SingStar: Queen PlayStation 3

SingStar: Queen Product Details

Released on 20/03/2009

• PlayStation 3 - The Essential Games

  
  

  So, you've got yourself a shiny new PlayStation 3. You know all about its fantastic online features, like PlayStation Network, BBC iPlayer, 4OD and more. You know about its awesome graphics and Blu-Ray player. What you really need to know is - what games should I get?

  Well, help is here! We've taken on the hard work and come up with our PS3 Essentials List - the 'hot half-dozen' you really need to get your game collection going.

  

  Action/Adventure

  SONY's flagship console needs SONY's flagship title - the Uncharted series. Since 2007 we've seen three adventures for Nathan Drake, the everyman hero whose treasure hunting escapades take him all over the world - and into all kinds of trouble. Featuring visually stunning locations and traditional action adventure gameplay like running, shooting and jumping, the Uncharted games are ideal for just getting stuck in and having fun while playing. Grab Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in a special double pack, or jump straight into the latest instalment Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

  

  Shooter

  Killzone 3 is the latest chapter in PlayStation's signature shooter series. Putting a sci-fi twist on the traditional first-person shooter, Killzone 3 takes place across a range of locations from alien jungles, to nuclear wastelands, to outer space, marking a strong visual change to the usual combat zones found in FPS games. There's the usual single-player campaign and a host of multiplayer maps and mission-types to keep things interesting. Plus there's a choice of classes to play as and the use of things like jet-packs which put a new slant on the genre. And if you really want to, you can grab the first two chapters too!

  

  Sport

  Sports on the PS3 are taken to the extreme in SSX. A revival of the classic snowboarding series that helped launch the PS2, SSX presents players with an assortment of mountain slopes to conquer, and whole heap of tricks, moves and skills to learn, and playing modes that reward speed, skill and survival. While the single-player mode is fun enough, the online multiplayer works in such a way that you don't actually have to be playing at the same time to challenge your friends, with a league-like system that makes every race very competitive. If you're looking for a new sporting challenge, SSX is the game to beat!

  

  Sci-Fi/Fantasy

  The Resistance series was a bit of old-school sci-fi, an alternative history where alien race the Chimera had invaded and overrun the planet, thanks to a virus that turns humans into, well, more Chimera. Your job is to stop the Chimera take over Europe (in the first game) and North America (in the second and third), using a combination of contemporary and futuristic weapons. The alt-history setting makes for an interesting storyline with some fun 'what-if' scenarios, while the multiplayer options expand not only the world of the game, but also the fun you can have within it. Grab the first two games in a Platinum Double Pack and start fighting those aliens!

  

  Party

  If you really want to get the party going, you want to get the party singing, and what better way to do that than the SingStar series. The gameplay is simple - two people competing to out-sing the other... or at least trying to score higher than the other while singing, as actual singing ability is far from required to make this game enjoyable! With a range of games and songs to suit almost any age and taste, SingStar has proven to be one of the most inclusive and easy to play franchises to hit any console. For the ultimate in friendly competition, SingStar is the winning choice.

  

  Racing

  The Gran Turismo series has been a stalwart of the PlayStation brand for more than a decade, and Gran Turismo 5 continues the fine tradition of ultra-realistic driving simulation that leaves other racers in the dust. Like the earlier games in the series, GT5 is a showcase of the PS3's lifelike graphics and gameplay physics, this time incorporating realistic damage to your car as you compete. There's an enviable range of locations (26), tracks (71) and cars (over 1000!), and combined with the gameplay choices of career mode, arcade mode and online multiplayer, Gran Turismo 5 is the racing game that puts you on the right track.

  Of course, this list is far from definitive, but it does showcase some top games in each of the major categories of modern gaming. If you think you have a better champion for any category, or can think of a key title we've missed, please feel free to share your advice below!

  Published: 10/04/2012

• Singstar Queen Review

  It’s a kind of magic

  There’s nothing new about Singstar; it’s been around in one form or another since 2004. Along the way there’s been Singstar 80s, Singstar Rock Ballads, Singstar Summer Party, Singstar ABBA and now there’s Singstar Queen

  As a newbie to the gaming scene, however, it’s all completely new to me. And having finally been introduced to its melodious delights I’m beginning to wonder: WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL ITS LIFE? I love karaoke. I love singing. I simply can’t believe that Singstar has eluded me for five whole years.

  The concept for Singstar Queen on the PS3, like all the Singstar iterations, is a simple one. Pick a song, sing the song and then get rated. Before I could even get started though, I had the small problem of setting it all up (yup, I’m really that rubbish). Thankfully, it was fairly simple even for a technophobe like me. After plugging a pair of Singstar Microphones into the USB port on my PS3 I was ready to rock.

  Under Pressure!

  The first decision you have to make on Singstar Queen is which mode you want sing in: Solo, Duet, Practice, Pass the Mic or Battle. The second decision is whether you want the easy option or the difficult option. The third decision is which song to select from the in-game jukebox. With 25 tracks to pick and choose from, this is an almost impossible task, particularly as you are almost guaranteed to get distracted by the frankly hilarious Queen footage playing in the background. We are talking 80s hairdos and skin tight lycra here.

  I eventually settled on a solo version of The Show Must Go On.

  Let the Singstar Queen party begin

  If you’re a sucker for punishment, the Audio Playback allows you to listen back to your performance.

  Singing on Sony Playstation’s Singstar Queen is pretty much like karaoke. The biggest difference being that the Singstar microphone reads and rates your voice as you sing and displays your pitch, tone and rhythm on-screen. The secret is to try and match your own pitch, tone and rhythm with Freddie’s. Tricky, tricky, tricky!

  Another difference between Singstar and karaoke is that you are not singing to a soundtrack; you are essentially singing alongside the legendary Freddie himself, something that grated for all of – what – three seconds?

  Don’t stop me now …

  If I’m honest, I thought I’d done pretty well with The Show Must Go On, until I’d finished and it cheekily ranked my performance as ‘hopeful’. Eat your heart out Simon Cowell. In fact, it doesn’t even wait until you’ve finished the song before it starts judging your performance, throwing out random comments like Cool, Okay and Awful. By the time I’d finished We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody and Don’t Stop Me Now however I’d stopped caring. I was having way too much fun.

  Play the Game

  If you’re a sucker for punishment, the Audio Playback allows you to listen back to your performance. A whole lot more fun can be had if you have a Playstation USB camera set up, which enables you to record your performance, save it to My Media Gallery and watch it back any time you fancy a giggle.

  If you’re feeling really, really brave you can share your video with the rest of the world by uploading it to My SingStar Online (a social networking site). And why not? Singstar Queen today. X Factor tomorrow. A global Number 1 hit next Wednesday. And who knows what next year; world domination?

  My verdict on Singstar Queen is that if you like singing (regardless of ability) it simply can’t fail to rock you. It’s not a hardcore game by any means; it’s just good old fashioned fun that's guaranteed to get everyone singing along!
  

  Note: I used the official Playstation cordless microphones and was pleasantly surprised. Rather than amplifying your voice, they just give a nice echo effect. And because they’re cordless, you have more freedom to prance round the living room like Freddie Mercury, without getting tangled up in any wires.

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • Brilliant selection of Queen hits.
  • Option to share your performance with the whole world.
  • Download tonnes more songs in Singstore.

  

  • Has potential to annoy the neighbours.
  • Doesn’t come with a fake Freddie moustache to wear while belting out his hits.
  • Not got quite the same fun factor as Guitar Hero.

  Review by: Corrinne - Fat Bottomed Girl - Garstang
  Version Tested: PS3
  Review Published: 27.03.09

  Published: 27/03/2009