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review :: singstar rocks
Singstar Rocks
Reviewed on: Playstation 2Available on: Playstation 2
Players: 1-2 (up to 8 with party mode)
Genre:
Release: TBA
Genre:
Release: TBA
Over the years I have been subjected to a lot of Karaoke. Some of it has been willingly, some of it has been alcohol induced and all of it has been completely against my better judgment. The peculiar thing about Karaoke is that it doesn?t matter how bad a singer you are, it is near impossible to resist the lure of the spotlight and the microphone. Whether it is because you really wished you?d kept up with those piano lessons, or because you think you could sell more albums that Casey Donovan (and who couldn?t); everyone has their own reason for getting up and belting out a tune. It used to be that the only way you could get into Karaoke was to own your own Laserdisc player or to have the balls to get up on stage at a bar, and even then it required copious amounts of alcohol to make it worth your while.
But right now, thousands of guys around Australia are heading to their local K-mart to pick up a copy of Singstar Rocks? and of course, every one of them informs the guy behind the counter that it?s really for their girlfriend.
I?d love to be able to tell you that the new Singstar has a stack load of new features, new gameplay modes and new challenges? but I can?t?because it doesn?t. This edition of Singstar introduces no new features, and actually loses a couple along the way! There are no real duets, and no rap? which I guess is fair enough for a collection of rock tunes, but I think it wouldn?t have hurt to add a little something extra. Now, having no new features isn?t necessarily a bad thing, Singstar is all about the songs. The second edition of Singstar pretty much hit the nail on the head as far as features goes, and each subsequent release has been more about a new collection of songs rather than adding new game modes. If you?re the guy among many girls, you?ll appreciate having some songs that you can finally be competitive in. No longer will you have to deal with the likes of Delta, Beyonce and Kylie? now you can rock out to Jet, The Stones and Deep Purple.
As always, Sony have done a great job of localising this version of Singstar, with a lot of local talent to be found. Classics groups like Dragon, The Church, INXS, The Screaming Jets and Men at Work line up nicely alongside newer artists like Jet, The Veronicas and Powderfinger. If you?ve played previous versions of Singstar, this one is definitely a worthy addition to your collection. If you haven?t embarrassed yourself in front of the microphone yet because you ?don?t know any of the songs?, I?m afraid you?re out of excuses.
All of the Singstar games play similarly. You?ll see the video clip of the song playing in the background while the words appear at the bottom of the screen one line at a time and a set of bars indicating the correct pitch for each note. As you sing into the microphone, your pitch is mapped on the screen so that you can see if you are too high, too low, or spot on. There is no bouncing ball, but there is a blue line that heads across the line to try and keep you in time. Get an entire line right and you?ll get maximum points. The game features a battle mode where you sing every line against an opponent, a duet mode where you take it in turns singing, several ?party? modes and a solo mode where you sing.... err.... solo!
Like any karaoke game, Singtar Rocks is best served with cold beer and friends. Although a lot of fun sober, Singstar really hits its stride with a few glasses of Dutch courage. For a lot of us, belting out a few tunes becomes a lot easier after a couple of cold ones. If only the Eye Toy was capable of judging air guitar! Although Singstar features duet and battle modes, the real fun comes from the ?pass the mic? mode, where various challenges are put forward to pit team against team. With a large group of people and only two microphones, this becomes the real party starter.
At this point I need to warn you about one thing. From what I can tell, there have been a lot of ?issues? with this release of Singstar. Personally I have had two copies of the game that I have had to return because of what seems to be faulty tracks on the disc. The game continues playing, but the video and music stutters horribly before ending the song abruptly. After three discs, I still haven?t been able to sing the entirety of several of the games songs. Initially I thought it was just my PS2, but I haven?t had any problems with previous versions, and a quick Google suggests there are a lot of people out there with the same problem. I?ve contacted Sony Support, and they suggested that it was my PS2 needing a clean, or that I have a scratched disc? but I think the problem is a little more serious than that. See here for more information on the problem - http://arewold.wordpress.com/singstar-rocks-problems-technical-issues/. You?ve been warned! I?d be interested to hear from anyone else who has the same problem ? drop me an email.
This last paragraph is devoted to those who will never try a Karaoke game. These are the same people who will never try Dance Dance Revolution, or an Eye-Toy game, or play Mario Kart because it looks like a ?kids? game. EB has a 7 day money back guarantee. Head straight to EB (after reading this), buy Singstar Rocks, take it home, close all the doors and windows, draw the blinds, grab a beer and give it a go. No one will ever know?. and it can just be our little secret, ok. For the first few songs you will suck, I guarantee it? but give it a chance and you?ll be a Singstar in no time! If you find that you still suck, you must be genuine tone deaf no-talent garbage... in which case there is still time to make the next Australian Idol auditions.
But right now, thousands of guys around Australia are heading to their local K-mart to pick up a copy of Singstar Rocks? and of course, every one of them informs the guy behind the counter that it?s really for their girlfriend.
I?d love to be able to tell you that the new Singstar has a stack load of new features, new gameplay modes and new challenges? but I can?t?because it doesn?t. This edition of Singstar introduces no new features, and actually loses a couple along the way! There are no real duets, and no rap? which I guess is fair enough for a collection of rock tunes, but I think it wouldn?t have hurt to add a little something extra. Now, having no new features isn?t necessarily a bad thing, Singstar is all about the songs. The second edition of Singstar pretty much hit the nail on the head as far as features goes, and each subsequent release has been more about a new collection of songs rather than adding new game modes. If you?re the guy among many girls, you?ll appreciate having some songs that you can finally be competitive in. No longer will you have to deal with the likes of Delta, Beyonce and Kylie? now you can rock out to Jet, The Stones and Deep Purple.
As always, Sony have done a great job of localising this version of Singstar, with a lot of local talent to be found. Classics groups like Dragon, The Church, INXS, The Screaming Jets and Men at Work line up nicely alongside newer artists like Jet, The Veronicas and Powderfinger. If you?ve played previous versions of Singstar, this one is definitely a worthy addition to your collection. If you haven?t embarrassed yourself in front of the microphone yet because you ?don?t know any of the songs?, I?m afraid you?re out of excuses.
All of the Singstar games play similarly. You?ll see the video clip of the song playing in the background while the words appear at the bottom of the screen one line at a time and a set of bars indicating the correct pitch for each note. As you sing into the microphone, your pitch is mapped on the screen so that you can see if you are too high, too low, or spot on. There is no bouncing ball, but there is a blue line that heads across the line to try and keep you in time. Get an entire line right and you?ll get maximum points. The game features a battle mode where you sing every line against an opponent, a duet mode where you take it in turns singing, several ?party? modes and a solo mode where you sing.... err.... solo!
Like any karaoke game, Singtar Rocks is best served with cold beer and friends. Although a lot of fun sober, Singstar really hits its stride with a few glasses of Dutch courage. For a lot of us, belting out a few tunes becomes a lot easier after a couple of cold ones. If only the Eye Toy was capable of judging air guitar! Although Singstar features duet and battle modes, the real fun comes from the ?pass the mic? mode, where various challenges are put forward to pit team against team. With a large group of people and only two microphones, this becomes the real party starter.
At this point I need to warn you about one thing. From what I can tell, there have been a lot of ?issues? with this release of Singstar. Personally I have had two copies of the game that I have had to return because of what seems to be faulty tracks on the disc. The game continues playing, but the video and music stutters horribly before ending the song abruptly. After three discs, I still haven?t been able to sing the entirety of several of the games songs. Initially I thought it was just my PS2, but I haven?t had any problems with previous versions, and a quick Google suggests there are a lot of people out there with the same problem. I?ve contacted Sony Support, and they suggested that it was my PS2 needing a clean, or that I have a scratched disc? but I think the problem is a little more serious than that. See here for more information on the problem - http://arewold.wordpress.com/singstar-rocks-problems-technical-issues/. You?ve been warned! I?d be interested to hear from anyone else who has the same problem ? drop me an email.
This last paragraph is devoted to those who will never try a Karaoke game. These are the same people who will never try Dance Dance Revolution, or an Eye-Toy game, or play Mario Kart because it looks like a ?kids? game. EB has a 7 day money back guarantee. Head straight to EB (after reading this), buy Singstar Rocks, take it home, close all the doors and windows, draw the blinds, grab a beer and give it a go. No one will ever know?. and it can just be our little secret, ok. For the first few songs you will suck, I guarantee it? but give it a chance and you?ll be a Singstar in no time! If you find that you still suck, you must be genuine tone deaf no-talent garbage... in which case there is still time to make the next Australian Idol auditions.
Final Verdict
Singstar Rocks is a welcome addition to the Singstar collection, particularly if you don?t sing like a canary with tight undies. Blokes the world over will finally be able to regain their pride after being subjected to too much crap like Delta Goodrem. Pick up a 6 pack of VB, grab a microphone and belt out some tunes. It?s time to teach the girls that real men DO sing, they just don?t sing Madonna!Pros
Great track list ? old, new and Aussie. Your girlfriend won?t know as many of the songs as you.
Cons
After 3 copies, I still don?t have one that works. No new game modes/features. Your girlfriend will learn the songs and beat you anyway.
