CMT Presents: Karaoke Revolution Country

"Not as good as the rest due to variety but a solid enough game."

I've really enjoyed the Karaoke Revolution games and I have been curious as to why there has been so few country songs. Well, they have finally release a specific genre only title and it just happens to be country. Don't like country? Then don't get this game, as simple as that.

There is no story. Highly doubt if they will ever put one in.

The graphics in the game are the same as those in the Party release in Fall 2005. Decent to look at but the animations seemed repeated a lot more here than in any of the other titles. Stages look nice but I still hate the look of the Music Video stage.

Sound wise the game is pretty solid. No artists do their own songs here that I know of but they all sound pretty good. I didn't notice any faults and I didn't notice any word changes. No voice acting here or sound effects.

Menu navigation is easy with the controller. I bought the version of this game that came with the handheld mic so I would be able to finally be able to do duets but I have used both the headset and handheld and they worked fine. I think the handheld works a smidge better and is easier to work with.

If you've played any of the other Karaoke Revolution titles than you'll know how this place. The game has 33 songs to sing, plus two secret songs. A little weak but oh well. I partially like the song select but I also hate it. While it does have some of the classics, some of the newer stuff is crap. I really dislike that new Toby Keith song and the Kenny Chesney featuring Uncle Cracker song is weak. Why not The Good Stuff? It was a much better Chesney song. If you're a country fan you'll find a little bit of everything here from Gretchen Wilson to Johnny Cash.

Now, the game features single player still, as well has two player, duets, duals and mini games. I didn't get a chance to play the mini games with a friend but they are all the same as those found in party but there is now a duet only mini game. I found the duet songs to be hit or miss, some not really falling into a duet type of song at all. I'd say this has the weakest duet selection.

Um, let me explain the actual way the game plays. Imagine a music scale. Now each note section is clearly defined by a large solid bar at the end. The scale slides across the screen. Not in beat or anything but a general speed. A green bar will show up above the words. A arrow shows what note you're singing and you need to be in the green for best results. It's fairly simple but some of the songs are tough. The songs all have a star rating from 1-3, showing how hard a song is or isn't.

While the game is lacking in the unlockable song area, it seems to have a ton of costumes to unlock. You can create a character that suits you, dress it up ect. Getting different types of records on a song will unlock new stuff for your guys. A gold record is for getting a score of 12,000-19,999. Platinum is for 20,000-49.999. A diamond record is given for a perfect score. You also get rewards for meeting certain conditions like finish all 35 songs ect. Eyetoy support also returns. Make your character look like you by doing something with the eyetoy, I can never figure it out. You also appear in the background if there is a tv or monitor. It's a neat idea but doesn't work on duets as the Eyetoy and the mics take up USB spots and the system only has two of those.

Replay Value is pretty good. Fair amount of songs, lots of extras. Mini games ect. It will last a while and it's a great game to bring out during a party or when friends are just over hanging out and drinking.

Is the game worth buying? Yes for country fans and no otherwise. I do enjoy Country music but I found it hard to play a lot of this at once due to no real variety in music. I really have no other complaints and it's a solid enough game that doesn't just feel like a rushed out product to milk the name.

Story - N/A
Graphics - 7/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 8/10
Game Play - 7/10
Replay Value - 7/10

Final Score - 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/19/06