Daily iPad App: Michael Jackson The Experience HD

Ubisoft released a version of its Michael Jackson Experience game for iOS recently, and it's actually a pretty good time. The game was originally created for motion controls with the Xbox Kinect, the Wii, and the PlayStation Move, but here on the iPad, you "dance" by swiping across the screen in various directions, and hitting on or pulling your finger off at certain times.

The dance game is solid, and the production values are actually quite well done. If you like Michael Jackson's library, there's some great music here to "perform" and listen to, and the various songs are all accompanied by really well-done cinematic sequences evoking the original music videos and images that went along with the original songs.

Unfortunately, the one big drawback is that there's not a huge selection of music to pull from. The console versions boasted a choice of about twenty songs, but this version only includes four when you purchase it, and then you need to buy other songs and costumes via in-app purchase. The game itself is $4.99, and then other songs are $1.99 each, though there are only three to choose from. So if you really want to play a game like this and have one of those consoles, you might just be better served finding the game on sale somewhere.

On the other hand, as a taster, this version is not a bad game at all, and once you get all of the moves rolling and have figured out how to do them, it's fun to play through "Smooth Criminal" or "Beat It" and try to score as many "Perfects" as you can. As a sampler, this one's pretty good. It's on the iPad right now for $4.99.