Name: SingStar
Format: PS3
Developer: London Studio
Release Date: December 5 2007
Reviewer: Alex Shaw
The original SingStar was
released on the PS2 in May 2004 to generally positive reviews. It was praised
for its easy accessibility, versatile track list and multitude of gaming modes,
but also criticised for the very specific nature of its note chart. While it
followed the model of a classic karaoke machine, the double-edged sword of its
points-scoring nature meant that songs had to be sung in a set manner, allowing
you to see exactly how well you were doing but also no real creativity while
singing. This meant that if trailer-park chanteuse Christina Aguilera were to
attempt her own song, Genie in a Bottle, she would have to ensure she
stuck to the exact vocal pattern she created in the original track. This would
mean that achieving the coveted perfect 10000 score would prove difficult, even
impossible for a showboat like her.
Regardless of this, the game
proved a huge success in Europe, spawning many additional song packs including
Party, Pop, Rocks!, 80s, 90s, Anthems, Legends and R&B. Its initially
girl-oriented audience has widened over the years to the point where the new
version has a cool-looking gent on the cover, validating the more self-conscious
guyâs inner desire to grab a mic and make like Blink 182.
In December 2007 SingStar was
finally given its current generation console update. Some things were
different. Some have changed. Gone are the sparse, white menus, replaced with a
welcoming HD front-end offering access to the SingStore and your online
profile. These are the two key facets of SingStar on the PS3 that set it apart
from its earlier instalments. The SingStore itself is at this moment four
months old and boasting an impressive girth of 200 downloadable tracks. At 99p
a go it is unsurprisingly easy to find yourself loading your cart up every time
you pop in, and each time you do an old favourite or something new is brought
into the SingStar format in what has proved to be a very pleasing manner. It is
this feature above all others that set SingStar on the PS3 up as something
different to its predecessors. The initial thirty songs are a fine mix, sure to
contain at least one song that everybody knows, but soon you will find yourself
hankering for more and itâs the expandability that makes this a truly lasting
game; almost a platform in itself.
If you are lucky enough to
acquire a PS3 camera then the other feature opens out before you; namely the
ever-growing online community of SingStar players each able to download
half-minute snippets of themselves performing. You donât need the camera to
view the videos of course, but anybody with a sense of fun would want to get
hold of one anyway after seeing what these people can come up with. Some are
great, some are plain awful and a few are genuinely inventive, their creators
utilising their thirty precious seconds to truly entertain. This reviewer has
seen Chewbacca dancing for joy (presumably over his new Star Wars PSP), singing
fruit, chin-people, cross-dressers and the most ridiculous pair of pyjama
bottoms ever. The interface shares a similar flavour to YouTube and Facebook,
allowing you to make comments, keep friends, rate videos and be rated. It gives
a grander sense of scale to the game and seeing everyone performing the songs
we have in common creates an unusual sense of unity for a console game.
On the subject of performing we
come to the great divide that is an undeniable part of the SingStar experience.
There seems to be two very distinct ways of playing, depending on which of two
ends you want to achieve. Firstly there is performing a song; actually getting
up on your makeshift stage and belting out Life on Mars in a manner that
would make Ziggy proud. This makes it a fun experience for you and everyone
else involved, and can leave you with a score that is mostly admirable. The
other way is the calculated discipline of getting your voice to follow the
sliding pitch bar without missing a single note. Unfortunately this is where
the game falls down for the average person. Trained singers will likely be able
to control their voice so that it sounds effectively like the original track,
whether they channel the original artist or not, and still hit the notes, but
the other 98% of the population will come off sounding more like what Alan
Partridge would refer to as a trapped boy. A horrible, monotonous whine will
escape your lips, interrupted only by the occasional swiftly stolen breath and
instrumental pauses, and everybody in the vicinity will feel their flesh crawl
and desperation to leave the room. It is a weighty choice when deciding whether
to play for points or for the general fun of the SingStar experience, which
when done right can make for a truly memorable party, often captured forever in
a grin-inducing scrapbook of pictures and videos thanks to your camera. Those
who can genuinely sing need not worry, but if you have that much vocal control,
you should be doing it for a living anyway.
It is significant that Harmonixâs
Rock Band has a far less stringent requirement from its vocalists on the Easy
setting. Since the front man is the mouthpiece of the band, a player
desperately playing for points and singing technically correctly but droning
abominably would swiftly destroy the rhythm and morale of the rest of the
group. However, Rock Bandâs note charts have a forgiving flow to them allowing
for that all-important performance to shine through. On Expert itâs a different
story, though, and many a slapdash vocalist will have to be rescued by their
teammates repeatedly should they attempt it. I myself save the high score
attempts for times when nobody else is around to feel the pain.
SingStar PS3 is a significant
step forward in the series, broadening its horizons extensively. Now when you have
your family over you can let them browse through the store until they find
something they are prepared to sing and then video them while theyâre at it and
keep the clip for all time. As far as future instalments go, Vol. 2 is due in
June and promises harmonising on duets (singing different lines over each other
on tracks like California Dreaminâ) and PSP interactivity with the
SingStore. Hundreds of tracks will no doubt be released in various European
languages (fingers crossed for Cochise by Audioslave, already on a song
pack in the USA) but perhaps some editing tools would be a wise element of
future DLC, to ensure that the submitted videos remain fresh from those who
enjoy channelling their inner star. If youâve never played before, own a PS3
and this appeals to you then now is the time to take up the mic, but if youâve
been annoyed by the playing system in the past then little has changed to make
it easier to get a high score and still sound human. This reviewerâs advice:
let the points go and just sing your heart out.
Rating: ****
