While Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Donkey Kong Returns got the critics purring, when it came to Wii games in 2010 the biggest seller in the UK was Just Dance 2.
The dance title – sitting in second place on the UK games chart this week – has now sold 5m copies worldwide. Publisher Ubisoft was admittedly surprised by the success of the original, but in hindsight Just Dance was perfect for the Wii audience. Simple to pick up – mimic the onscreen moves – but with enough skill required to keep you coming back, the game felt like the perfect mix of Singstar showmanship and Wii Sports accessibility.
My experience this Christmas only confirmed the game's appeal. Super Mario Galaxy 2 and GoldenEye 007 were left gathering dust as Just Dance 2 – and the Micheal Jackson game – hogged the festive limelight. Singstar Dance is a shinier sexier take on the Just Dance idea, while Kinect efforts like Dance Central take things further, but for now at least you can see Just Dance 3 and maybe 4 replicating the success.
Nintendo US boss Reggie Fils-Aime was keen to highlight a relatively rare third party publishing success on the Wii:
The strong performance of Just Dance 2 is a perfect example of the potential that can be achieved by an independent publisher like Ubisoft in delivering irresistible content for the Wii system
Just Dance 2 sells 5m copies then. What do you think? Worthy of the sales? Or not even on your radar?
