![]() SingStar’s success paved the way for Wonderbook, an ambitious augmented reality peripheral for the PS3 that used the PlayStation Move controller and PlayStation Eye. Because it changed a lot in terms of the game genre that was being made, the technology that was being used, and reaching a really wide audience with a game that was intuitive.” I'm really, really proud of the studio for taking a risk and deciding to make that game. “It was a massive gamble for the studio as well. “We made a lot of versions of SingStar because it really took off,” she says. It was a tremendous risk for the studio at a time when you consider the biggest-selling games revolved around guns and gore. Desodt was relieved with the success it met. This resulted in the version of SingStar we know. ![]() Then eventually, with the prototype I made, we put a different game design around it.” So it was going to be like an adventure role-playing game. “At the time, the game design was very different. “Making the feature set and making the technology behind SingStar was a lot of R&D ,” she says. "Because it changed a lot in terms of the game genre that was being made, the technology that was being used, and reaching a really wide audience with a game that was intuitive.” When asked what it was like to bring SingStar to life, she revealed that the game initially had a very different direction to what finally hit the shelves. I was one of the first developers to work on the PS2 sound processing units in terms of making games.” An engineer was something that didn't exist at the time, certainly within Sony London studio. “It really did feel like the games industry was a very different place at the time. It’s funny for a short while.“There were a lot of challenges when making things in the early days,” she says of developing games in the 2000s. There are gimmick effects you can apply, such as baby voice, Barry White style mega bass and reverb. In addition to the singing, there is the playback mode, where you can listen to your performance and cringe. Once you overcome the horror of singing through the TV in front of other people, this can be surprisingly fun. There is not much on the "urban" side which seems a shame, as huge slice of the PS2 owning population probably fancies themselves as a gangsta rapper, and to be fair, spitting the lyrics of 50 Cent or P Diddy (that’s Puff Daddy’s other name folks - sub Ed) is easier than producing the dulcet tones of George Michael. There doesn’t seem to be a theme to the music other than "mixture", which might put some people off - it seems to be a scatter-gun approach to hitting the target market. The range of songs (which come with their original video) is a strange mixture, from the modern Liberty X and Sophie Ellis Bextor, to A-Ha and Elvis, to Motorhead (and yes, the Village People are in there too). If you concentrate and "try" you can get some good scores, but generally the bad singing is the most appreciated. You are also judged, rather like in Dancing Stage, at the end of each line - so if you sing well, you get a good, and at the end of the game you get more points. SingStar sells itself on its intelligent approach to singing - it can register the pitch, tone and rhythm of the singer/player so you can see visually whether you are in time or the right key. You can also integrate the EyeToy in party modes, to feel part of the action. Just as you’d expect, Sing is a straightforward get on the mic and sing, Party has a number of options for multiplayer fun, and Star Maker is a sort of career mode, without Simon Cowell or the money at the end of it. There are three gameplay modes - Sing, Party and Star Maker. SingStar’s most important feature is the microphone, which connects via an adapter connected to the USB port - and there are two so you can create delicate harmonies with your friends. Those USB sockets have had quite the time of it recently, as peripherals galore seem to be appearing. We tested SingStar as it can only be tested, with a handful of late-20 somethings and an elixir of fine wines. Or is it? We take a look at Sony’s SingStar, which turns your favourite console into a karaoke machine, and purports to make you the star of the show. (Pocket-lint) - Karaoke? On the PlayStation 2? But it’s just not cool.
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