Video Game Review: “SingStar Vol. 2”

Game Rating: T for Teen
Game Publisher: Sony Entertainment
Platform: PS3
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Buy this at: Amazon for $59.99

SingStar has been around for quite some time. It’s a popular game on the Sony Platform for the mere fact that it works for nearly everyone in the entire family. It’s a casual game based on singing skill. Of course, even if you cannot sing to save your life you can still have fun playing this. It’s good to just goof around with friends playing SingStar because it’s just one of those games where everyone has a good time.

If you’re one of the lucky people that happens to have a Playstation 3 with backwards capability (not everyone does) then you can enjoy a wealth of different SingStar titles. Everything from 80s and 90s to Country is available with more titles being released all the time. We are lucky enough to have one and since we have received SingStar Vol. 2 we have begun to amass quite a Sing Star collection. In fact, at last count I believe we were up to six titles. In addition to this review, you will soon be able to read reviews on Sing Star titles such as 80s, ABBA, Legends, Country, and Pop Vol. 2.

The goal is simple. You have to sing your heart out. The hard part will be getting those lyrics down in the right beat with the right tone, rhythm, and pitch. Other than that, it’s a piece of cake! The best thing you can do is choose a title with artists and songs that you are familiar with. If you haven’t ever sung the songs or don’t know them very well it’s going to be much harder than if the song is like second nature to you.

When we were approached about reviewing SingStar I wasn’t sure how much we were going to like it. Both Dominick and I are able to sing well enough (him much better than I), but we don’t often play games like this on our console systems. However, as soon as we started playing SingStar we were blown away by the amount of fun we had. In fact, we played for hours and have since played more than a few times with each of the titles that we own. It was an absolute surprising amazing time!

Enjoyment/Fun Factor:

Features:
SingStar Vol. 2 can be purchased in the microphone bundle like we were given or as a standalone with just the disc. Obviously, purchasing it with the microphones is a little bit more expensive, but it ends up being a one time purchase, so it’s not all that bad. All other discs can be picked up as standalones, which means they will range in price from about $19.95 to $29.99 depending on the specific title.

Playstation Eye owners can hook up their cameras and make music videos of themselves to share on the Network. You can also meet others, purchase extra songs, and rate videos of other people that have uploaded their own content. Of course, you don’t have to use the online portion of the game if you don’t want to. You can use all of the offline features and still have loads of fun.

When it comes to basic features, the main thing you are looking for in a SingStar title is going to be the music that is included in each disc. In this case the music for Vol. 2 is as follows:

Aerosmith: Dude (Looks Like A Lady)
Bad English: When I See You Smile
Bobby Brown: My Prerogative
Boys Like Girls: Hero/Heroine
The Bravery: Believe
The Cure: Pictures of You
Elton John & Kiki Dee: Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Eminem: Without Me
Gavin DeGraw: In Love With a Girl
Gnarls Barkley: Run (I’m A Natural Disaster)
Goldfrapp: Happiness
The Killers: When You Were Young
Lit: Miserable
The Mamas & The Papas: California Dreamin’
Natasha Bedingfield: Unwritten
The Offspring: Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
Panic! At the Disco: Nine in the Afternoon
Paramore: CrushCrushCrush
Phantom Planet: California
Pink: Just Like A Pill
The Police: Don’t Stand So Close to Me
The Proclaimers: I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Radiohead: Street Spirit
Rise Against: Prayer of the Refugee
Sara Bareilles: Love Song
The Shins: New Slang
Tone Loc: Funky Cold Medina
Weezer: Beverly Hills
Yael Naim: New Soul
Young MC: Bust A Move

As you can see there is a mix of new and old music here that will suit a range of tastes. Of all the songs listed, we have tried out most except for the few that we have never heard of. Some of them, like “Don’t Go Breakin My Heart”, “California Dreamin”, “My Prerogative” and “Pictures of You” were easy because they were songs we knew fairly well. Then, there were songs like “Without Me” that we knew exceptionally well when we would sing it all the time, but have since lost any skill for rap as it’s been awhile. So, in that area some practice will be necessary. Even on the hardest song we had fun and we laughed, a lot!

Replayability:

Controls:
I hate to even list controls because really you don’t make use of the controller all that much. You will use your directional buttons to find a song and press a button to select, but that’s about it. You will also select for the type of play you will be doing (battle, duet, solo). Other than that it’s just you and your microphone.

Ease of Use:

Visual Quality:
The main thing that you watch in terms of visual quality is music videos. The quality has it’s moments of excellence and some not so good moments. However, the most important thing is that when you are singing/playing you can see the words and notes properly. This is never, ever a problem. The way I see it is that Sony cannot possibly clean up every video that goes into a SingStar game. That being said, most of the videos are decent quality. The parts you need the most though are perfect as are the non-music video aspects of the game.

Note: The rating focuses more on the game’s visual quality as opposed to the imported music videos that are included for game play.

Visual:

Audio Quality:
The audio quality is one of the most important things here. If you can’t sing the best thing you can do is try to mimic the musician singing in the video. The music here needs to be perfect and it is. Everything is easy to hear and understand. While the mini-clips of music can get a bit annoying if you leave them on without starting the game, everything else is right on target. Each song sounds as if it had been produced recently. Sony did an excellent job with the audio options for this particular SingStar title.

Audio:

Replayability:
How much or little you play this will likely depend on your interest in singing. If you absolutely hate to sing this will not be the game for you. However, if you like to sing and love karaoke then you might just find that SingStar Vol. 2 (and many of the other SingStar titles) were made for you. I cannot speak for everyone, nor would I try, but I have to say that I am addicted to SingStar and I am not all that ashamed to say it!

Replayability:

Bottom Line:
SingStar Vol. 2 was surprisingly enough one of my favorite games of the year. It’s a great family game and it’s plenty of fun for group or solo play. If you want to practice your vocal skills this can help you to do so or you can just mess around with friends for some good clean fun! This particular SingStar is filled with great music, some of which is brand new and other songs that classify as golden oldies. In the end, that means you have something for everyone. Considering the fact that most video games are more expensive than this and this is one that is suitable for all sizes, you really cannot go wrong in choosing SingStar Vol. 2.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Sony, PS3, SingStar Vol. 2, Eminem, Music Video, Sing, Battle, Video Game, Console, Karaoke, Sing Star

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn is definitely the casual gamer in the family. A game fan since she owned an Atari, Ashtyn can remember when her brother rigged the television so he wouldn't lose his Super Mario Bros. game. That is, until the power went out! A fan of all things Mario, Ashtyn is a Nintendo loyalist. She digs playing Mario-style RPG games, watching others play violent shooters (because she sucks at them), and playing casual PC games (like Wedding Dash and Cake Mania). As of now, she is into the Wii and Nintendo DS, though she's certain the games for PS3 and Xbox 360 are more appealing.