Last year my kids were given Nickelodeon Dance for Wii by 2K Play. This kids dance based game can be played with one or two players, and only needs the use of a Wii remote. It is rated E for Everyone. Nickelodeon Dance is based off of the popular Just Dance games, but only with a Nickelodeon twist. The rules are the same – just mirror the movements of the on screen dancers. But in this case the on screen dancers are popular characters from Nickelodeon programs.

Like other Nickelodeon based games made by 2K Play such as Nickelodeon Fit and Dora Saves the Snow Princess, there are very clear instructions displayed both visually and announced for users to hear. Even younger users, especially those familiar with the Wii, will be able to get started and navigate the menu on their own. To begin, there are several options – Dance, Workout, or Quick Play. Dance will let users choose their own song, Workout has dances that can provide more of a workout, and Quick Play chooses a dance at random.

Players will start out with a limited number of songs, with more that can be unlocked. There are a total of 30 songs. Characters and songs from Dora, Diego, The Backyardigans and The Fresh Beat Band are featured. Many of the songs come directly from the Nickelodeon programming – I think 13 are from the shows. However there are other songs as well – some are appropriate, others I find questionable. It would be nice to have all of the songs directly from the Nickelodeon shows, but there are some songs like Limbo Rock and Dancing in the Street. It was surprising to have two Christmas songs – Sleigh Ride and Santa Claus is Coming Aqui. My kids tend to neglect the songs that have not come directly from the shows they watch. My kids will still watch Backyardigans and Fresh Beat Band, so they stick with the songs from those shows. Out of all of the songs, only 9 songs come from those two shows.

Each song is performed by three characters. Some of the characters look just like they do in their respective shows. Dora and Diego look a little odd – kinds of stretched out. The characters from the Fresh Beat Band are transformed into digitally animated versions of themselves, which look quite strange.  Like in Just Dance, an icon will scroll across the bottom of the screen to prepare players for upcoming moves. An additional feature is that the characters will also announce upcoming moves. This is definitely helpful for younger children. Yet at the same time, I am left shaking my head when I hear Pablo from The Backyardigans prompting my kids to fist pump.

My kids love Just Dance games, but this dance game doesn’t get as much play time as the other dance games that we have. My kids are at a point where they have already outgrown or are beginning to outgrow some of the Nickelodeon characters, so that seems to be part of the reason this isn’t used as often. They also have a limited, specific set of songs they like on this game.

With audio and visual cues, Nickelodeon Dance is simple to use for even younger players. It offers many popular children’s characters. It is a kids’ version of Just Dance, but it would be nice if more of the songs came from Nickelodeon shows. If your kids are still of Nickelodeon age, they may enjoy Nickelodeon Dance, but I would recommend it with caution that not all of the songs come from the shows and may not be recognizable to kids.

Recommended: Yes