SingStar Review (PS3)
Thanks to online functionality, SingStar finally delivers the party we've been waiting to crash.
by Robert Workman on Tuesday, May 27, 2008
"Sing, sing a song, sing out loud." This was always the basis for Sony's karaoke-based SingStar games for the PlayStation 2. The games are fun, but limited, due to the lack of song selection – they usually come with only about 20 or so songs on each. However, Sony officially kicked the party into high gear with SingStar's debut on the PlayStation 3, finally giving the game online functionality.
SingStar on the PS3 plays exactly like the previous versions. You choose from one of 30 songs from the disc, wait for the on-screen music video to kick in and sing along with the words. The format hasn't really changed at all, but it doesn't need to. Some of the videos are a delight to watch, particularly old-school Britney Spears cavorting in a tight airline attendant outfit in "Toxic." The initial song selection isn't bad, featuring tunes from the likes of Radiohead, The Cardigans, Coldplay, Outkast and more. It's a diverse mix that offers a little something from each genre.
- Yes, there was a time that Britney was hot. Here's the proof.
With that said, the only downside we could find with SingStar's gameplay is its lack of support for certain microphones. You can play the game with previously purchased microphones from any of the SingStar packs, or fork over an extra $20 for a pair of PS3-friendly ones. Sadly, the game doesn't support peripherals from other games, including Rock Band, Karaoke Revolution: American Idol or Logitech's ultra-cool USB microphone.
That issue aside, the rest of the game runs fine. The menus are easy to navigate, despite their lack of pizzazz. They're basically bright white words put up against red wallpaper, with images of singer models standing in the background. The options really open up once you access the PlayStation Network, however.
Once you log in, you have two things you can do with SingStar. First off, you can expand your current music selection. There are over 200 songs available for purchase across a variety of genres at $1.49 a pop. That not only gives you access to the song, but also its accompanying music video. If you're unsure of how a certain song goes, not to worry. You can access a preview clip of each video at no charge. Sony will keep adding to this roster over the next few months as well. If your favorite songs aren't in there yet, be patient – they probably will be soon.
Secondly, if you're not too shy about it, you can share your performances with the online SingStar community. By using both the SingStar microphone and the PlayStation Eye, you're able to record yourself performing a song of your choice. From there, you let others play the Simon Cowell card and rate you.
On the flip side, you view their performances and rate them as well. Some of the early-going community members we ran into needed singing lessons, but others were hilarious. This is exactly the sort of feature that SingStar's needed, and we're glad Sony included it.
- Oh yeah, Gorillaz make us "feel good," even for the extra $1.49.
Still, we can't help but wonder why there's no direct online play. Sharing performances with others is cool, but it would've been better to form a virtual karaoke lounge with people in real time. That said, the off-line multiplayer games are great, including an addictive Pass the Mic mode where you can pit singing teams against each other. We never knew that Dave Matthews Band's "Crash Into Me" could be used as a weapon.
Make no mistake – SingStar on the PlayStation 3 is a party that shouldn't be missed. Pick it up, adjust your PlayStation Eye camera and get ready for singing infamy.
Final Score: 8/10
