Singstar, the franchise which has brought both equal love and disdain to fans not only of homebrew karaoke, but the more OCD oriented PS3 users who dislike the unnecessary clutter of their XMB. Either way, after spanning the previous two generations of Sony consoles, Singstar finally makes its debut onto the PS4, but can it still retain its party mantra, or will it shuffle awkwardly in the corner?
Even hardcore gamers need to let their hair down at some point, and what better way to do so, than by popping on some classic tracks and waking the neighbours with your caterwauling? Back on the PS2? No problem, just slip a disc in and let the sing-along commence. PS3 users can instead choose from their amassed library, built up through the years. PS4 party goers on the other hand aren’t in for the greatest surprise, as due to some ‘licensing issues’ you’ll not be able to import the majority of your previously purchased songs online. To further add insult to injury, there is of course no way to simply pop your old discs in and import them from there either.
The ‘Ultimate Party’ track list, which can easily be found nestling amongst the ‘overly happy go lucky trendy people’ pictures, consists of 30 tracks from your (probably not so) favourite artists. If you’re below the age of twenty, you’ll likely find the song selection to your tastes; already singing along to your favourites on the car journey home. But if you’re of the age that doesn’t have to ask who Lionel Richie is, then once more, you could well be in for a little disappointment. Anyone initially excited via the inclusion of the increasingly popular ‘Let it Go’ will also be a little disheartened to learn that it is in fact Demi Levato’s cover version. A fact I know for certain will upset a friend in possession of an unerringly strong East Midlands accent.
Nevertheless, if you can live with procuring a selection of your favourite songs, for £1.15 a chuck, there is a free version of the game on the store that, for obvious reasons, won’t come with any included tracks. You’ll be able to re-download some of your collection onto the PS4, their availability permitting of course and only up to ten at a time meaning those of you that have hundreds of purchased songs could be in for a wait. Considering the promotion of playing with an inordinately large group of zany friends, the removal of some of the series’ better game modes is a rather peculiar choice. Gone are Duets, Medleys, Pass the Mic and for some reason even the difficulty settings, leaving a barren, if not well presented selection of options to sorrowfully sift through.
Of some saving grace however, are the microphone compatibilities. Not only can you still use your older peripherals that clog up the closets, but now the party can continue on if you get a few surprise guests too. A free app for smartphones (vigorously advertised by the Sony department) and available for both android and iOS, can turn it into a makeshift mic. Whilst it’s not going to replicate the weight and feel of a real microphone, it can be a handy way to ensure the majority of people can participate. A small issue, assumedly dependent upon which model of smartphone you use and your connection strength, is that there can often be a delay in speech recognition. Not a game breaking amount, but enough to be often irritable.
If there’s one thing a good knees up needs, it’s enticing people to get up and make fools of themselves due to their vocal incompetency. For some, this can often mean ‘just the right amount of alcohol’, for others, turning down their microphone volume can also be a winning solution. Fortunately for those of a shy disposition, and unfortunately for everyone else, the mic volume is inordinately quiet. To a point where try as you might, you’ll actually find it difficult to hear yourself never mind your friends.
As ever in the franchise, presentation is lavishly applied to each and every area of the game and can often be its strongest suit. Menus are both slick and accessible along with the general game screen balancing the ratio between being informative whilst also looking good. Inevitably the newer tracks offer a greater visual experience due to some higher qualities, but the oldies still look and feel great too. Sound quality is as good as to be expected with all the tracks coming in at a high clarity too.
Making the move to the PlayStation 4 was certainly going to happen, but it could have been handled better, particularly with peoples previously purchased content. It’s still the classic Singstar experience you’ll know and love, but unfortunately the nifty new additions such as being able to use your smartphone as a mic certainly can’t make up for the bewildering game mode omissions. It’s not quite an ‘Ultimate Party’ either when you have to get everyone to download an app. Especially before asking them to ‘bear with you’ whilst you feebly try to download your meagre selection of music. Simply put, there are more options, more game modes and more importantly, a greater and far wider selection of songs on the older PS3 version. Even if you are new to the franchise, I’d still recommend you stick with the last gens iteration, it’ll be a better party all round.
