Getting in touch with your inner Pop Star…

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me, “Want to play a game on PS2?”

Ah, yes … to game or not to game? That’s a stupid question.

I watched him set up the console, while visions of race cars danced in my head. A few minutes later, he handed me a microphone. I stared at it in horror.

He said, “We’re going to sing.”

What?? Noooo. No. No. No…

My protests were in vain. The game loaded. The songs were selected, and before I knew it, I was singing karaoke style to videos of Dido, Madonna, Ricky Martin, and others.

I was oblivious to the cats shrieking in allies, to the neighbors weeping, to glass shattering, and to frames falling off the walls … none of it mattered. I had a higher score, I was winning, and best of all: the game kept telling me I was doing a great job.

I didn’t even know what the heck I was playing. But soon I learned its name: SingStar.

SingStar (and also SingStar Pop and SingStar Party), was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s London Studio, and is available all over Europe and Australia. The game versions are different depending on your country of residence. Living in France, I get a combination of songs in French and in English, while the UK versions are all in English.

The game has different modes of play: solo or duet; by yourself or with and against others. The quality of the microphones is wonderful, and the set up is as simple as plugging the adapter into the USB port.

If you love singing, or even if you hate it, you might want to give this game a chance. It’s perfect for entertaining at a party, or for simply goofing around with friends.

(It also comes in handy if you really hate your neighbors…)