Official Website
Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Karaoke
Number of Players: 1 - 8
Peripherals: USB Headset

I remember a commercial a few years back that stated that karaoke was Japanese for tone deaf. Having had the displeasure of having to sit through a few episodes of the preliminary episodes of American Idol, that definition is true for just about any country. The fact is that people worldwide have spent a fortune on karaoke, and not just in Japan. While you may be able to take a trip to Tokyo and find that karaoke is in fact such an integrated part of the culture that groups of people take trips almost nightly to unwind a little with some singing, here it's more or less a situation of a bunch of far too drunk friends at a local bar making absolute fools of themselves. Then of course, we have the few that have taken it to an extreme and actually purchased their own karaoke gear for home use, and probably annoy their neighbors and even pets as well.

If however, you don't have the funds in order to pick up your own karaoke system for home, Konami has the next best thing, thanks in part to US development team Harmonix, the same company behind other music-geared titles such as Amplitude. Karaoke Revolution brings all the glory and annoyance of everyone's favorite, or much despised, musical recreation to the comfort of your own home. First off however, let's work a bit with our pronunciation of the word. Outside of Japan, the word has managed to become a bastardized version of what it should be. In the states, we've all heard it pronounced as "care-e-oh-key," but this is completely incorrect. The right way to say it, without being slightly scoffed at by native Japanese is  "caw-la-oh-kay." Now that you can actually say it properly, let's take a look at what it has to offer.

Much like Dance Dance Revolution, Karaoke Revolution isn't a game that's based on plot, or even complex game play, but instead simply just fun. You and up to eight of your friends will have the opportunity to sing your hearts out with a selection of over 30 different songs. Though it may sound as if it> '> s going to be easy, it really isn't. Karaoke Revolution will grade you based on not only accuracy, but your pitch and tone as well. After choosing your style of game play and number of players, you'll select a character and an outfit for them. This really doesn't do too much more than give you a bit of eye candy. You also will be able to select the venues that you'd like to perform in including the county fair, a bar, and even a sound stage. Once you've got that set, you need to select your song and this will include everything from old favorite such as "Chain of Fools"  and  "Celebration"  and even some more modern favorite like  " It's the End of the World as We Know It"  as well as plenty of others.

The ways it works is fairly easy. Everything is set up just like it normally would be with any karaoke. On the bottom of the screen, you'll see the words and phrases go by, and you'll need to match up with them, and this again will include your pitch, all of which will be used to score points. You can sing an octave lower if you'd like and still be able to nail it. Great singing will give you a green arrow, and the lower that you can keep that going for, the more points you'll earn and you'll even start bringing in the combos, another great method for getting the ultimate score, the goal being to earn yourself either a platinum or gold record, as well as new outfits and even some new characters. Don't worry if you're not very good though, since no one else really does anyway. You can adjust your level of difficulty and each song will have a microphone on it, one being the easiest and three mic's being the most difficult. Be warned though, you'll have a captive audience in this game, and scoring points will increase the crowd meter, and even a few phrases will give you a super boost. However, if you start singing poorly, people will begin to boo and walk away. If you're audience leaves however, that's the end of the line, even if you're not done.

Karaoke Revolution comes packaged with a headset microphone, very similar in fact to the one that's used to Sony's  SOCOM. Before you actually begin to play, you'll have the chance to go into the option and adjust the level on the mic to insure the best volume, You can also make changes to the level of the music and the accompanying vocals as well. However, the microphone is really the down side of the game. We followed Konami's instructions to the letter, and even adjusted the levels a bit higher, but the problem is that when you're wearing the headset, the game just doesn't seem to pick up your vocals very well. The solution however was to take it off, and then simply hold it an inch or two away from your mouth. This in fact did yield the best results, after much trial and error however. Also, even with two USB ports on the PS2, only the first one will be used to the microphone, and while we did try and use the SOCOM headset, there was no result at all, unless of course it has a mind of its own and didn't desire to be tainted in such a way.
 
There are as few different levels of game play. In single player mode, the first option you have is Showtime, the perfect place to strut your stuff. There are a total of eight stages, each with four different songs to select. If you manage to complete all of them, you'll earn some cool bonuses. Arcade mode is exactly what it sounds like it is, and the objective is to make it through all three rounds without getting booed. The amount of songs available will vary depending on what skill level you select, and the final round will be a random song selected by the game, unless of course you choose to turn that option off. Lastly, there is Karaoke, and here there is no need to worry about score or getting a bad reaction. You can sing as poorly as you'd like, or maybe as you normally do, without needing to worry about losing the game early on. With the multi-player mode, Arcade mode is available as is Karaoke Competition, a mode that places the players themselves in control of placing the final judgment. If you don't feel too comfortable right off with any of these modes though, you can jump into the training mode to learn more about just how the game works.

So, here is what I learned from an evening of Karaoke Revolution. Beer and singing seem to make just about as poor a combination in the comfort of someone's home as they do out at the bar. But, the potential for comedy is ever present. Apparently, pointing at the screen helps to improve your score, something that I imagine is just as similar as moving the control in the direction that you want to move while playing a game. Also, making those power fists like most power ballad crooners do seems to help with vocals as well, as I learned, while holding my side which hurt so much from laughing, during  "Take These Broken Wings."  I also had the chance to bear witness to a painful rendition of  " Like a Virgin,"  performed by a member of our review staff, and I don't ever want to hear a male sing the phrase  "feels so good inside" ever again. It may very well be one of the most disturbing, yet incredibly hilarious things I have ever had the chance to bear witness to.

Though this isn't necessarily a game that I would play, and I've been a voyeur more than anything else, there are a few features that I felt should have been included. First off, since you actually have your voice coming out of the television when you are singing, maybe some online play would have been a nice touch. Not only can you have your friends laughing at you, you can have a complete stranger on another coast in stitches as well. I suppose there may be the potential for someone to be in awe as well, but from personal experience, most people that think they can sing, really can't, and it seems as though just about everyone believes they can sing. Being able to download would have been a nice touch as well. While I doubt you'd be able to actually use songs that you'd like to, having the opportunity to download some new songs after going through these countless times would be nice.

In Japan, there are already countless versions of Karaoke Revolution slated to be released that I would love to see come out here, but it is more than doubtful. I don't think that America is for versions of the game with subtitles such as J-Pop Best Collection or Anime Theme Songs, even if Ayumi Hamasaki's "Evolution"  is included. I would really love to see other versions of the game come out though. Maybe a metal version containing classic songs like  "Shout at the Devil" or Iron Maiden' s  "Aces High"  as well as some newer material like songs by Korn or even more obscure bands like Napalm Death, Cannibal Corpse or Godflesh. Or, maybe an industrial and gothic Karaoke Revolution would be a hit, well, at least with me anyway.

This may not be a bad thing for American Idol hopefuls to purchase. It's better getting booed off stage by polygons that it is to experience the searing ridicule of Simon. It's definitely not a bad party game, especially for those that love to go out for a night of karaoke. Those of us that are into a bit more of the heavier music may not find that it's quite as palatable as our favorite underground hits, but simply having the pleasure to watch others play is gratification enough. You'll either love yourself for getting this one and having something to entertain guests, or absolutely have despise and contempt for those that desire to play it. If you're one that's never partaken in karaoke though, and has been a bit shy about performing in front of others, this might be just the thing to fine-tune your vocal skills. No matter what your thoughts though, it looks like Konami is going to have another game franchise on their hands that is poised to rival the sales and popularity of Dance Dance Revolution, so you may as well embrace it now.

- mike -