Karaoke Revolution

"This game IS cool!"

Karaoke. Sounds like the most lame thing on the planet, right? Well, I would've agreed, before I tried the game. But now... after I've tried it, embraced it, and accepted it, I can honestly say... that I've loved it.

Wait. Before you start knocking on the game (and me,) you should know something. This isn't some simple sing-along. No, to do well in this game, you actually have to SING well. There is a pitch-sensing system thing in the game, and it measures your pitch and checks it against one of about thirty to forty songs.

Did I say songs? Oh, yes, that reminds me- these songs aren't some songs that have come out of obscurity, who no one will recognize. These songs are actual POPULAR songs from up to 20 or 30 years ago to the present. There are such hits as "Complicated," "Waiting for Tonight," "Chain of Fools," "Billie Jean," "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and Science Genius Girl," among many others.

Yes, so it kind of makes sense. If you want to have the right pitch, you'll have to actually know the pitch to sing at. And don't tell me that you don't know the tunes of at LEAST one of those songs. And, if there's a mister Hung in the house, there are adjustable difficulties for you!

Graphics: 9.5/10

Didn't think that this would matter in a game like this? Well, it does. You don't just sing to an empty space, and you're not just some voice from beyond. You have to pick a character, and then take that character onto stage in front of a crowd in various locations. And it all looks GREAT.

No, really, I'm not kidding. Your character and the stage scenery is very detailed, from the microphone to the keys on the keyboard or the strings on the electric guitar.

Plus, the crowd is so realistic, it's almost scary. The first ten rows or so of the crowd (which could be the whole crowd if you're at a simple party) are in 3D, and the rest are 3D cardboard cutouts, but that doesn't make the realism decay one bit. The crowd will react realistically to your performance, boo and cheer at the right times, and even LEAVE if you're doing bad! But recover, and they'll come back. They sway in tempo to the music, for crying out loud! And if you're in a 50,000-seat Dome, watch out! Your ears will just about burst.

Sound: 10/10

Come on, if they got any less...

The sound basically stretches your TV sound system to the max. If you have surround sound with speakers everywhere, this game will sound amazing. If you have some dumb one-inch speaker system, well... the sound will sound a bit worse.

But, from an objective point of view, the sound is still amazing. The songs, most of which have apparently been re-recorded, STILL sound as good as the originals. It even looks like they brought an actual crowd in to record the crowd sounds... or not.

Gameplay: 10/10

Karaoke Revolution got this formula right, and with absolutely NO example to work off of. Yes, there may have been other singing games, but, to my knowledge, none with the voice-sensing technology like Karaoke Revolution.

Basically, the Gameplay is like this. When you sing, there is a clear bar at the bottom of the screen that's divided unevenly (think 20%-80%) into two sections. On the left side, (or the 20% side) there is an arrow, that moves up and down according to your pitch, or isn't there at all if you're not singing. On the right side, there are note bars. No, they're not actual notes, just bars that are higher or lower according to the pitch.

Now, when the song starts, the note bars scroll left INTO the arrow section. Your job is to make the arrow MEET these bars, by singing the correct pitch. After a few note bars, you'll get a rating according to how accurate you were, from Lousy to Great. All the while, the next note bars are coming in. So, there's virtually no pause in the regular flow of the song, even with all of the ratings coming in. The better you rate, the higher your score!

If you find yourself getting "Lousy" over and over, then, you can just turn the difficulty down a bit. But if you get 100% great on the first song, crank the difficulty up... to expert!

Yes, truly near-perfect gameplay.

Replay Ability: 7/10

Oh, they could have done better here. With a mere FOUR songs to unlock, (yes, four,) you'll realize that you CANNOT spend a few minutes singing extra to get a few more songs, you'll have to spend that few minutes getting ALL of the songs. Not to say that it's easy, oh no. You'll have to sing on Hard or Expert to get two of the songs, but still.

Wait! But what about the VIDEOS!? Don't worry, there are only about... ten or so. And they can be unlocked twice as easily as the songs. And I think one is actuall PRE-UNLOCKED for you, but that just may be my exaggerating.

Buy or Rent?

BUY. No, not just buy, this is a MUST-BUY. Really. You have to buy it. Who cares about embarrassment? If you do, I know a great place that sells bedroom door locks.

That, however, is for another day.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/09/04