SingStar Rock Ballads Review

Rock Ballads has a great selection of tracks

With the number of Singstar releases creeping into double figures now, and each working on the same gameplay model, new opinions on the hugely popular karaoke franchise are few and far between. The Singstar system itself is certainly proven, and most have come to learn that songs you might detest in the grim world of reality can actually become firm favourites with a plastic microphone in your hands.

Most praise Sony for constantly expanding their range of affordable add-on discs with new music genres, and we all know our own musical tastes enough to know if the rock ballads included here make this compilation worth buying.

It is certainly true that the 30 belting vocal tracks on offer are perfectly suited for the job in hand. Most will know the lyrics to tunes like Boston's 'More than a Feeling', even if they don't recognise the title, and will enjoy them especially when they are drunk.

Almost every track included is filled with all kinds of vocal crooning and wailing, and while at first you might think this means Rock Ballads is a Singstar best suited to able vocalists, in fact it is full of the kind of moments that those who enjoy singing badly will find the most hilarious. In the same way Guitar Hero is not aimed at guitarists, the biggest Singstar fans are not usually blessed with perfect voices. Nobody buys Singstar for a serious night in, and getting a gang of mates to try and emulate the most vocally dextrous stars of the past few decades is a recipe for hilarity.

Meatloaf's bowel shaking behemoth that is 'I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)' is the standout track for gaming purposes...

However, the selection does feel a little like the soundtrack to a Magic FM advert. If you aren't familiar with that particular radio station then just think of the backing tracks to dozens of sentimental scenes in cheesy movies you should have a rough idea. Rock Ballads is filled with songs of love, lust, turmoil and break up, and therefore not really one for stone-hearted heathens who never cry during movies.

There is also the fact that more than one of the artists involved has more than one track on the game, raising suspicions that there is a little barrel scraping going on with regard to the number of suitable tracks left that can be licensed. This sensation is amplified by a few tracks, such as the Sugababes' 'Too Lost In You', which really can't be considered to be either rock or a ballad.

As ever, the game mechanically the same as previous titles.

Nevertheless, SCEE know just what they are doing with a Singstar disc, and so much on offer, from Cyndi Lauper to Roxette via Queen and Europe, is expertly chosen. The medleys, which present the player with a selection of snippets from various tunes are expanded here too, and divided with a perfect dose of wit, giving you previously unseen menu options such as the 'Lingering Affection' or 'Blossoming Love' medley.

Meatloaf's bowel shaking behemoth that is 'I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)' is the standout track for gaming purposes, and leaves you wondering why they don't just release a Singstar edition of his seminal album 'Bat Out Of Hell'.

So Singstar continues forth, still wracking up PS2 console sales and continuing to turn more non-gamers onto gaming than most of the Wii's efforts. If you've exhausted your previous track supply, or are new to the global phenomenon and fancy a bit of shrill warbling at the weekend, give this latest song collection a try.