It can be said that it is a very brave company that releases a Karaoke game on the PS3 in the wake of the mighty Singstar and all it’s add-on packs. However that is exactly what developers, Blitz Games and Publishers Konami have done in the form of Karaoke Revolution which differs from Singstar greatly but essentially is just another singing title. 

It is not actually the first time this title has appeared, however, previously it has always been linked in the states with American Ideal and been full of poor copies of top hits. 

This time the game has 50 original tracks on it, but unlike Singstar they are only the vocal versions and the original pop videos that accompanied them are absent. Instead you either select an existing character or create your own who appears on screen in front of his or her band as you perform. (A bit like the characters in Guitar or Band hero)
 

As usual with this sort of game the words appear on screen together with pitch and timing bars and depending on how well you do will determine what score you will finish with. Sing well enough and there are also star boosts and bonuses for you to achieve. 

There are various different modes available with the game. Single players get the chance to play Career Mode. Here your character starts playing small gigs at small venues before you manage to unlock the larger venues as you take your character to career glory. 

However, multiplayer is where it is at of course and with Karaoke Challenge you can play against up to 15 other players in Party Mode. You can also take people on locally or online against rival singers from across the world. It is also intended, ala Singstar, that new tracks will be available to download via the PSN at some point in the future. 

Graphically the game is a very mixed bag. For one thing there is no class whatsoever to the menu screens etc. It is just a list of tracks and you select which one you want to sing. When the singing starts the graphics are colourful and the character models interesting but unfortunately the lip synching is at times, none-existent as you are singing away and your character does nothing in reply. 

Sound wise, of course, a game like this is only as good as it’s track list and this one has a mixture to try and appeal to as many people as possible, from the Jackson 5 to Pink and R.E.M. 

Overall it is a game that will be a lot of fun to a large group of people possibly while alcohol is flowing. The lack of the original videos is disappointing but at least makes it different to Sony’s product. It really is going to depend on whether you want another singing game. If the answer to that is yes then this is a fun title with an excellent choice of tracks with a good character creation mode. If the answer is no then this is obviously a game to avoid. 

The tracks featured are: 

Developer:

Blitz Games

Publisher:

Konami

Genre:

Party

Release Date:

02/10