Girls,
ranging in age from 10-18, gathered in front of the television, SCEA’s Singstar
Rocks! planted in the PlayStation 2 console system.
After
several hours, an impromptu sticker was attached to the exterior of the case by
this writer …
WARNING:
While obviously fun, this game is extremely hazardous to those with any true
love of music sung on-key. If you are averse to some screeching, some lyrical
wailing and seemingly endless repetitions of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,”
avoid this game at all costs.
Yes, this is
a karaoke title that has 30 songs, from The Rolling Stones “Paint it Black” up
through Gwen Stefani (“Cool”) and Coldplay’s ‘Speed of Sound.” Other artists
featured include Aretha Franklin, The Cure, Fall Out Boy, DJ Jazzy & The Fresh
Prince, The White Stripes, Naked Eyes, B52s, Dusty Springfield, Elton John, Joss
Stone, Blur, Jet, Marvin Gaye, KT Tunstall, The Police, Scissor Sisters, Bloc
Party, Thin Lizzy, The Offspring, Lynryd Skynryd, Keane, Scorpions, Hole, The
Killers and The Hives. In short, if you can’t find a song here – from a list
that spans four decades, then you simply don’t listen to much music.
Whereas other karaoke games feature cartoonish backgrounds, Sony has stepped it up with
music videos or band montages underneath the note layout. The screen itself has
the words across the bottom, the notes that need to be sung (if you are sharp or
flat, it shows on the screen), as well as the video behind it.
Each attempt
is scored (you can choose the normal song length or a short song length), and if
you break into the top five, you can add your name to the list of top scores for
each of the songs you achieve a ranking in. Scoring is judged in three areas –
pitch, timing and sustain (how long you hold the note as determined by the
song).
The game
comes with two microphones to facilitate the single and multiplayer aspects. The
game also has three difficulty settings that will determine how tough the
scoring is. Game modes include singing solo and party modes. In the latter, up
to four people can participate in a team game or two can go head-to-head for the
top score. One of the team games is Pass the Mic, which is broken into five
parts and picks random songs with different challenges like battle, medley,
first to the post (first player to reach 5,000 points), duet, keep it up ((keep
the performance bar above the designated marker for as long as possible), or
micro medley. The contests are chosen at random.
Plug in an
EyeToy and you can replace the music video with the images of you, or those that
are doing the singing, performing.
In short,
this is a lot of fun, but even as there is a lot to like about this game, there
are some downsides to it as well. Some of the artists featured … well, are not
exactly rock, more along the lines of pop. And while the microphones do an
adequate job, excessive movement did disconnect one of them on one occasion and
they have to be held a certain way and a certain distance from the mouth to pick up
clear sound. Try to eat a mic and you get garbled noise. Still, for microphones
that transmit through the television, and only activate at certain times (they
are not always on), they are merely adequate.
The game’s
video portion is serviceable and the PS2 controller easily navigates the game’s
content, making for a title that is very accessible.
Singstar
Rocks! is a title that is of moderate entertainment when played alone, but the
game’s value increases in a group setting. It is enjoyable and can whittle away
several hours, though repetition will play a factor – as in, if you start
hearing “Once I was afraid, I was petrified …” in your sleep, you will only have
yourself to blame.
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Gameplay:
7.8
Accessible
controls help players jump right in and play. The only thing that could have
been improved would have been the quality of the microphones.
Graphics:
7.7
Nothing overly
innovative here but what is presented does a solid job of supporting the game’s
aim.
Sound:
8.0
A solid soundtrack that comes through bright and clear.
Difficulty: Medium
There are songs
you know, songs you don’t but will, and vocal challenges across the board.
Concept:
7.0
This is a karaoke
game that does not add much to the genre itself.
Multiplayer: 8.4
So much more fun
than the single-player experience, the modes presented for multiplayer may not
be that deep, but they are fun.
Overall:
7.8
The microphone
sensitivity may be adequate for the mass marketing of the game, but these
microphones are not that good. There are some suspect songs that likely should
not have been on a collection like this, but hey – an argument over what should
have been here and what should not could last long past the next installment in
the series. The multiplayer fun easily outshines the single-player mode, and the
game’s sound quality and visual provide an enjoyable experience.
