SingStar Rocks!
© 2006 Sony Computer Entertainment America
Think "Karaoke Revolution" — only with real music videos — and you get the idea of this competitive singing game, for up to eight players. Content consists of 30 songs and music videos from such artists as Gwen Stefani, Coldplay, Elton John and The Rolling Stones. Our testers especially liked the two-player mode, where they could compete against one another to see who could get a higher score. As a language activity, this is a good way to playfully introduce vocabulary by way of song lyrics, in a very active way. If you have an EyeToy (optional) you can see your own image, mixed on the screen with the likes of Elton John or The Rolling Stones. There are multiple game modes including Solo, Freestyle, Pass The Mic, Battle and Duet. The software has the ability to recognize the pitch, tone and rhythm of your voice. The more notes you fill in, the higher your ranking. It is also possible to record a performance on a Memory Card for future playback, or customize and enhance your playback with numerous audio effects. Songs come in different challenge levels and lengths. The price ($50) includes two USB microphones, the game and a Singstar USB converter. Note that some of the songs have suggestive lyrics, hence the E10+ rating. If you're looking for a great singing game, this a good choice.
$50, PlayStation 2
Teaches: music, pitch, language experience (reading lyrics), rhythm, singing
CTR Rating: 92%