PlayStation 2

CMT Presents: Karaoke Revolution Country

Several years ago, I would have scoffed at the notion that I might be making my career by singing "All My Exes Live In Texas" at an unfeeling TV screen. It might have surprised that past self even more to know that I managed to enjoy the process, despite my relatively irrational dislike for the style.

It's Karaoke Revolution with country songs. Any other questions? With four previous games under their belt, Harmonix has this down pat and this is a more targeted batch of songs for a specific audience. The formula is grooving along and this revolution has already become a movement. The only thing now is to hope for some other specialized versions that have the same song count as Karaoke Revolution Party. We'd love to see one that is dedicated to classic duets or maybe one that's timelier with just the latest songs. Now That's What I Call Karaoke? We'll see.

Like previous games, Karaoke Revolution Country lets you unlock additional avatars, costumes for them, and even songs by playing through and getting gold and platinum records on all of the songs available at the start. It's nice to be able to customize characters, and some of their "country moves" are entertaining, but the game has a limited look to it that could probably stand to be improved upon. You can put yourself in the game with the EyeToy, either by creating an EyeToy Cameo head (or using one from a previous game) or by going to any of the EyeToy-friendly arenas, which will show you in the background on the big screens. As for the practical visuals, the music is easy to read and follow, so they serve their purposes well. There's definitely reason to keep going back to Karaoke Revolution Country, particularly if the title sounds really appealing to you.

If country music clashes with your pop sensibilities, the not only are you not going to buy CMT - you're not even reading these reviews. Thankfully, my mother listened to Willie and didn't let me grow up to be a cowboy, that doesn't mean that I can't see good ol' boys and girls have a s***-kicking good time.

If you're a karaoke fan and you love Country music, then you'll absolutely enjoy Karaoke Revolution: Country. That said, with a more robust number of songs and dance pad support, it really could have been much better. If you're not a diehard fan of Country, there's not a chance in hell you'll have a good time with this game - unless you're singing a tune here and there at a party. Harmonix could have done a better job here; it's asking a lot of your fans to pony up $40-$55 for a game that has fewer features and songs than the previous game in the series.

It's not the strongest release in the Karaoke Revolution line up but CMT brings a welcome expansion to the table. The atmosphere and songs are undeniably country (for better or worse) and true fans of both the music genre and the KR franchise will definitely want to pick this up. Everyone else can skip it without a second thought since this particular brand isn't as accessible or popular as DDR.

There's definitely a lot of fun to be had here, and at $39.99 with a microphone included, the price isn't all that bad. Assuming you don't already have a microphone, that is. The song list feels a bit limited, though, thanks to being relatively short and being confined to a single genre, as opposed to past Karaoke Revolution games that have usually featured a small taste of everything. In other words, even the most hardcore country fan will go through what's here in one or two sittings, and with very few extra tracks to unlock, the game just doesn't have staying power.