Windows

American Idol

Zabawa z POP Idolem może zawieść wszystkich fanów tego muzycznego konkursu. Program jest najlepszym przykładem na to, że i z gry dźwiękowej można zrobić zręcznościówkę. Pop Idol pozwala niestety jedynie na krótką i stanowiącą niewielkie wyzwanie zabawę.

Es gibt weitaus schlimmere Spiele zu TV-Sendungen. Vor allem die Songauswahl hat mich positiv überrascht: Zu Elvis Presley, Dido, The Monkees und Robbie Williams schwinge ich durchaus motiviert das Tanzbein. Um so ärgerlicher finde ich, dass ich dafür mehr Reaktionsvermögen als Rhythmusgefühl benötige. Warum Codemasters das Spiel ausschließlich ohne Tanzmatte ausliefert (kostet immerhin 20 Euro), ist mir ebenfalls schleierhaft. Unsere Wertung bezieht sich deshalb auch aufs deutlich langweiligere Spiel mit Tastatur. Wer eine Tanzmatte besitzt, darf 10 Prozent auf die Wertung draufschlagen.

Codemasters' rhythm action game, based on the hit show American Idol, attempts to combine the timing-based, performance-emulating mechanics of games like PaRappa the Rapper with the pageantry of entertainment mastermind Simon Cowell's feverishly popular reality TV series. Neither part is really done right, resulting in a game that's built on compromise.

Getting a bunch of friends and making fools of yourselves can be great entertainment, but this game can't facilitate that. As it stands, American Idol won't last as a party game, which is where it's only potential lies.

The only real function here is the ability to add your own vocal track to some music. With only 21 songs to choose from, this is pretty limited. The rest of the game is repetitive and boring and will only last about half an hour. Save yourself the money and just buy some new CDs to sing along with.

Overall, the studio isn't very deep and the controls can be a little awkward, but it does provide a small spark of creativity in an otherwise soulless title. You may even find yourself replaying the board game just to unlock all the effects and backdrops. But in the end, American Idol is mostly a vacuous attempt to capitalize on the success of the TV show, and even at its budget price, one that even the most rabid fans will have trouble enjoying.