Going For A Song. (Singstar (PS2))

Member Name: SRowlands

Product:	Singstar (PS2)
Date:	12/12/05 (376 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Really good fun !

Disadvantages: You may feel a bit silly (to start with ! )

When a parcel arrived through my door the other day, it could have been one of a number of things that I was expecting.
As I unwrapped it though, it became clear that it was nothing I ordered, but a prize from a website competition I had entered several weeks previously.
The mystery package was actually the latest gadget-gizmo-game for the PS2, "Singstar".

It is pretty obvious from the title of the game and the contents of the clear packaging that this is a "Karaoke" game - it comes with two full size microphones !!

I must point out at this stage that this is something that I would not have gone out and purchased - to me, Karaoke is something that should only be done if a) You have a good voice, b) You have a lot of self-confidence or c) You are totally drunk and don't mind making a fool of yourself - or d) a combination of all the above ! In fact, I considered listing this for sale on a certain well known auction website.
However, that evening, we had a bit of a family gathering, so I thought "What the heck" and opened the packaging, set up the PS2, plugged in the mics and loaded the game.

Upon loading, you are presented with a short movie, showing how to set up the game and a demo with people singing Jamelia's "Superstar".

You are then presented with the main option screen. This offers the following choices -

Sing - Quick Game (Sing Solo or Duet)
Party - Multiplayer and Team Games
Star Maker - Build a singing career
Freestyle - Sing with no scoring
Options - Change Game Settings

The whole game basically revolves around picking a song, and singing along to the words on the screen. The software calculates a score based upon the timing and pitch / tone of your singing, but takes into account different octaves (so, for example, a man with a deep voice can safely sing along to Dido and not be penalized !).
The variations mainly occur in the Party Games - there are several different styles, such as "Pass The Mic" in which players sing part of the song each and "Battle", in which they each sing along, and the game scores each individually.

Once you have picked your song, after a few short seconds, the video and lyrics appear on the screen, along with a musical scale.
The lyrics change from black to blue text as and when they should be sang, and the scale gives you an idea of the tone and length of each note. The text is very clear, and can be seen from quite a distance - which is a definate plus !

The screen also displays the score/s and has the option to increase or decrease the volume of the person singing through the microphone - ideal for self-concious people !

As I said previously, I am not into karaoke, so I managed to avoid singing, but several family members really got into this game. The disc comes with 30 tracks over a wide range of time. These vary from classics, such as "Elvis's Suspicious Minds", "A-Ha's Take On Me" to "Good Charlotte's Girls and Boys". There really are songs for all generations, and they are all familiar - if not by name, you will recognise them when they are played.

The full listing is as follows...

Liberty X - Just A Little
Mis-teeq - Scandalous
The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love
A-Ha - Take On Me
Pink - Get The Party Started
Jamelia - Superstar
Motorhead - Ace Of Spades
George Michael - Careless Whisper
Avril Lavigne - Complicated
Petula Clark - Downtown
Sophie Ellis Bextor - Murder On The Dance Floor
Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not The One
Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting
Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
Westlife - World Of Our Own
Ricky Martin - Livin' La Vida Loca
Lemar - 50:50
Madonna - Like A Virgin
Roy Orbison - Pretty Woman
S Club - Don't Stop Movin'
Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
Sugarbabes - Round Round
Elvis - Suspicious Minds
Busted - Crashed The Wedding
Village People - YMCA
Good Charlotte - Girls And Boys
Blondie - Heart Of Glass
Dido - Thank You
Atomic Kitten - Eternal Flame
Blue - One Love

Ok - so I chickened out of performing in front of people, as a) I haven't got a good voice, b) I'm not overly confident, and c) I wasn't drunk !!!
However, the following day, (and in the interests of research for this review), I set up the PS2 again when no one else was around. I tried playing about with solo tracks, and the tried the "Starmaker" one player option.
This solo player game sets the scene that you are a new singer to the circuit, and you're trying to make it big.
You start of in an apartment, and contact is made through your mobile phone and personal organiser to arrange gigs at various clubs.
The challenges range from getting so many points by singing a song, to keeping your level above a certain "quality point". As you suceed in these challenges, more opportunities arise in the form of further clubs, record contracts and more !!
This one player game is challenging, and addictive. It's very tempting to keep saying "oh, just one more song" as you see your "buzzpoints" increase ! What I would say, however, is that I felt that this part of the game is aimed probably at teenage girls - the overall appearance and feel of this section is targeted towards that audience.

The game also has the option of attaching the other, highly successful gadget to the PS2 - The EyeToy ! By plugging in your EyeToy camera, the original videos are removed, and replaced with the image of you singing on screen. The camera even takes still images of you singing particulary hard to hit notes - and this is a sight to be seen !!

So, did I enjoy the game ? Surprisingly, very much so ! There is a decent range of songs to keep most people happy and the presentation cannot be faulted. The microphones are quite heavy and feel solid - which will come in handy during my future "Ace Of Spades" renditions ! I also like the option of adding the EyeToy to the game - the EyeToy is in itself innovative, but with other games including it in their software it becomes an essential piece of hardware !

The game represents excellent value - the price ranges from £29.99 online to £39.99 in some stores - but this includes the game and two microphones. I also think that this game will have a very good lifespan, depending on the user. For me, it'll probably be played quite a bit over the next few weeks, and then pulled out for my next "social gathering" or family event.

There is also much talk of London Studios and Sony, (The makers of Singstar), releasing additional music discs. Depending on what is on these could increase the lifespan of the product. Personally, I would like to see an 80's Hits disc - with songs like Roxette's "The Look", and Huey Lewis's "The Power Of Love".

For more information, check out the excellent website, www.singstargame.com.


UPDATE - Well, this review was written some time ago, and since then, as predicted, the makers have released several updates including Singstar Popworld and Singstar 80's. This adds to the value of the original pack.

*Disclaimer - I originally wrote and published this review on Ciao, under the same username, and have transferred it to dooyoo.co.uk.

Summary: The original karaoke game for the PS2