Singstar
Rocks brings karaoke action to the PS2 in fine form with dozens of music
videos, multiple play modes and an interesting overall approach. The game
includes two microphones and lets you sing along to your favorites and
uses a pitch meter to judge your singing ability. You can play either solo
mode or try to beat your friends in several party modes. There's a good
selection of tracks ranging from classic tunes, to current hits with a
variety of well-known artists included. This is an entertaining party game
that should provide aspiring singers a fun way to display their talents.
With more mainstream people getting into
video gaming, it's no surprise that developers are becoming more attuned
to the casual audience. A perfect example of this phenomenon comes in the
form of Singstar Rocks, a title that's guaranteed to appeal to a larger
demographic than the normal genres. The game is basically a blown-up
version of karaoke with music videos playing in the background as players
attempt to match not just the words but the rhythm of each particular
track in the game. Of course, there's more to it than that, but the basic
premise is immediately notable, and makes for a title that's easy to play.
When a song starts to play, a series of bars appears below the music
video, which shows you the length and pitch of each note, along with the
words to each song. Players can sing along to the song and Singstar then
shows them how close they've come to matching the notes. Each bar is
recorded and ranked, with higher scores given for closely matching the
song's structure, words and notes accurately. Players can choose to play
the game in solo mode and try to match the songs' structure and style in
their own, with their vocals overlaid on top of the main song, effectively
making them accompany the actual vocals. Unlike many titles on the market,
each of the track is the real song, not a cheap cover version with the
vocals stripped out. This makes the game more fun to play, since you're
listening and singing along with the real band, not a bad version of them.
The game's high-quality production values are evident, and you can see the
influence of the company's successful EyeToy games on the game's overall
approach.
You
can select from multiple modes of play including the aforementioned solo
mode and several competitive modes where you can sing against a rival. You
can battle it out against another singer in versus mode, compete in teams,
or play in freestyle mode. The game can be quite competitive at points. In
some of these modes, your song will end if your ranking drops below a
certain point, or you'll have to compete head-to-head, singing
simultaneously against another player. These multiple modes of play keep
things interesting and extend Singstar's longevity. Singstar's ranking
system is good and ranks you in not only the words, but the pacing, note
length and pitch of your notes. This makes it much harder to cheat the
game, and requires a lot of concentration. It's relatively sophisticated,
but there's still plenty of leeway given. Playing the game probably won't
get you in the finals on American Idol, but it's a fun way to pass the
time with friends. While it seems relatively simple at first, you'll
quickly find yourself immersed in the action as you try to increase your
scores, add flourish to your notes and take the game by storm. As an added
incentive, each song includes special bonus notes, which offer extra
scoring and ranking opportunities. These are usually longer and at higher
or lower pitches, making them harder to maintain. This makes the gameplay
all the more challenging and makes this feel like much more than a typical
karaoke game. SingStar's track selection offers plenty of variety as well,
and most players will find themselves challenged by the different styles
and song structures offered.
The included microphones feel like real
microphones, not cheap plastic toys, which makes them fun to use. They are
heavy and feel right in your hands, they feel like professional
instruments, not game controllers. This added realism is evident in their
high-fidelity, which allows for some pretty decent sound quality that
makes the experience all the more enjoyable. Connecting via the PS2's USB
ports makes them instantly usable, and since there are two included, you
can start battles and contests right away without having to purchase a
second, which is a good idea given its target audience. Singstar Rocks
also supports the EyeToy camera peripheral, which allows you to see
yourself onscreen. This allows you to feel even more involved in the
gameplay, and enhances the party atmosphere. The game's presentation is
fairly slick with easy to navigate and understand menus, good quality
music videos and a simple interface that makes it easy to see what your
scores and status are. Singstar's track selection is fairly varied and
includes 30 separate tracks. The selection ranges everything from classic
artists like Gloria Gaynor, The Cure, Marvin Gaye, and Aretha Franklin to
more contemporary artists including Coldplay, Good Charlotte, Fall Out Boy
and Gwen Stefani. In addition to these standard tracks, there are also
several medleys available with selections from various tracks and genres,
which increases the challenge and unpredictability. Each song is
accompanied by a full-length music video that plays in the background as
you sing along. This makes the game more entertaining for spectators and
helps to keep the excitement level high throughout.
One
of the coolest features of the game allows you to save and replay your
performances to the memory card. This can be either a good or a bad thing,
depending on how much singing talent you have. SingStar Rocks isn't the
deepest or more challenging game on the market, its an enjoyable social
experience. The game's selection of tracks ranges several decades, which
should broaden its appeal. There are multiple modes of play that allow for
both casual and competitive play which adds to the gaming aspect as well.
An easy to understand and navigate menu system, excellent presentation and
slick interface makes things look good while keeping things accessible and
fun throughout. It's not as challenging or hardcore as some of the other
music titles on the market, but SingStar provides an enjoyable musical
experience. The challenge of trying to match the songs note for note and
competing with other players makes SingStar Rocks an enjoyable experience
that makes for an appealing title that should entertain a broad
cross-section of gamers, players and, casual singers.
