Video game review number two hundred and seventy eight in my 365 Games in 365 Days project is "Disney Sing Star: Pop Hits"
I put this one in my Gamefly Queue after playing the other Sing Star games, thinking that pop hits would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, I didn't read through the setlist and it turns out that while there are some "pop hits" by Duffy, One Republic and Colbie Caillat that I've heard, the bulk of this game is made up of songs by Disney channel artists. Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Vanessa Hudgens and many other folks whose songs I've never heard.
At first, I was debating whether or not to even play the game. When I saw the majority of the setlist, I was not only disappointed, I was kind of embarrassed that I was going to be singing some of these songs. Even though it was early in the morning, my wife was awake, and I didn't want her to her me singing Miley Cyrus or something. We might end up divorced, and I couldn't really blame her.
As much as I was prepared for this to be a nightmare of a game, I still gave it a fair shot. After loading up PS3Trophies.org, and looking at what simple trophies I could get, I realized they actually have some fairly straightforward goals, and that I probably wouldn't have to be familiar with the songs to earn them. I spent this morning singing a bunch of the songs on this disk, trying to earn trophies...and I didn't do half bad.
Don't get me wrong, I would never buy this game (and if it was given to me as a gift, I have to admit, I'd probably Ebay it)...but I did enjoy my hour or two singing a bunch of songs I'd never heard, trying to earn achievements. I found that most of these songs were incredibly simple tunes, and unlike a Rock Band song you've never heard, they usually just repeat one hook over and over again. I was even able to earn a trophy for singing a song without the lyrics being on screen (it was a song I'd never heard before).
The videos are here once again in the background, and I think going back to a singing game where they aren't would be disappointing by comparison now. The game rewards you not just for hitting the notes or getting the pitch right, there are also "harmonies", which are rewards for singing not quite on key, but in harmony with the singer instead. I found that out and kind of enjoyed it, because that's how I sing along with some songs on the radio sometimes.
Overall Score? 4/10. All four of the points are for the gameplay, and the missing 6 are for the sucktacular setlist. The presentation is great, but there's not much you can do with a bunch of songs targeted for 12 year old girls. If my niece had a PS3, I would totally buy her this game (and I might even play it with her while visiting), but I can't imagine any self-respecting adult male ever buying this disk. Renting it for the trophies? Maybe....but buying it? Nope. If you're an adult without children and you actually own this game....there might be something a little strange about you.
Trophies: For some stupid reason, the trophies haven't synced with Playstation.com yet. I'll update this post when they do (or you can check out my Trophy Card to the right of this post).
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