SingStar Pop

In the video game world, few companies are able to claim success in the area of rhythm-infused games, aside from Konami.

With that said, Konami's Karaoke Revolution, the king of the karaoke video game market, is finding itself facing off against Sony's release of SingStar Pop--but can SingStar Pop top the king?

Be a Star

SingStar Pop includes three modes that are relatively self-explanatory: solo mode, party mode, and freestyle mode. In solo mode, you will be rated and ranked according to a pitch display that tells you how you should be singing the song. In party mode, you can sing duets, battle for the highest score, or play a pass-the-mic game (think along the same lines of the WarioWare party game variety).

The final mode, freestyle, works just like the time you sang karaoke at a bar with your friends: just words, the actual music video (none of that cheesy 80's randomness looping in the background), and your beautiful voice resonating from the speakers. So far, it sounds harmless enough; Karaoke Revolution is just like that, right?

Well, the similarities end there.

In SingStar, you don't get characters to customize, unlock costumes for, or new songs to unlock. All of the songs are available upfront withoptions to sing them in either long or short versions. You can control how loud your mic is, but there is no option to control how loud the music or original vocals are. Actually, the only hint you get that indicates that you can change the volume on your mic is a two-second notice that appears at the start of the first song you sing that says, "Use L1 and L2 to set the vocal level." In fact, I'm not even sure that's what it says because it disappears in a flash and is never seen again until you restart the entire game. Such limited customization across the game is a turn off to both veterans of the karaoke genre as well as the casual gamer looking to get his or her singing fix.

Living Room Idol

As this is SingStar Pop, expect generous helpings of Billboard Music Charts-influenced songs. This is the hit-or-miss aspect of the game: you'll either love the song list or you won't. Fans of today's top pop charts will find the music selection to be awesome, but if you are actually a fan of singing, you'll find yourself rolling your eyes at the top 30 hits of the last few years.

While SingStar Pop delivers a solid graphical interface, along with authentic music videos and songs, the lack of customizable options makes this one a flop. Pick it up only if: 1) you've completely exhausted your 5 volumes of Karaoke Revolution games and need a fix with new songs; 2) you've fallen in love with the song list and; 3) you don't care that you will never hear your own voice alongside the instrumental music. Otherwise, save it for a rental.

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