SingStar Pop Review - PS2

Konami has had the stage to itself with its successful Karaoke Revolution line of videogames. No matter what console you owned, if you wanted to sing your heart out videogame style, you had to go with Konami. Sony changed all that at the end of last year with SingStar Rocks! featuring authentic video clips from the actual artists and an arguably hipper selection of music, Sony's game gave Karaoke Revolution a run for its money. The follow up to Sony's successful songster is SingStar Pop. As expected with any incremental follow up, it has the same strengths and weaknesses as its predecessor.

Pop Idols

SingStar Pop is geared towards gamers that want a full-on party-game out of the box. In that sense, it's a success. All the features are available from the get go and the game is easy for everyone to understand. You have to match the rhythm and pitch of the vocals for each song. If a song doesn't happen to be in your range or you don't know all the lyrics, it's easy enough to flub your way through. This feature aids the game's accessibility, but also makes scoring a bit annoying. To be fair, the competition's games are easy to "cheat" as well.

As with any music/rhythm game, song selection is essential. SingStar Pop features a nice variety of tracks that has something for everyone. You'll find modern pop tarts (Jessica Simpson and Avril Lavigne), classic '80s artists (A-Ha and Cyndi Lauper), current hipsters (Panic! at the Disco and Snow Patrol), and crap (Whitney Houston). It sounds trite, but there's definitely something for everyone here. Gamers are bound to find a handful of songs they enjoy, at the very least.

One of SingStar's key differentiators is that it uses the actual videos from the artists in the game. This is indescribably cool if you're a fan of any of the talent that appears in the game. Not only do you get to enjoy music from a wide variety of artists, you get to enjoy their videos as well. Furthermore, it's a welcome relief from the shoddy art style used in Karaoke Revolution. Real videos vs. woeful character designs? SingStar wins this battle hands down.

There are a bunch of neat options that expand the game. The most interesting of which is the EyeToy functionality. You can use the EyeToy to put themselves in the games. It's a novelty for sure, but you can add some cheesy effects (like putting yourself in a Gorillaz video). You can also record your best performance for posterity's sake, as well as add wacky audio effects. The game is also hot swappable with SingStar Rocks! for seamless karaoke enjoyment.

Pop Tarts

One niggling problem from the first game remains in SingStar Pop: you can't adjust the volume of the original vocals. This is a pretty standard karaoke feature that needs to be in the game. Some crooners prefer to leave the original vocals low, using them as a guide. Other songsters that know their songs inside out would rather be without the original vocal tracks.

Although the games various modes are fantastic for multiplayer gaming, there's not a lot to do if you prefer to sing solo. This is one area where Karaoke Revolution undisputedly has the upper hand. There aren't any unlockable rewards to earn for singing solo; you can pretty much keep trying to beat your personal best and that's it. While the focus of the game is clearly for party scenarios, it would have been nice to have some rewards for those that can't or don't want to find people to sing with.

A Poppin' Value

One of the best things about SingStar Pop is its value price. The game has a suggested retail price of $29.99 without microphones and $49.99 for a bundle with a pair of mics. Not only do you get strong karaoke gameplay, real music, and real videos, but you get it all at a relatively inexpensive price for a new game. If you're looking for solid karaoke gameplay and a fantastic party game, SingStar Pop is an excellent choice.

Article by: Raymond M. Padilla
Video produced by: Jonathan Solin