SingStar Pop Vol 2 for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

SingStar Pop Vol. 2 marks my fifth SingStar review on the PlayStation 2 in about a year and a half; and I think it's safe to say that this last-gen side of the series is running stale -- or at least this installment is.

Yes, it's a ton of fun to get together with friends and try to hit the high notes in "Your Love" by The Outfield, and "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John is a catchy tune, but all of this feels like well-worn territory that doesn't add anything to the SingStar legacy.

If this is your first foray into the SingStar scene, you might want to double back to my review of the original SingStar Pop where I broke down the nuts and bolts of just what SingStar is in tiny, digestible detail. The short version is that you or you and a friend choose from a few gameplay options (sing solo, duet, and battle), select a difficulty, and then pick your track from one of the 30 songs or six medleys. The words pop up at the bottom of the screen, your voice appears above those words as colored lines, and you have to modify your pitch to get your colored vocals to fill in blank bars on the screen. All the while, the original music video or EyeToy camera feed is playing on the screen. At the end of every verse, you get points -- as well as a written critique like "cool" or "awful" -- depending on how well you paint the lines. At the end of the song, your score is broken down and you're given a rank like "Amateur" or "Hit Artist." If you've got other SingStar discs, you can swap them in or out at the song selection screen without having to restart the console.

This is how SingStar has always played, and that's great. It's a good system -- not the best because you can't see your voice on the screen before you're supposed to be singing so finding the right key is something that has to be done on the fly -- that's launched millions of these discs and made a core audience croon with delight. See, SingStar focuses on one thing -- awesome multiplayer. Sony wants you to invite a bunch of friends over, choose some songs, and belt out the tones. Sure, other vocal games provide a more accurate way to scope your singing, but SingStar wants you to just sing and have fun. Are you in the right key? Who cares -- there's nothing to fail and no one to let down. Make a fool out of yourself with your buds.

I don't have an issue with that underlying thread of the series -- I love making an ass out of myself and singing off key -- Pop Vol. 2 stumbles for me because it feels like we've been here before.

See, SingStar on the PS2 has made a name for itself by cranking out games that features different genres of music. We've had rock, '80s, as well as '90s and will be getting country and legends in just about a month. To me, that wealth of content justifies buying each title so that you have a rounded music library -- you want to have something for everyone when the party gets going.

However, SingStar Pop came out a little more than a year ago, and now, we're getting it again with SingStar Pop Vol. 2.

Sure, everyone needs an Ashlee Simpson track in their karaoke library so that the party can mock its digitally retouched beats and inane lyrics, but the original Pop already delivered that guilty pleasure. I don't need Vol. 2's additional dose of Simpson crap, but that's this disc's M.O. -- it's packed with tracks I just don't care about. I've never heard "Get it Shawty;" you have to love them, but Duran Duran and the Dixie Chicks seem forced into this set list; and although I love Michelle Branch in ways I can't explain to my wife, "Breathe" is probably among the weakest Branch tracks that SingStar could've picked.

Of course, good music is one of those "in the eye of the beholder" things. Just because I don't dig the songs in Pop Vol. 2 doesn't mean you won't love them, but you have to admit that this sequel seems a bit out of place; you already have this brand of sugar-laced music if you have the original Pop.

Another issue I have with this title is that is just feels old the second you open the box. The videos have that standard-def, fuzzy feel; even if you're playing the game in your PS3, you'll need to use the low-quality EyeToy and not the PlayStation Eye; and no features have been added to the franchise. Yes, the up to eight-player Pass The Mic party mode is here, you can watch quick clips the EyeToy recorded during your performance, and you can listen to your vocals after the fact with the real music video behind it. All that is great, but it's the same stuff we see in every installment of this franchise on the PS2. With SingStar now out on the PS3 and packing a fantastic online community, downloadable tracks, and more, it makes Pop Vol. 2 seem like a really bare-bones project -- but that's not just because I'm comparing it to its PS3 counterpart. SingStar Pop Vol. 2 packs 30 songs, but Rock Band and Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol each have more than that on their discs. In fact, that latest edition of Karaoke Revolution includes a stellar single-player mode where you can create your own character.

SingStar Pop Vol. 2 -- like every other installment in the franchise -- has no answer for that, and I usually don't care because the new tracks play into the multiplayer vibe Sony's created. However, this time, the tracks are flat and the problems shine through.

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