By Request: Singstar PS3 mini-review

[kn]

By now you have probably read my posts. I bought a PS3+Singstar PS3 (with dual mics) for my wife and daughter to play. Here's a basic rundown for those that might be interested in this title.

First, Singstar PS2 and PS3 are not identical. I have both. The are very similar, but PS3 has the online store. Options, menu layout, and overall presentation are very similar in both versions but not identical. The PS3, graphically, is much more polished.

The following all applies to the PS3 version.

The included songs are just OK... 30-something songs is lame, though, given the size of the blu-ray disk. They should have added a significant portion of PS2 content to it and had at least 100. But then couldn't micro-transaction users to death if they did that. The content ranges from completely innocuous to something I'd prefer my 10 Y.O. daughter to not see. The videos can get a little (or a lot) racy. A half-naked britney spears making out in a airplane restroom isn't the kind of image I want my daughter to see. Why they put that whore in here is beyond me... The pussycat dolls "beep" is awful as well. I must be overly anal to not want to see that kind of rubbish in my "family" entertainment so take that with a grain of salt. Kids get too much sex and violence in everything they see and hear these days so I try not to add to it with trash.

I bought this thinking the online would be good. It's not. It works, but the song selection is just horrid. A good 50+ percent of the songs on there are from new, indie, or not well-known bands. In order to actually sing a song right out of the box, one really needs a tune or two that they have heard dozens upon dozens of times. Sadly there isn't much online that fits into the category of mainstream popular music.

There are so many artists with so many songs we have heard over and over again through the years. Why the hell cant' they include some? There are many, many, many tunes that when they come on the radio, regardless of genre, people find themselves singing along without even thinking about it. These are the songs I'd like to see but I guess Sony hasn't quite figured that out just yet. The various forums I have visted all have the same gripes: ditch the indie and unknown band shit and get some mainstream music put up...

Honestly, we are all really, really disappointed with the content of singstar. Great idea. Shit execution. If I had to give it an overall rating at this point (and I would do so based on the game and content), I'd give it a 5/10 max.

I know the younger generation is happy to see all the very modern pop and alternative but that is a narrow audience. Everyone can sing "Crazy little thing called love" by Queen. Everyone. Sony, are you listening?

I actually went out and bought Singstar 80's for the PS2 along with Singstar POP for the PS2 so they actually would have some songs to sing. It's pathetic that I had to back to the PS2 to get something that should be online for PS3 users.  Every damn PS2 song released should be available in the singstore.  WTF, Sony?