Michael Jackson: The Experience

Michael Jackson: The Experience is a music video game based on Michael Jackson's music and songs. It was licensed by Triumph International, developed by and published by Ubisoft, and was released on November 23, 2010 for the Wii, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable.[2][3] It was also released on April 12, 2011 in North America and April 15, 2011 in Europe for Xbox 360's Kinect and PlayStation 3's PlayStation Move. The PC/Mac version of the game is scheduled to be released in North America in May 2011 and in Europe in July 2011, but will require a webcam. The game features many of Michael Jackson's hits, such as "Bad", "Thriller", "Beat It", "Billie Jean", Rock with You", "Smooth Criminal", "Black or White" and "The Way You Make Me Feel". All initial launches of the game will include a limited edition replica of Michael Jackson's famous sequined glove. The video game was once released after the death of Michael Jackson in 2009.
Contents [hide]
1 Gameplay
2 Kinect features
3 List of songs
4 Reception
5 References
[edit]Gameplay

There are three modes of play in the Wii version of the game. The first is "Classic" where everybody follows the on-screen Michael Jackson avatar. The second is "Duo" which is used for duets (such as "The Girl is Mine") or videos with two main characters (such as "The Way You Make Me Feel.") The player(s) can choose to dance as either Michael or the other character. The third mode of gameplay is "Crew," which features Michael and two backup dancers (five during some songs.) Players can opt to dance as any of the three. After performing songs, players will be able to unlock training videos in the "Dance School" where they are taught some of the more difficult moves from several of Michael Jackson's music videos and stage performances.
Four player multiplayer is available on the Wii and Move enabled PlayStation 3 but the Kinect will be limited to one player at a time. The game will also feature singing on the Kinect version on Xbox 360, and optional on-screen lyrics on the PlayStation 3 and Wii versions. On the DS version of the game there is a cartoon version of Michael on the top screen and the player follows along by tapping the bottom screen with the stylus to the rhythm of the music, a style similar to the Nintendo DS game, Elite Beat Agents. It is also revealed that on the Wii version you can play as Michael or the Back-up Dancers. The game was displayed at New York Comic Con at Ubisoft's booth.
[edit]Kinect features

The Kinect version of the game features full body tracking, and entirely different choreography to the Wii version [4], along with several other changes and additions. This version uses a technology called Player Projection, which puts the player's own image in the game allowing them to star in their own Michael Jackson video. The Kinect version includes two game modes: "Solo" and "Co-op". Solo mode features one player. Co-op mode features 2-4 players. In Co-op mode, there's a option called "Battle", which means players can either team up or go head to head while performing a song, but each player can go one at a time. Several of the songs in the game will not feature any moves to perform, instead becoming "Singing Only" songs, with Earth Song being the first song confirmed as Singing Only. You can either use the Kinect's built-in microphone or an atttached mic/headset to sing.[4] The game does include the option, however, to choose a "Dance Only" version of the song, which means the player won't be asked to sing. [4] The Kinect version will also feature a mode known as Master Performance, which will require the player to both sing and dance to a set of choreographed moves that are harder than the normal moves, and "as close as possible to the videos". It also includes single player, multiplayer dance challenges, dance crew modes and jump-in/jump-out features. A crew of expert backup dancers and a practice mode called Michael's Dance School help take your performance to the next level, which is great for beginners and experienced performers. There are four symbols to represent each player: Michael's glove, Michael's hat, Michael's shades and one of Michael's jackets. [5]
[edit]List of songs

See also: [6][7][8][9]
Please note that the Xbox 360 and PS3 list is tentative; songs may be added or removed as the release date draws nearer. Also, it is assumed that the playlist for these two consoles will be identical, but is not known for sure. A disclaimer in the ESRB rating for the Xbox 360 version implies that downloadable songs may be an option for that console.[10]
Song Album Year Wii DS PSP Xbox 360 and PS3 PC/Mac
Another Part of Me Bad 1987 Yes (only with Wal-Mart or HMV Special Edition) Yes Yes Yes (only with Wal-Mart Special Edition) Yes
Bad Bad 1987 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Beat It Thriller 1982 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Billie Jean Thriller 1982 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (only with GameStop deluxe collector's edition)
Black or White Dangerous 1991 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (if unlocked)
Blood on the Dance Floor Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix 1997 No No No Yes Yes
Dirty Diana Bad 1987 Yes No No Yes No
Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough Off the Wall 1979 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Earth Song HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I 1995 Yes No No Yes Yes (only with Wal-Mart or GameStop special edition)
Ghosts Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix 1997 Yes No No Yes Yes
The Girl Is Mine (featuring Paul McCartney Thriller 1982 Yes No Yes Yes No
Heal the World Dangerous 1991 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
I Just Can't Stop Loving You (featuring Siedah Garrett) Bad 1987 Yes (not playable; plays over the credits) No No Yes No
In the Closet Dangerous 1991 Yes No No Yes Yes (only with GameStop deluxe collector's edition)
Leave Me Alone Bad 1987 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Money HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (credited to Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix in the game) 1995 Yes No No Yes Yes (only with Wal-Mart special collector's extended edition)
Remember the Time Dangerous 1991 Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Rock with You Off the Wall 1979 Yes No Yes Yes No
Smooth Criminal Bad 1987 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (only with GameStop deluxe collector's edition)
Speed Demon Bad 1987 Yes No No Yes Yes
Stranger in Moscow HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I 1995 No No No Yes No
Streetwalker Bad: Special Edition 2001 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Sunset Driver The Ultimate Collection 2004 Yes No No Yes No
They Don't Care About Us HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I 1995 Yes No No Yes Yes
Thriller Thriller 1982 Yes No Yes Yes Yes (only with Toys 'R' Us extended edition)
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' Thriller 1982 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
The Way You Make Me Feel Bad 1987 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (if unlocked)
Who Is It Dangerous 1991 Yes No No Yes Yes (if unlocked)
Will You Be There Dangerous 1991 Yes No Yes Yes Yes (not playable; plays over the credits)
Workin' Day and Night Off the Wall 1979 Yes No No Yes No
[edit]Reception

The reviews for the Wii have been mixed. IGN gave it a 3.5 saying that it doesn't give clear instructions on how to dance and also criticized the controls.[11] GameFocus said that they failed at making a masterful game that matches the King of Pop.[12] Metro gave it 10/10, calling it an "incredible game" as it "recreates the experience of Jackson's music and life incredibly."[13] Videogamer.com gave the review a 7/10, stating that the music overplays the responsiveness difficulty. [14] CNET gave the game 5/5, writing that the game is "extremely easy to pick up and play" and "the choreography is amazing"[15] The Escapist gave the game 4/5, noting that the game "is not meant to be played by yourself."[16]
For the DS and PSP versions, the reviews were average, with a slightly better score for the DS version, IGN gave a 6.5/10 for DS [17] and 5.5/10 for the PSP.[18] Destructoid gave a 6/10 for the DS version.[19]
The game has since sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and is on course for matching sales of the Beatles rock band game and it is expected to sell additional millions with the release of the Move and Kinect versions in April 2011.[20]