Karaoke Revolution

"Embarassing? Yeah, but fun as hell."

There are times where a gamer absolutely must step back and realize that his/her hobby, regardless of impressions, is not about image, but fun. What do I mean? The top ranking Quake player will never sell shoes. The best DDR player will never be featured in a video with Shaun Puffy Combs. The best Gameboy Player will never have his face on Wheaties. So why, when so little is to be gained, do people do it? Simply put, to have fun. You never have and never will look cool while playing a game to anyone outside the circle of gamers. So what does this have to do with this game?

It's about realizing that you play games to enjoy the fun that can be had rather than status or looking cool. Because trust me, this game will not make you look cool. And sadly, majority of your greasy browed Fire Emblem playing buddies will probably mock you for playing this game. But once again, it isn't about them, looking cool, or even gaining popularity. It's about fun. And fun is exactly what this game is. But worry not. Your love for this game is more than likely not singular and this is a damn good game to bring in the chicks, believe it or not.

Everyone loves a singer.

Gameplay
So.. you have this microphone attached to your head, right? This isn't exactly news. In fact, the only way to buy this game until January (new expansion discs so soon? could be) is with the microphone. You need it to play. More importantly, you need to learn how to keep that mic in front of your face. A little to the side can and will throw off you tone.

So you pick your song through anyone of the methods described later and you begin to see your character in anyone of 8 settings. As words begin to scroll towards the left, you'll also notice a blue bar at different heighths of the lyric bar. This is your pitch indicator. So you start singing and the basic goal is to keep your pitch (represented by the lit arrow) in the middle of the bars. Sometimes this is hard, sometimes very easy. Regardless, knowing the song beforehand is very much needed. You get graded on sections. Do poorly and your reaction from the crowd begins to get downright hostile. Do well, and well, you get nifty effects. You characters glows, the mic become electrified, the crowds roars you on, your name in lights, etc. etc....

The challenge comes in holding the tones, pitches, and phrases throughout the song. Once again, it seems very easy until you try. And when songs like One Week by Barenaked Ladies and End of the World by REM crank in, it's easy to get overwhelmed. The second aspect that you must understand is that, your voice is more than likely horrible. Or it's good. Regardless, this is karaoke and your own voice does become the focus. Fortunately, the longer you play, the better you get. I know, it seems weird to apply this basic gaming idea to singing but it's true. After 4 hours of play, I can hold tones, change minor pitches, and even throw in my own tweaks to gaps in the blue bars. This game, has made me a better singer and I've just barely scratched the surface.

Graphics
I hate poly pushers. Hate em. Everyone thinking that somehow a game would be 10x better if they just made sure the lead character had realtime chainmail. So naturally, anytime I look at a game, I am rarely dazzled by graphics. But this game has dazzled me. Not in the way of making me stand up and take notice, but in the way of creating clean, effective graphics which serve the purpose. The real treats in this game come from the animation. Everything seems so smooth, fluid, and almost lifelike. You almost start bobbing along with the crowd. So why do I say the graphics are effective? Because they make me want to be part of that little world. To get into a game like this is fairly rare. But this nifty little corner of the video game universe that Harmonix has created, well, it looks damn fun to be there. So I'm bobbing my head like a mental invalid while playing this game. Despite my best attempts, I'm getting into it. And that is really what the graphics are for. My god do they work.

Sound
What exactly are you expecting? You are, after all, half of this games audio. But Harmonix did a very smart thing when designing this game. Adjustable levels. You can turn down your mic as well as turn up the default vocals and music. You can even adjust the noise in the headset. You can do all of this while the song is running as well. It's as simple as holding down a face key and pressing up or down. As far as the rest of the sounds, it's quite refreshing to hear a slight sizzle as your character glows or listen to that rampant clapping of the crowd. It's everything you expect from Karaoke and more.

Game modes
In the single player area, you have 3 modes. Showtime mode is where you unlock all your stuff. You have 8 locations with 4 songs each, all eager to get beaten. Well, some I don't care for but still. Unfortunately, the new songs cannot be played in this mode, offering the player no way to enjoy the best fruit of said labors.

Arcade works just like it does on DDR. Choose difficulty, choose song, and play for a select number of stanges.

True Karaoke. Yep, no judging, no nothing. This si the mode which truly emulates the machines but why would you want that?

Now in the multiplayer arena, you have a variation of arcade. But then you also have the contest mode. What do I mean?

You perform and then players pass around the controller for a secret ballot of your performance. Are you gettign better or worse? This mode will tell you through your trusty friends. Then there are some players who will instantly drag competitions score down and they are always discovered when they are the only ones with the highest score.

Closing Statements
So with this game out, what more to do? Well, the extras menu holds an option to insert and expansion disc. Not only that, but you can unlock videos of various players doing the same thing you did. And trust me, they are just as terrible as you are! So watching other play this game somehow makes it less embarassing. To add on top of this, the game has ZERO voice recognition. So you can play like Weird Al and make your own lyrics and and still pass. Trust me, the only way I could beat Like A Virgin was by changing it to Watching Oprah. And yes, this is still a great game to pick up girls with. Why? Everyone loves a singer! And this game WILL make you a better singer!

So all in all, you have only one choice to make before buying this game. How fragile is your pride? If you are the kind to get embarassed easily, leave this game alone. If you feel games need to make you look cool. Leave this game alone. But if you want fun on a Guilty Pleasure level, then buy this game! Signs are pointing towards the first expansions sets being out as early as January, so you still have time to practice.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/07/03