We’ve being asking you over the past week to vote on our poll to find out what is the best music videogame of all time. A big thank you to everyone who voted. We’ve had our monkeys tallying the results up and we’ve got our winner.
You won’t find out until Easter Monday who has won the vote however, as we count down 6-4 for Good Friday, find out your 3rd best music game of all time on Saturday and your 2nd on Easter Sunday.
We shall begin the countdown as voted by readers of Console Monster.
6. Other (e.g. We Sing, Rock Revolution) (1%)
Quite predictably, ‘Other’ took the bottom vote with just two of you choosing this option. Be ashamed possibly, we know who you are. We believe one of those was our own Marty voting for Vib Ribbon [which rules all – Ed] as discussed in Monster Cast: Episode 3.
So what do we class as ‘Other’ exactly? We couldn’t single out every music game ever released as the vote would have being inaccurate, so it was easier to bundle other more unpopular titles under this band.
That includes a host of Wii karaoke titles such as We Sing which launched in 2009 ready for the Christmas rush and was the first game to include two microphones in the box but came in at a pretty hefty £49.99 price tag. With no extra download content and some weak features it inevitably flopped at retail.
Alternatives include the Sing It series which mainly focuses on Disney shows, these come bundled with one microphone and again haven’t really taken off in the same way SingStar has for Sony.
We can go further back to Konami’s Karaoke Revolution which began life on the PS2 but was open to cheating including humming and tapping to improve scores. The songs were also cover versions which didn’t appeal to many apart from the Japanese.
Aside from singing though, some of the earliest games included Amplitude and Frequency which were created by the now famous Harmonix.
Vib Ribbon which launched in 2000 was one of the later arrivals to the PlayStation console. It was classed as a reactive music game similar to Audiosurf or Dance Factory whereby users would press buttons to the music which they could pre-load using a CD to try and guide lead character ‘Vibri’ across the obstacles that he faced. Aside from its uniqueness, the game featured a unique series of black and white graphics and thin lines and remains a firm favourite of many.
Surprisingly, SingStar sits in fifth with four-percent of the vote. What and still is deemed as the definitive karaoke title seems to be losing fans to its slowly growing rival Lips on the Xbox 360.
Developed by the Sony London Studio, it has remained a firm party favourite since it first launched on the PS2 back in 2004. Twelve sequels then appeared in Britain at least with some country specific versions such as Country up until the final release which was a Disney themed sing-along package.
With the launch of the PS3 console, it was time for Sony to move the series onto its younger brother with SingStar Volume 1 launching in December 2007. Despite follow-ups including Volume 2 and 3 and Pop Hits, the series made a return to the PS2 in 2008 with the release of SingStar Abba. Another three titles since then have featured on both consoles, with many gamers still hoarding PS2’s at their homes.
Artists’ specific versions have become more popular with Abba, Take That and Queen all receiving their own instalments. Digging out copies of these games however at retail can be a tricky process with few copies lurking around the shelves.
One of the downfalls in the series was alongside the launch of the first PS3 title. Sony had promised wireless microphones for many years but failed to implement the technology soon enough and ended up releasing the much hated wired versions again until finally in 2009, wireless microphones were released. The problem stemmed to the fact that Bluetooth microphones wouldn’t function properly and so a different approach was made with a 2.4GHZ receiver being bundled with the new wireless mics.
Reviews for SingStar games have being mixed but generally very positive since the series began. The game is bold, basic and ensures that everyone can have a chance at scoring. Video playback was implemented on PS3 and you can record performances to listen back afterwards, save a few embarrassing faces.
Unlike Lips on the Xbox 360, SingStar features less voice detection which helps its user friendliness. Humming or tapping the microphone will score points if you are struggling on specific sections.
And over 16 million you have enjoyed a SingStar game of some sort which is a testament to how easy it is to enjoy the karaoke revolution that has taken place on our consoles.
The PS3 version also introduced download content which initially was met with scepticism especially as it was early days for DLC. Over 1600 songs are now listed on the surface and 569 of those are in the English language. However the press has criticised Sony for not supporting the service with well-known music on a regular basis with a focus on songs from other languages as well.
Either way the service is still extremely popular with tracks selling at just 99p each; a bargain when it includes a video as well.
More games are planned for the future and the series will continue to grow in strength, especially as the PS3 becomes cheaper and more accessible for families. Expect the PlayStation Move to feature in some sort of way in a future version.
It took Microsoft three years to release what they dubbed the killer rival to SingStar. Either way its entry into the market back in 2008 was a rocky one and reviews were mixed to say the least. You can read our review on the original elsewhere on the website.
Developed by Japanese company iNis, it was perhaps an odd choice to choose a Japanese company to develop a game aimed at a Western market.However the engine for the game remains solid and differs slightly to SingStar. Singers cannot fail songs but are rewarded in six different areas including Pitch, Rhythm, Vibrato and Performance as well as a Party medal. The combination of these gives you an overall score at the end and a ranking based on outer space oddly enough.
The initial release was fairly muted and sales were slow especially due to its £49.99 price tag. However the killer reason to own Lips was wireless microphones which were a first for a music series. Not only were they wireless, but they included motion sensors and lights to enhance game play. Dancing in the game gave you additional points when required on screen while shaking the mics or pressing buttons on the control pads add instrumental backing.
The user interface came under heavy criticism including the announcement that the game would allow you to plug in an MP3 device and sing along to your own songs. Many wondered if this would include lyrics and despite never mentioning if it would or not, when the game finally came out most expressed disappointment as it didn’t. Still you could be scored on singing to custom songs but a sloppy interface and import option meant it was more of a hindrance than benefit to the game.
Others criticised the scoring system which allowed you to loop back the song through the microphone from a television and score big. In a more positive move and welcome by many was a patch which created a brand new algorithm for the game to stop cheating and ensure voice recognition was clearer and tighter. The update also introduced online leader boards, something which added a competitive element to the game.
In 2009, Number One Hits launched and was the first expansion for the game.Despite being labelled as an expansion it completely changed the user interface and engine behind the game including the ability to support avatars.A streak multiplier was introduced as well as avatar awards for unlock and 250 new Gamerscore which was attached to the original game. A much smoother experience was on offer and it was notably faster to load than the original.
However it also introduced the disc swap option which has being criticised by many especially with Rock Band and Guitar Hero offering song export options from different versions. Users with the original game needed to swap the game twice to sing a song and it prompted an angry response on the official forums.
Seemingly wanting to release the expansions on a regular basis, Party Classics appeared in February 2010 with 40 new songs which were a great improvement on previous games. However the disc swap option is still a problem which hasn’t being resolved, though the support for USB microphones was welcomed by those using Rock Band and Guitar Hero instruments.
April 2010 sees the arrival of yet another expansion in the form of I Love the 80s with another very strong playlist, however no new features have been implemented aside from a few new achievements and unlockables.
Downloadable content is released weekly including song-packs and range from 160MS Points (£1.30) to 180 MS Points (£1.60) in price. Lips may be the new karaoke kid on the block, but sales are certainly increasing as Microsoft turns to its casual audience.
Later, we’ll take a look at who you voted as your third favourite music game of all time. Will it be DJ Hero, Rock Band or Guitar Hero? You can always comment us below.
