'Karaoke': A Singalong With a Twang
In "CMT Presents Karaoke Revolution" your star can choose to sing in venues ranging from a country fair to downtown Las Vegas.
(Konami)
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On a warm summer's evenin', on a train bound for nowhere, I met up with a karaoke singer; we were both too tired to sleep.
Sorry about messing up the lyrics to Kenny Rogers's "The Gambler," but after playing "Country Music Television's Karaoke Revolution," I seem to have country on the brain.
Karaoke Revolution is set up like many of the popular music titles these days. It's all about timing, only instead of pounding on a mat wit h your foot or strumming a key, you have to sing -- and be on key -- at the right time.
First you create a character to be your onscreen icon. There are plenty of options, and if you have an EyeToy camera, you can even put your face on your crooner. Then you go public in a variety of venues -- from a TV station to a rooftop to downtown Las Vegas. The better you sing, the more the crowds will love you. Mess up too much, and they will boo you off the stage.
You play by following your chosen song's lyrics as they scroll across the screen. A line showing the proper pitch of the notes will also be scrolling. When a word is highlighted, you try to sing it on key, just like at a karaoke bar. A pitch meter shows whether you are too high, too low or spot on. And since this is karaoke, a singer will be singing along with you, helping you hit the right notes.
The game comes with a high-quality Logitech USB microphone, and if you add a second, you can sing duets with your friends or even go head-to-head in knockout rounds.
There is a good tutorial and practice mode that helps you sing the right notes and learn such tricks as singing a song one octave higher and the judges will count it.
In addition to "The Gambler," there are 35 of some of the most well-known country songs, including "9 to 5," "All My Ex's Live in Texas," "Friends in Low Places," "On the Road Again," "Stand by Your Man," "Redneck Woman," "Crazy," "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" and "Chattahoochee." My wife and I have spent hours belting out country's greatest hits, and at a recent party the karaoke machine (really our PS2) was the hit of the evening.
-- John Breeden II
CMT Presents Karaoke Revolution Everybody 10+, Playstation 2 ($55) Konami
