Publisher: Konami
Ages: seven and up.
Parental
Advisory:
Edgy song lyrics
It's fresh and innovative and the first interactive karaoke videogame. Konami's Karaoke Revolution lets aspiring pop stars sing with over 35 hit songs and scores their performance based on pitch and rhythm. The game has wide appeal for gamers of all ages and is a fantastic party and family game.
The game plays a song and displays words and indicates notes and duration (not actually musical notes, but a marker that roughly shows players the pitches and the length of time to hold the note). Players try their best to sing the song and match the pitch and rhythm. Looking much like Konami's DDRMAX II, Karaoke Revolution displays notes and words instead of footsteps.
The game relies on its "voice analyzer" technology to rate a player's performance. The technology only scores pitch and rhythm and can't distinguish the words that a player is singing. Thus, one can get by humming a song and not worrying about lyrics.
Players belt out tunes into a headset microphone that comes with the game. While you can use a USB microphone, the headset does a better job of letting players hear themselves sing along with the music. As players croon, a dynamic crowd cheers players as they hit the right notes and advance through the game, or boo players off stage if they miss their cues and keys.
In "arcade mode" players can hone their skills and sing their way to a high score, while in "showtime mode," players work their way up from singing in subway stations to performing at virtual clubs and eventually playing enormous concert stadiums. Those who are not quite ready for the big time can practice in the "Karaoke mode" that allows them to sing without being judged or scored. Yes, the PlayStation becomes a karaoke machine.
The game features a wide selection of pop songs that include those from artists such as Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, Michelle Branch, R.E.M., and Nickelback, and there are classics such as 'Billie Jean', 'Like a Virgin', 'Chain of Fools', 'Red, Red Wine', 'Celebration' and 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun'. As with most songs provided for the purpose of karaoke, the songs aren't performed by the original artists who made them popular. The game is generally wholesome, but some may find lyrics in certain songs objectionable.
The game features songs that most people age will recognize, but the song selection is very limited. Most people should find a few songs that they like, but will also end up singing songs that they don't know. The fun with this game lies in the songs. And for this, Konami has the ability to sell expansion discs at a later date that can add to the game's library.
For families that are into music, Karaoke Revolution is a fantastic game. It could use a larger library of songs to appeal to every age group, but Konami may be able to address in the future.
11/24/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
