Photos - Just Dance 2

Here are the latest screenshots from GamesCom in Cologne, Germany.  Does it seem to you as though Ubisoft Paris is shooting for the moon in Just Dance 2?  The art and costume design is nothing less than stunning.  Colors leap out at you, and the detailed stages for each song is so impressive, it's enough to just sit back and watch.  Thankfully, the designers have kept to the clean, iconic style of the original game.  This is a model example of how to design with arcade values in the Social Games Era.

I believe Just Dance 2 is going to become a blockbuster.  The dance game craze is still building, growing.  Have you noticed how this sequel doesn't cannibalize the original game?  Ubisoft Paris is not about to replace Just Dance One.  These games are meant to be played together, back and forth....a wise move.  The Social Games Era appears to be hostile to the "EA Sports formula," in which you are expected to throw out last year's game for the annual sequel.  It is a product of the instant-disposable culture.  The younger generation will embrace preservation, conservation.  They will save resources instead of wasting them.

Examine the sequels to Wii hits that are mostly recycled, only 10% new material.  Boom Blox: Bash Party, We Cheer 2, Shaun White: World Tour.  These are three excellent examples of the old EA Sports formula.  Under the new paradigm, this is no longer acceptable.  Video games are not meant to be thrown out every calendar year - they are expected to last.  You can thank Nintendo's evergreen games for that.  You may also thank the Great Recession, which shows no sign of ending anytime soon (the coming US elections will lead to government paralysis).  Can we include Global Warming to the mix?  Does this influence how we choose to consume and preserve our culture?  I like to think so.  The 6 Great Videogame Eras are shaped by the world and technology as much as anything.

Anyway, I'm hijacking this post, when what I really ought to do is show off these terrific photos of Just Dance 2.  But I think this gives us a chance to examine the mystery of Nintendo Wii sequels, and how everything fits into the paradigm shift ushered in by Disruptive Innovation.