Roland Tellzen | July 08, 2008
AS a long-term fan of the SingStar karaoke series for the PS2, it's perhaps surprising that this writer hasn't so far been in print to sing the praises of the PS3 version.
The original clips now fill the whole screen in SingStar's karaoke series
Indeed, we are now up to volume 2 of the next-generation version of the game, so this review is perhaps overdue.
Then again, that may be a good thing. Volume 1, shipped just before Christmas 2007, was a little bit underprepared, and its online problems in particular caused some angst among SingStar afficionados.
Now, however, most of those issues have been sorted and the game has had enough tweaks to make the PS3 version a sufficient evolution from the original titles to merit comparison and assessment.
The PS3 version's main enhancement is the inclusion of online components: the ability to buy and download individual tracks from the new SingStore, and the establishment of a SingStar community to upload and share videos of users' performances.
In theory, the SingStore always was a great idea. One of the problems with the PS2 versions was that users had to buy the individual disks of 30 songs even if they only liked one or two tracks, and they had to be physically swapped if you wanted the full selection.
Through SingStore, you need only buy the tracks you want and have them sitting on your PS3's hard disk for ready access at any time without the need to swap disks. The trouble was, when Volume 1 was launched, only a limited selection of tracks was available through SingStore, and for a long time Sony seemed to make no effort to add to the selection, which riled many a user forum.
The good news is, the company has lifted its game in the past few months, and new tracks are added to the store every fortnight. More than 300 songs are available now.
The mix is good: lots of old and new tunes for all ages, from Roy Orbison to The Ramones to Radiohead.
If there is a disappointment, it's that Sony is nowhere near getting the full back catalogue of existing songs from the PS2 series in the store yet, despite this being one of its main marketing boasts at launch.
Despite the PS3's high-definition capabilities, only one track so far is available in HD. Hopefully this will improve in months to come.
As for the community aspect, frankly this would-be crooner would not even consider inflicting a video of myself on the world.
Still, it seems to have good patronage, and Sony is making efforts to host competitions and the like through it.
The PS3 version retains the same basic gameplay structure as the original game, with singers rated for their pitch, tone and timing.
But the options for the various gameplay modes are much easier to access and swap between.
The game seems to flow a lot smoother (despite some reports of vocal lag when used with HD plasmas) and the original clips now fill the whole screen.
The rap mode has also been improved, while not making it any easier, and recent enhancements include the introduction of harmony mode that allows two players to sing different parts to the same song concurrently.
Harmonies are a great addition, and are harder than they first appear.
On the minus side, the microphones are still wired. Note to Sony: wireless would be a great enhancement.
Overall, though, this a great improvement on the original.
It is far more flexible, fun, and in the long run, cost-effective.
SPECIFICATIONS
• Publisher: SCEE
• Platform: PS3
• Price: $59.95 (alone), $109.95 (with microphones)
• Rating: 7.5/10