Singstar, Sony's hit series of karaoke games, has a habit of making liars of certain people - namely, those who protest that they never, ever sing in public. Take Singstar to a party and you'll see them scuttle away protesting "No way, not me." But by night's end, they're usually the ones with a deathgrip on the mic, singing tune after tune without care.
Singstar '80s is the fourth iteration in Sony's series and sticks closely to the hit formula of the previous three. Players can sing in groups or individually, with an on-screen meter showing gamers how close their voice's pitch and timing is to the original. Perhaps the biggest criticism you can lob at this latest version is that is doesn't add any major improvements to the series. The first sequel, Singstar Party, added a duet mode, while Singstar Pop added a rap mode and medleys. Singstar '80s is just more of the same - and if you're a fan, there's certainly nothing wrong with that.
Singstar '80s is also the first in the series to limit its song selection to a particular time or genre, namely the 1980s. This might put off some fans, as the previous Singstars catered for a wider age group thanks to the mix of new songs with classics. As it is, you'd have to be in your 20s or 30s to enjoy (or remember) the tunes picked.
But if you are in the target demographic, then you're sure to find some gems in the collection of 30 songs included in Singstar '80s. There are some truly inspired choices here for us older gamers, as well as some cheesy gems that just beg to be sung at the top of your voice. The full list is:
- Alice Cooper, Poison
- Belinda Carlisle, Heaven Is A Place On Earth
- Billy Joel, Uptown Girl
- Blondie, Atomic
- Culture Club, Karma Chameleon
- Dexy's Midnight Runners, Come On Eileen
- Dolly Parton, Nine To Five
- Duran Duran, Rio
- Erasure, A Little Respect
- Europe, The Final Countdown
- Fairground Attraction, Perfect
- Foreigner, I Want To Know What Love Is
- Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Power Of Love
- Kate Bush, Running Up That Hill
- Katrina And The Waves, Walking On Sunshine
- Madness, Our House
- Madonna, Material Girl
- Marillion, Kayleigh
- Nena, 99 Red Balloons
- Run DMC, It's Tricky
- Simple Minds, Don't You (Forget About Me)
- Soft Cell, Tainted Love
- Starship, We Built This City
- Survivor, Eye Of The Tiger
- Tears For Fears, Everybody Wants To Rule The World
- The Cure, Just Like Heaven
- The Pretenders, Brass In Pocket
- Tina Turner, Simply The Best
- Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby
- Wham!, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Kids born in the 1990s or anyone who thinks no good music was released after 1979 will obviously find little cheer in the Singstar '80s selection. Everyone else will find their favourites - there's nothing like finding out a friend knows by heart the first three verses of Ice Ice Baby, or hearing a usually quiet mate belt out an emotional rendition of I Want To Know What Love Is.
Just like the previous games, Singstar '80s is a title best played with a group of friends. This latest instalment features all of the party games of Singstar Pop, including the multi-round battles which pit teams of players against each other, as well as various medley modes. As mentioned earlier, veterans will find '80s instantly accessible, but lacking in any new stand-out features.
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460250
25/07/2008, 01:09 PM
rating
10/10
Great game it's cool. Everybody wants to rule the world is the best
Pros: Yes i agree with you T4F are a cool band on this game
Cons: The black guys and the 'Bring coca cola' sign makes me gasp. I love the dirtbike riding in the video
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460250
23/07/2008, 11:06 AM
rating
10/10
Great game Singstar's back
Pros: 80s were great back in the timelife
Cons: Everybody wants to rule the world is the best song ever. the video Just like heaven reminds me of Ocarina of Time.
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georgia_bigg-wither
22/07/2008, 01:24 PM
rating
10/10
So cool and smart i so love Sing-star 80s i love Everybody wants to rule the world
Pros: Great game it's totally cool and i think two of the videos on this remind me of O.O.T
Cons: I love dancing to each song i love to hit high notes
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Someone
27/05/2008, 06:03 PM
rating
10/10
Whatever! I was born in the 90s and love the 80s! The 80s was full of all the classics and great, fun songs. So this is a game for all ages.
Pros: It's the 80s!
Cons: No Bon Jovi :(
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ROONI
02/04/2008, 09:40 PM
rating
10/10
SINGSTAR 80s WAS EXCELLENT! COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER NIGHT EVERYONE SAID SO! I LOVED IT IT WAS THE BEST! PUT THE NEW MUSIC TO SHAME!
Pros: ITS EXCELLENT NEED I SAY MORE
Cons: THE NIGHT GOES TO FAST BECAUSE YOU ARE HAVING TOO MUCH FUN
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Magster
13/07/2007, 11:21 PM
rating
9/10
I'm 17 and i'm loving the 80's!
Karma Chameleon!
Cons: some songs i don't know
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23/10/2006, 12:38 PM
rating
10/10
Totally awesome! One of the best ps2 games eva!!!!!!!!!!!!
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03/09/2006, 05:26 PM
rating
9/10
It was awesome
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20/04/2006, 10:09 PM
Luved it! Best songs ever! Don't even need too be born in da 80's to luv it!
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veronica
14/12/2005, 07:21 PM
so cool
wow im so excited i cant wait to get it ive already got singstar party and pop and cant wait to get singstar 80s.
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