Michael Jackson game is amusing, but it's no thriller

With the recent death of Guitar Hero and the continued decline of the Rock Band franchise, it was starting to look like a void might be forming in the musical rhythm game category.

Such holes never stay empty for long, though, and with new motion-control systems from Microsoft and Sony, its not surprising that dancing games are rushing in to capitalize.

The latest release shoots right for the top by bringing pop musics ultimate dancer to your living room. Michael Jackson: The Experience entices gamers to emulate the King of Pops moves, from his frequent crotch grabs to his iconic moonwalk.

The game was originally released by Ubisoft for the Nintendo Wii and several portable platforms back in November, but has since been redesigned for the Xbox 360 Kinect and PlayStation 3 Move. The two new versions share some similarities, but the gameplay is radically different between them, so its necessary to review each separately.

The PS3 release is similar to the Wii version both were designed in France in that the player holds the Move controller in one hand while dancing in time with the action shown on screen. The game contains all of Jacksons big hits, from Beat It and Billie Jean to Bad and Black or White, as well as some lesser-known songs from his later catalogue, such as Sunset Driver and Stranger in Moscow.

Most of the screen is taken up by Jackson and his backup dancers, who do their thing in front of backdrops matched to each song.

As with many rhythm games, the moves the player needs to execute scroll by in a column on the left of the screen. The player scores if he or she can perform the move such as a point to the sky or a crotch grab when it hits the target circle at the top of the column. Unfortunately, following the instructions in the column is confusing and usually results in a low score since, strangely, not all of the songs dance moves are displayed.

Most of the screen is taken up by Jackson and his backup dancers, who do their thing in front of backdrops matched to the song. Its much easier to emulate what theyre doing because they do cover all the moves. The best way to play the game is to ignore the instructional column and simply follow MJs sequined glove with the Move controller.

The game can accommodate up to four co-operating players at a time, although a fairly large living room is needed to host such a big dance party.

Both new versions also allow gamers to score points by singing along, karaoke-style, either through a PS3 microphone or the Kinects built-in microphone. The downside to the PS3 version, just as with the Wii, is that players dont really have to dance. Since the rhythm is achieved simply by matching hand movements, it can actually be played while sitting on the couch. Now wheres the fun in that?

The Kinect version designed in Montreal is a different experience entirely, although it has all of the same music. With no controllers to hold, players are forced to get up and shake their booties. Its a much more robust approach, because it takes full body movement into account, so footwork counts as much as hand motions.

Michael Jackson: The Experience is thus similar to MTVs Dance Central, another dancing game for Kinect. Rather than following a left-hand column, upcoming moves are displayed in boxes on the right-hand side of the screen. And rather than mirroring Jacksons avatar, as in the PS3 version, the players image is projected into the middle of the screen, where it is flanked by back-up dancers either participating friends or computerized versions.

The Kinect version has a number of different play modes, from straight-up dancing to "performance," which alternates dancing sections with singing. The "master performance" mode also combines the two, but at a higher difficulty. (A few songs, such as The Girl Is Mine, are singing only.)

There is also a co-op mode where teams of players swap in and out to perform different sections of a song, as well as battle mode, where they take turns to see who can get the highest score.

Both versions of the game feature tutorials, which is a good thing while he might have made them look easy, Jacksons dance moves are difficult for non-dancers to replicate. The PS3 version, however, requires the tutorials to be unlocked by actually playing the game. Its a strange move because by then, players probably wont need the tips. The Kinect version wisely makes all the tutorials available from the get-go.

Ultimately, the PS3 version of the game is only likely to appeal to the biggest Jackson fans, since its pretty clear that dancing is a full-body activity. The Kinect version is considerably better suited to this type of game, but its not perfect, either not so much because of what it offers, but because of what it doesnt.

One of Dance Centrals best features is a camera that takes rapid-fire pictures of players during their performance. The pictures are played back in almost video-like fashion at the end of the song, often resulting in hilarity for anyone watching. MJ: The Experience for Kinect only shoots a single photo to track high scores, thereby omitting an easy addition that would have made the game more amusing.

Dance Central feels like more of a game in that it gives players various difficulty levels and requires them to unlock harder songs; Ubisofts release simply puts it all out there at one speed. A little more polish in the gameplay aspects would have made the game a lot more fun.

Still, its a truly crusty person who cant enjoy this game in a group setting. Theres something about watching your friends grab their crotch and moonwalk that will never get old.