PlayStation 2

SingStar Party

We took thirty songs, two microphones, a group of friends and a copy of Singstar Party and gently cooked until things heated up.

Get your friends together and have a party with SingStar Party. This second edition of the SingStar series decided to drop the single player career mode (thank goodness) and rather improve the multiplayer aspect of the game, also a good idea. The song selection in this version is also more modernised, bringing some latest releases (at the time of launch) such as Maroon 5’s ‘This love’ and Pink’s ‘Just like a Pill.’

You only need to look around any Australian city to see how popular Karaoke has become in recent years. It was little surprise then that Sony would release such a game on Playstation 2. What was a surprise was how big a hit SingStar became upon release earlier this year. Indeed, until a couple of weeks ago the game was still in the Top 5 Playstation 2 games sold in Australia. Singstar Party isn't really a sequel, it's more an add-on. 30 new music tracks as well as more emphasis on playing the game with a bunch of friends. So is this game worth the money, and your vocal chords?

As it stands Singstar: Party is a relatively worthy addition to the Singstar franchise and anyone who was a fan of the first will pick this title up and be quite happy with it, we just want more songs and better songs included next time, after all the game is all about the music.

Singstar Party is a sequel (or rather an add-on) that doesn't to the original any good. Although it still is a lot of fun to make yourself ridiculous in front of others, the singleplayer mode just isn't fun anymore due to the missing Career Mode. Buying Singstar Party with mics seems totally useless to me, because you might as well buy Singstar instead then. Only the Singstar-owners who don't mind shelling out some euros/pounds/dollars for 30 new songs should consider this game, but I'd only buy it to admire Javine's beautiful curves...

Sometimes we just feel like poor old Darth Vader. We can feel his exasperation. "Why doesn't this pitiful offspring of mine understand the power of the dark side? If only he knew, he wouldn't question it." Too many people are reluctant to play SingStar because they think it's karaoke, which they assume they don't like. These people are, sadly, fools. Obi-Wan never told them just how much fun you can have with it. How it's the best and most universally appealing party game since Twister. How it's not only designed to make you sing, but how it's made singing into a viable competition, and how many things there are to make you laugh - through playback, voice filters, EyeToy video-capture, and through the exposure of unlikely falsetto voices in once-reticent couch-dwellers. If you don't play it, or continue to evade it, you're only delaying the inevitable. It is your destiny.

FOR THE UNINITIATED, SINGSTAR is an interactive game for PS2, the basic concept being that players sing popular songs - either competitively or co-operatively, using microphones that plug into the PS2's USB slots. It was a huge hit when it was first released mid-year 2004, and its popularity ensured there would be several additions to the franchise.

Deux chansons de Nâdiya, deux de Willy Denzey, une touche de KMaro, les sons NRJ sont logiquement surreprésentés. Ca ne nous dérange pas particulièrement vu le reste (Bob Marley, Franz Ferdinand), mais il va de soi que l'intérêt du jeu varie en fonction de votre affection pour les chansons qui sont dessus.

Singstar NRJ Music Tour s'enferme dans un style de musique trop sectaire. Au lieu de s'éparpiller et chercher à proposer une tracklist variée, on nous sert toujours la même chose. Et puis deux fois le même titre de Nâdiya c'est quand même un peu abusé, non ? Ce n'est pas la même chanson ? Ah bon. Mais vous êtes sûr ?