Official Website
Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Karaoke
Number of Players: 1 - 8
Peripherals: USB Headset / microphone, Eye Toy

So, you're one of those people that like to sing, are you? You sing in the shower, you sing in the car on the way to work, or maybe you sing on the bus with your Walkman on. If you are, then it's probably safe to assume that you're one of many that will visit Karaoke Bars on your weekend, ready to toss back a few and show your true talent, at least you think it is. But, why spend nights in a smoke filled bar dealing with large crowds and potentially embarrassing yourself (and friends or significant others) in public when you can simply do it at home.

When Konami released the first Karaoke Revolution, I personally wasn't think that it was going to be a huge success. You can hit the bar if you want to and do some Karaoke, you can buy home systems, and of course if you live in Japan, it's an event to get a group together, down some sake, and sing some songs, but a game based on it seemed like something that really wouldn't fly with the gaming public at large. Well, I stand corrected on that thought. The first Karaoke Revolution met with praise from fans and reviewers alike, including myself, and now it seems that every six months, we're going to get another installment into the series. It was just a few months ago that Karaoke Revolution 2 was released, and wouldn't you know it, now we're up to the third installment into the series.

If you haven't already played either of the other two games or read the reviews of the games, this isn't just your average night of Karaoke, at least not in all regards. You won't just get up and start singing right away, and there are some other things that you are going to need to pay attention to as well, especially if you're one who really isn't ever on key, and you might just learn a thing or two about your true vocal potential here. The game will allow you to choose a character that will be the on-screen representation of yourself, and KR3 does features new characters, some returning favorites, and a few hidden treats as well. You can also select the outfit for your character and even your judging level, and thus this can make things a bit more balance for the professional verses the newcomer. You also need to choose your singing location since we're moving outside of the bar and the living room. There are some returning locations that we've seen in the other games such as the county fair and the pit stop as well as new locations that make their first appearance here, but you can also eliminate the backdrop all together and have just the lyrics onscreen, but this is only available to you in Karaoke Modes.

Now again, don't think that this is just going to be about singing however you want. All of the Karaoke Revolution games have the same basic premise, and that is that the game judges you based on how well you can not only keep up with the actual lyrics but also your pitch and tone, and the game also has an audience (aside from those that might be unwilling captives in your living room) that will also react based on how well you sing. Once your song is over, it's all about the points and if you score high enough, that's where you're looking at opening some new features for the game. And remember, combos are where the real points are at, so if you can hit "good" and "great" three times in a row, the combo starts and the points begin adding up.

The play modes are the same as before, though there has been an addition along the way. If you're playing a single player game, you have Showtime and medley that you can use from. Medley lets you select the songs that you want to sing, in the order that you'd like to perform them in while Showtime is going to pick and chose for you. Multi-player still has the same modes as well with Medley, arcade mode where between two to eight players can take turns to see who the best singer in the house is, and then Karaoke Contest where votes will be placed by the actual participants or how ever you would like to set up the voting process. The new mode that has been added to the game is Duet Mode and this brings in a while new level of gameplay. First, there is simply a duets mode that allows players to team up with up for four different teams. You'll be singing together though, no head-to-head, and much like the Karaoke Contest, it's a battle of points. Sing Off on the other hand will have two players alternating between phrases to see who can score the most points. The best mode however has to be knockout, again for two player, that will have both players battling it out until one is eliminated.

Karaoke Revolution 3 also features 35 new songs for you and your friends to choose from. Most of the musical genres are fairly well represented here (I'm still hoping for Death Metal to be added in, but I have a feeling that's never going to happen.) You can choose modern hits like, "Opps . . . I Did It Again" or songs for just a few years back like "Love Shack" or even "Don't You (Forget About Me.)" Or, you can select from other songs that most music lovers should be familiar with like "ABC," Twist and Shout," or even the classic "Respect." For most, there should be at least one song that they'd enjoy singing, or perhaps ruining.

There are still some things that I would really love to see included in the games. First off, backwards compatibility would be a great option to include. If Koei can make games like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Dynasty Warriors have the ability to import characters and such, there really doesn't seem to be much of a reason to not make Karaoke Revolution so that you can insert one of the previous games to select music from. I'm also a bit miffed at the fact that for the Xbox, Karaoke Revolution has a function that will allow players to download content. What about us PS2 owners? We've all be very loyal, we've stuck by and enjoyed the games, but we don't get the option to download content at all. Some of us do have the HDD add-on, and although we might be busy playing Final Fantasy XI on it, it doesn't mean we won't be downloading other content.

Karaoke Revolution isn't one of those games that I ever expect to see huge, dynamic changes from, and I don't even expect to see incredible leaps in terms of graphics go. This isn't a game that's about that. But, with even the simple addition of the Duet Mode, this brings something different to the table that the game hadn't yet offered. This is a party game after all, and having something that allows you to have teams and so on is a nice addition in itself. You already might own the first two, but there's no shame in having the third one as a part of your gaming collection either. The GameCube isn't the only system on the block that has party games, and thanks to Konami, the PS2 is getting more and more of them. If you're into singing and you love throwing a party, this is the perfect game to have lying around. Trust me, even if you don't sing and don't so much as pick up the microphone, the game can still provide some good laughs, especially if you have some people in your company that might have had one too many drinks before they started playing. Karaoke Revolution 3 is another must have for any karaoke fan.
 

- mike -