MJ's influence can be found everywhere, which is to be expected when talking about a true legend. And that's what makes a game like this so special -- because the focus behind the effort is a truly special human being who merits the accolades.


Great Workout! - Even for this disabled fan!

I have multiple injuries that make movement painful and difficult, but this game made me forget about my physical limitations, because I was having so much fun! And I even played with a friend whose a senior citizen and they had as much fun as I did, and they were also able to keep up with the moves. The secret to any exercise regime is making it fun and easy, yet still challenging. Well, this game achieves all that and more thanks to MJ! Thanks to him, I now have a new outlet for exercise and staying fit, yet it doesn't seem like work at all. You can't help but move to MJ's music as it is, so following along both in movement and in song is a complete joy! It's almost like an MJ workout video! Only waaaaaay more fun and the time just flies by!! Each song is replicated in spirit from his original videos, and the moves, while not exact, are choreographed in a workout/dance style so as to be familiar, yet new and challenging.


Multi-Player Modes

Up to 4 people can play with a basic Wii remote. I do have a balance board but it isn't used with this game at all. Pictogram images run up along the left side of the screen to cue you as to which moves are coming up next, along with a running tally of points each player earns for hitting each correct move. If you're lazy and want to cheat, you can just wave your remote around and accrue some points for doing basically nothing. But mimicking the moves correctly earns the most points, with bonus points for precision and accuracy. At the end of each number, the points are converted into stars, and they accumulate to unlock additional practice videos in the Dance School. The Dance School is hosted by 3 choreographers, but the only one I recognized was Travis Payne.


Dance with MJ or be his Backup Dancer!

Most songs have the option to dance following along with MJ, or his backup dancers. I haven't yet tried doing the backup dancers as I want to dance with the King!!!! But it's fun to know the option is there. The duet mode of the game involves players following both MJ and the backup dancers at the same time. But all players can choose to follow MJ or the backup dancers, so it really doesn't matter or effect the game play. It's just personal preference.


Gold Moves

Well, aren't all MJ's moves golden??!! But for this game's purposes, Gold Moves are special moments in the number that earn extra points if executed correctly. Truth be told, I really don't care about the points -- I'm having waaay too much fun singing and dancing with MJ to care!


Clunky Menus!

If this game has any flaws, it's navigating the menus. For instance, it isn't immediately clear that the Dance School videos need to be unlocked before you can actually do anything. I kept watching the intro which concluded by saying "now we're going to show you some of your favorite moves" and then... nothing would happen because it needed to be unlocked first. And then when the videos are unlocked, you can't easily go from one to the next. You have to watch one, then go back to the start of the Dance School to select the next video; and on and on it goes for each successive video -- a bit tedious in my opinion! I almost docked a star for this, but the game is so much fun, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.


Edited Song Versions!! :-(

I haven't played all the songs yet, but unfortunately, some have been edited down!! BOOOO! Thriller and Earth Song were edited from the originals, and hopefully, those are the only ones. Generally, each song tries to replicate the iconic music videos we all know and love, and they did a good job of capturing the spirit, costume and essence of MJ in each number. But editing his songs just sucks, plain and simple.


Bottom Line

I never knew Michael, but I know in my heart that he would have loved this game. Who wouldn't want their life's work immortalized and readily accessible for all to enjoy? I can only imagine the immense pride his family must feel knowing one of their own has accomplished so much. Knowing that he WILL live forever as the King of Pop; through his music, through his fans, and through video games, Cirque du Soleil shows and all else that MJ's legacy and talent deserve. It's easy to call it opportunistic on the part of all those who stand to profit. But many profit from Elvis, Lennon, et al, and no one sees that as opportunistic. It's our good fortune to have the opportunity to continue to enjoy Michael and his music in all these new and exciting formats. And Michael himself would be happy to know his music, dance, and all he offered the world will continue to live on. Shocking as his sudden passing was, it's clear that he's destined to be larger in death than he ever was in life. Leave it to Michael to accomplish a feat like that.

Michael Jackson The Experience couldn't be a better name for this game -- the man and his music was an experience like no other. The guy was born to entertain; to sing, dance and electrify the world. There will be other icons, but there will never be another MJ. I remember the excitement when another of his videos was set to premiere -- millions knew we were watching history. And now, thanks to this game, we can dance through these moments of MJ's and our lives, and relive them all over again with an intimacy never before possible.

Some find it silly to speak about a celebrity we've never known with such passion, but the fact of the matter is, I was having a pretty bad day today with immense physical pain. I even had to send someone into the store to buy this for me because I couldn't walk. But for the hours spent playing this game, I forgot about all that and just had fun! MJ gave me that from beyond the grave, and I think that's pretty special.

Thanks for all the music and memories, MJ. And thanks to Nintendo for this great game!! And remember... it's all for Love -- L.O.V.E!

MJ Forever!

81 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I JUST THREW JUST DANCE OUT THE WINDOW!!!!!, November 24, 2010

By 

M. Collick (Reading PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Michael Jackson The Experience (Video Game)

This game is amazing. Its like just dance but way better. But you will definately need some elbow room to play this game so put your sofa in the hallway take down your pictures on the wall lamps etc....just kidding. But this game is a must have. The only song that is missing is Dancing Machine i kinda wanted to do the robot.

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