Reviewed: November 16, 2008
Reviewed by: Jeremy Ewing

Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer
SCE Studios London

Released: October 28, 2008
Genre: Music
Players: 1-8

8
8
8
10
9.0

Supported Features:

The idea is quite simple, buy a game with a couple microphones and sing until you can’t sing anymore! SingStar originally released with a Pop version on the PS2 and since has grown by leaps and bounds. Sony has released SingStar Rocks, Amped, 80’s, 90’s, and now are bringing 3 new additions to the PS2 family. SingStar Pop Vol. 2, and SingStar Legends, and SingStar Country.

The SingStar series can be played with one to eight players. One player sessions are basically a high score solo run through the songs to set a mark for you and your friends to beat in the future. Once you add a friend to the mix there are several other options for gameplay. Battle mode pits you versus your friend in a head to head matchup of vocal ability. Duet allows for a less competitive approach. Pass the mic allows several players to take turns, and gives the complete “party” aspect to SingStar.

Scoring is based off of pitch. If you are singing Britney Spears, you don’t have to match her high notes exactly as long as you come up in range and can match the pitch change from your normal tone. This means that men can easily sing along with a woman’s song and women the same with a man’s. The great thing about the series is that it doesn’t take an accomplished vocalist to make the game fun. Anyone of any level of singing ability can play with success.

As the words scroll across the bottom of the screen pitch bars will show you the fluctuations across the middle. Your singing output with either match up or show up below or above the given marks. If your marks are below, then you must sing higher. Above means you need to sing lower. For anyone who may have played EA’s Rock Band or Activision’s Guitar Hero World Tour, this should be fairly similar to the way vocals work in those games.

Due to SingStar’s large variety spread across several discs, Sony has included a “swap discs” option that allows you to easily switch between genres without having to restart the system. Simply select the option to swap discs, open your disc tray and insert the new disc to begin singing the new songs. Unfortunately PS3 owners don’t have the same ability when playing the PS2 versions.

Another convenient feature of the series is the “medley” selections. These selections will automatically flip through several songs of a similar genre and keep players on their toes. Once you feel that you have a good grasp of each song on the disc you can add some extra difficulty by selecting a medley. The sudden song changes can make things pretty interesting.

SingStar Country is a long awaited title for fans of series. With songs from newer country artists such as Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts to your classic country of Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, SingStar Country hits on a ton of your favorite country artists! The only complaint that I can muster about song selection is the absence of the one and only Garth Brooks. Obviously there are some issues with copyrights, but as we have seen SingStar is always working to expand their library. SingStar Country boasts a 30-song playlist, just as all the others have. The set list is as follows:

• Alan Jackson – Chattahoochie
• Alan Jackson – Good Time
• Big & Rich – Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)
• Blake Shelton – Home
• Brad Paisley – Online
• Brooks & Dunn – Boot Scootin’ Boogie
• Brooks & Dunn w/ Reba McEntire – If You See Him/ If You See Her
• Bucky Covington – It’s Good To Be Us
• Faith Hill – Red Umbrella
• Gretchen Wilson – Redneck Woman
• Jessica Simpson – Come On Over
• Jewel – Stronger Woman
• Johnny Cash – I Walk The Line
• Johnny Cash – A Boy Named Sue
• Josh Turner – Another Try
• Keith Urban – Days Go By
• Kellie Pickler – Red High Heels
• Kenny Chesney – Big Star
• Lady Antebellum – Love Don’t Live Here
• Martina McBride – A Broken Wing
• Miranda Lambert – Kerosene
• Montgomery Gentry – My Town
• Montgomery Gentry – What Do Ya Think About That?
• Rascal Flatts – Bless the Broken Road
• Sara Evans – Born to Fly
• Taylor Swift – Our Song
• Terri Clark – Girls Lie Too
• Trace Adkins – Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
• Trace Adkins – You’re Gonna Miss This
• Willie Nelson – Pancho and Lefty

The real draw to SingStar is the sound, as with any music game. If you enjoy the songs that you are singing, then not much else will frustrate you. The sound quality is magnificent, but be sure to respect your neighbors if your SingStar session takes you into the early morning hours!

To easily summarize the SingStar experience, you could probably lump it into the typical music party game genre, but in all honesty it gives you more than that. Hours upon hours of competitive or friendly SingStar play await with each installment of new songs. Even for those that already own one game, there are at least 30 reasons to buy the latest game.

Replay value is obviously based upon your liking of each individual playlist, but with the wide range to choose from it is easy to play for hours and not realize it. The games sell individually for $30 or with the microphones for $50. This is a much less expensive option that most other games in the music genre, so the price is hard to beat. Quickly swapping between discs opens up new song choices that can keep you playing for literally days on end!

I would highly recommend that anyone that enjoys singing try out the series. Pick up the game with the track list that best suits your liking and then expand from there. I’ve found that once you break through your initial fear of embarrassment, that anyone and everyone will enjoy playing the SingStar series. As the famous saying goes, “Dance like no one is watching and sing like no one is listening.” If you follow those words, there’s a whole world of fun waiting for you in the SingStar series.