Following his unexpected death, Ubisoft has been looking to tribute Michael Jackson with its line-up of dance games.  And while they’ve been popular in certain circles, not everyone could get into Michael Jackson: The Experience, despite the cavalcade of songs from the King of Pop’s collection.  Maybe it was just trying to even come close to mimicking the guy that was the challenge.  The PlayStation Vita version, launching with the system this week, takes a different approach, but its limitations end up working against it.

Unlike previous versions of Michael Jackson: The Experience, the PlayStation Vita version doesn’t require you to dance around and look like an idiot.  Instead, the game uses touch-screen prompts to complete moves with virtual Michael Jackson look-alikes, including swipes, curves and button taps in tune with the songs included.  Think of it as Elite Beat Agents, but hardly as manic.  The game will take you through a series of Jackson’s greatest moments, including dancing on glowing streets in Billie Jean and arriving in a nightclub as the Smooth Criminal.

We’ll be honest, this game approaches Michacl Jackson’s style a bit oddly, mainly because it’s a touch-screen dancing game.  But that said, some folks are likely to get into that, especially if they aren’t, for the lack of a better word, physically fit.  The gameplay does have its moments, particularly when nailing the timing on the tougher songs, and taking part in the freestyle sections, where you can add improvisational moves that, if well timed, will net you bonus points.

The presentation is part tribute, but also kinda part creepy.  And we don’t mean like Michael himself.  We mean the way he’s presented.  The backdrops represent his videos rather well, especially the “Billie Jean” one, which makes us feel like we’re back in the 80’s music video.  However, the caricature that copies Jackson often looks lifeless, with his face looking the same old way while his bodies get into the move.  Anyone who’s ever seen Jackson perform knows that he gets into it facially as much as he does with his feet, shouting “OWWWW!” and stuff.  Nothing like that here, and it’s kind of hard to get around.

About the Author

Robert Workman

Senior Writer/Editor

Robert has years of experience in the video game industry, writing for such sites as AOL GameDaily, PlanetXbox360 and Comic Book Resources.  He can also outdrink you any day of the week.  And twice on Sunday.  Follow him at www.twitter.com/thedcd.