Michael Jackson: The Experience (Hands-On) (Nintendo DS) Preview

The majority of the recent Michael Jackson: The Experience event was focused on the Wii edition, but thankfully there was a small section of time set aside to sample the Nintendo DS version as well. There are three modes to choose from at the start: Tour, Jukebox and Collection. The first two came with a few Michael Jackson songs already unlocked, whilst Collection was literally a set of stands that highlighted whatever had been obtained from playing through the main Tour mode (in this case, nothing was there).

As with other popular music releases, a Jukebox was included where your favourite tracks could simply be played for entertainment purposes; basically a nice little added bonus. However, considering the tinny nature of Michael Jackson's voice due to the small DS speakers, blaring in low quality sound output, complete with a small polygonal representation of the singer jiving around in place of video footage (that would likely have taken up far too much space on the DS media card), the developer has tried to compensate by including some interactivity whereby players can make the on-screen model dance in whatever way they desire, using the various panels on the touch-screen to dictate the choreographed moves. In this mode, only Bad, Dangerous and Thriller were unlocked, whilst other tracks unlock as progress is made during Tour mode in the final product.

For the preview version of Tour in this Nintendo DS version of Michael Jackson: The Experience, there was a choice of four tracks; Another Part of Me, Billie Jean, Heal the World, and Bad. Ubisoft claims that "Michael Jackson: The Experience on the Nintendo DS is the only touch-based interactive handheld video game experience that enables players to experience Michael Jackson’s unforgettable dance moves and epic performances.". Basically it plays like a cross between Taiko no Tatsujin and Elite Beat Agents...or even Disney's Stitch DS rhythm game. As the rotoscoped technology is being used on the top screen to portray a Michael Jackson model that moves as authentically as possible, with surprisingly precise choreography, all the while placed against iconic environments with special effects inspired by Michael Jackson’s famous stage shows and music videos, players tap away on the touch-screen to the likes of Beat It, Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough, Smooth Criminal, and Billie Jean, in order to achieve a new high score.

Watching as the on-screen number counts down, with a large radius ring growing smaller as the countdown continues, then tapping on the centre of the ball at exactly the right time is a skill in itself, with some long-term rhythm fans likely to find quite simple. There are three levels of difficulty to choose from, however, meaning that all levels of proficiency are catered for. Listening to the rhythm/tempo of each track is imperative, especially on harder songs, and players must slide objects along the screen in time with the beat. Ubisoft Brazil has attempted to make Michael Jackson: The Experience for Nintendo DS into one of the most accessible music-based titles on the portable and it has definitely appears to have managed to do that.