Game Review #6

Karaoke Revolution
PS3, Wii, X360

The newest installment of the singing game, adds quite a bit to the table. It adds a whole new type of career mode, that is entertaining to play through. You play through 3 cd's, and please don't confuse that with having 3 different Karaoke Revolution discs, it is a one disc game. The game has a good array of songs, and everything you have downloaded (if you have a PS3 or X360) from the older versions will work as well.

Playing through the career mode as a single player adds some challenge to playing by yourself that I like. With each song, medley, or set list you sing you have to achieve a certain score if you don't achieve that score you have to re-do it. Once you start the career mode you will notice a small circular shaped object on the screen, that is the start of your disc, and as you beat challenges it will get bigger.

I've only played the PS3 version of the game, but as far as I can tell the online capability is well done. The only bad thing I would have to say about it would be that not a lot of people play it online so unless you have a lot of singing parties, you'd be playing the game by yourself a lot.

After a few added things, not much else has changed in the series, but hopefully this sort of career mode will keep the series afloat. However, many of the singing gamers have veered more towards SingStar, Lips, even Rock Band. It doesn't compete well with those games, but this is one of the best Karaoke Revolution games I have played, and I do hope they come out with another.

For a complete setlist please click on the following Wikipedia link: Karaoke Revolution 2009

Game Review #5

Mario Kart

Nintendo Wii

Mario Kart Wii, is  a game that is fun for all ages. With its colorful 3-D graphics and it’s likeable characters, this game is sure to please a crowd.

Like it’s predecessors, Mario Kart Wii is a racing game that involves moving your character around the track as fast as possible and trying to get the best placement you can. In the game you can pick from many classic Mario characters from the fun loving Yoshi to the mean nasty Bowser. Also you have many different tracks to choose from, 32 in all, 16 new ones and 16 retro ones. Mario Kart Wii is best played with a group of friends in the same room. With the right people you can be screaming at each other asking “Why did you hit me with the blue shell?”

Mario Kart Wii also has the capabilities to play with your friends online, just as long as you have your friends friend code, and internet capabilities you will be able to play that friend that’s halfway across the world. The only downfall to playing online is that they did not think to incorporate the Wii Speak capabilities.

Mario Kart is a fun game that has everything you would want in a multiplayer game. Get ready for lots of laughs, and memories on your next game night by buying this game.

Because of it’s online capabilities, cute cartoony graphics, and ability to give you some of the best memories, I would give this game a 7.5 out of 10.

Game Review #4

SingStar

Playstation 3

Recently I have acquired a Playstation 3, I know lucky me right! Well because I absolutely love singing and love singing games, SingStar Vol. 1 was one of my first PS3 games. I had played the previous versions on my Playstation 2, but was very excited to take a look at the online content for the PS3.

One of the first things I noticed was the ability to swap discs. If you have the Playstation 2 SingStars you will be able to swap those discs out with ease with the push of a few buttons. This allows you to not just sing songs that are on one disc, but the ones that are on all of them.

One of the features that was carried over onto the PS3 version was the ability to save your songs that you perform well, and with the added ability of being able to put up to 5 audio files onto your community profile online, you can get your voice out into the world, but be warned you will be rated and people can be brutal. If you have the Playstation Eye you can put up to 5 videos and numerous photos that people can rate as well. Along with the ability to have an online profile, you can also download songs from the SingStar store. New songs are added every other Thursday.

Now onto the actual game play, when you first buy any SingStar game you will buy it bundled with 2 microphones, a blue and red (1^st player and 2^nd player). If you have bought the Playstation 2 versions they will still work for the PS3. When you go to sing a song in any mode you will notice that the video plays in the background as you sing (I still sometimes get distracted by the video). You are scored on how well you hold notes, and how well you hit notes. I’ve come to the conclusion that highest score you can get is around 10,000 I have yet to get that but I can’t see it going any higher than that.

Some of the different game modes are solo, battle, duet, and practice. In solo mode, it is just that you sing alone. In battle mode you and a friend go up against each other singing the whole song. In duet mode you and a friend sing a song together and get a combined score. In practice mode you can practice any song without having to worry about a score.

Some of the other games that they have for Playstation 3 Volume 1, Volume 2, Abba, and a soon to be released Queen. Both of the artist titles are just their songs and no others. For the Playstation 2 there are many, here are just a few examples Country, Pop vol. 1, Pop Vol. 2, 90’s, 80’s and a few more.

If you like music, and you like to sing, then any sort of SingStar game would be right for you! For what it is, I rate this game an 8 out of 10.

Game Review #3

Scene It? Box Office Smash

X360

If you like movie trivia, then this is the game for you! Scene It? BOS is one of the best movie trivia games I have played in a while. You can play either alone, with up to four of your friends or with up to four people online. It's a great game if you love to play trivia games of any sort and no one else wants to play with you. Of course you can have a friend in the same room with you join you in an online game with their own controller or they can just blurt out answers while you play. 

Like it's predecessor, Lights Camera Action, you play 4 rounds, the first 3 being normal mode, and the last being the final cut. After each round you and your friends sit on the sofa and they will tally up the scores and sometimes even give you extra points to help you on your way to stardom, but in the end there can only be one winner. Many times the final cut determines the winner. 

The Xbox has just released DLC (for those that don't know what that means it's downloadable content) for this game that includes 500 more questions and a whole new puzzle. I hope that they keep releasing DLC for this title  because it is an extremely fun game and it's good to have updates every now and then. 

This game is an excellent party game that is sure to please everyone. I would recommend this game for the avid movie watchers that know their stuff and anyone that just likes to sit back, relax, and have a good time. With it's superb trivia, online gaming, multiplayer capabilities, I give this game a 8.5 out of 10 stars. 

Game Review #2

Lips

Xbox 360

Lips is just like your other singing games with a few exceptions; it comes with it's own mic that you can only use for that game, the mics can be used as tambourines and other noise makers, and the 

mics glow in time with the music.

The game itself is nothing special. It comes with about 50 songs and you just sing your way through them, you don't unlock anything so the songs it comes with is it, unless you want to spend 120-160 Microsoft points on a song. You can plug an external device with music on it like an iPod or Zune and add songs to your list that way, but you have to have your device plugged in to sing the songs, and it doesn't have the words pop up on the  screen like the other songs. 

While playing the game it has a very similar feel to SingStar, and it is like this is just the Xbox equivalent to that. It plays the music video in the background as long as it was an original song that came with the game or one that you downloaded from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

You can only play online with people that you have friended that have the game, it's not like you just go online and hope to find someone on there like most online gaming. 

The game itself is fun, but it lacks certain qualities that other singing games have. For instance SingStar allows you to listen to the song you just sang with your voice. This game does not do that. 

All in all playing this game solo, I think lacks certain qualities, but when you play with a friend or if you're having a party it's a lot of fun. I give this game a 6.5 out of 10 stars. 

Game Review #1

Animal Crossing: City Folk

Nintendo Wii

Like the other Animal Crossings you start off by getting on some mode of transportation and going to your town. You then visit your town hall and pick your house only to find out that you have no money and you need to work off your debt to the local entrepreneur, Tom Nook. Although he will only have a few jobs for you and give you only 10,000 bells you will then be able to buy some accessories like a fishing pole or a bug catching net and then be able to catch fish and bugs and sell them for money to buy accessories for your home, yourself, and to give to others as gifts. 

The town you live in has other members that are animals, and each town varies as to what animals live in it. Sometimes they decide to move and a new animal will come in and sometimes if you are rude to them they will decide to move as well. 

A new feature to the game is the City. The city includes Gracie's which is an overpriced department store, the fortune teller, the salon, Redd's (be careful for fraudulent items), the theater, the shoe shine, the Happy Room Academy, and the Auction house. Be sure that when you travel to the city you remember to take lots of bells with you.

Another feature that has been added is the ability to do mic chats with your friends when they visit your town or you visit theirs. Being someone that has gone to a persons town that doesn't have a mic it is harder for that person to communicate with people that have a mic. You can only have 3 other people in your town at one time, but to be honest any more than that and it might get a bit confusing. 

If you love the other installments of this game you are sure to love this one as well. Whether you are 10 or 100 this game is a sure pleaser. Nintendo seems to have knocked it out of the park with this game, it's another hit for the Nintendo Wii. 

Overall with the games easy controls, fun Wi-Fi features, and the ability to get you lost in another world for hours of fun, I give this game an 8.5 out of 10 stars.