SingStar '80s review

Tue, 22 Nov 2005 19:17:00 +1300

Ah, the ‘80s… remembered locally for Rogernomics, the Nuclear Free policy and the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, it was a decade of immense change - political, economic and technological. Global events included the fall of the Berlin Wall, the stock market crash of ‘87 and the identification of AIDS. The ‘80s saw the birth of MTV, the space shuttle program and those creepy Cabbage Patch Kids; and the increasing popularity of video arcades, personal computers and the walkman – all set against a dramatic backdrop of pastel and neon fashion blunders, and garnished with outrageous hair.

Musically speaking, the decade encompassed an ever-expanding mix of styles, including new romantic, new wave, thrash and glam metal, synth pop, techno, house, and old school rap. Sony has attempted to capture the sound and spirit of the ‘80s with the fourth title their in their popular home karaoke series, and the first to feature an era-specific tracklist: SingStar '80s.

By now, most folks will be familiar with the SingStar concept: plug in the USB microphones, select one of the single or multi-player options, set the difficulty level, choose a track and start singing. You are given visual assistance in the form of lyrics and pitch/timing indicators. The game measures your pitch, tone and rhythm and at the end of the song you are given a score befitting your talent - or lack thereof. If you’re not in the mood to compete against your mates you can sing freestyle, with no pressure and no scoring.

SingStar '80s at Gameplanet NZ

SingStar '80s review