2014 · SCE London Studio · Rhythm

SingStar

PlayStation exclusive

SingStar is a karaoke game in which the player(s) sing along to a music video. The basics are still the same: player(s) sing into a microphone and the game gives points based on the performance. The only basis of assessment is if the correct note is hit with the correct timing; the sung words or octave does not play into the result.

Released: 28 October 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4
Genres: Rhythm
Developers: SCE London Studio
Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Auditory
Themes: Party

About

SingStar is a competitive karaoke music video game series developed by London Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Dozens of installments were released for the PlayStation 2, and several more for the PlayStation 3. It is also available on the PlayStation 4 as a free app download, with users paying for the songs as individual or bundle downloads. The games have also undergone a number of non-English releases in various European countries.

SingStar games on disc for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 are distributed either as the software alone, or bundled with a pair of USB microphones – one red, one blue; wireless microphones are also available. The games are compatible with the EyeToy, PlayStation Eye, and PlayStation 4 cameras, allowing players to see and record themselves singing. The PSP (PlayStation Portable) was also able to manage a playlist in realtime, where users were able to queue songs they wanted to sing, so the decisions weren't made between songs, leading to fewer breaks.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

The technology behind SingStar began as a research project into sound input by London Studio's prototyping department. The project was initially focused on developing a pitch detection system and game concepts aimed at a children's audience. Two main game concepts were developed: Songlines, a third-person adventure game in which the player would sing to unlock new environments, and SingAlong Safari, where players would complete missions by singing along with animals.

In 2003, the game underwent a direction change. The new concept featured contemporary music videos, and would use two microphones to allow for multiplayer scenarios. A prototype game was developed, which included pitch detection technology, a basic interface display, a scoring system and samples of (then unlicensed) music. The first game demonstration took place at a Team SCEE conference in Paris, featuring the songs "Wonderwall" by Oasis and "Independent Women" by Destiny's Child.

Reception

The SingStar series has been largely successful in Europe and Australia, and has collectively sold over 16 million units in the PAL region, and an additional 1.5 million units in the United States. Over 4 million songs have been downloaded from the online SingStore. In 2005, SingStar and SingStar Party jointly received the award for originality at the BAFTA Games Awards. The 2017 game SingStar Celebration was nominated for "Best Family/Social Game" at the 2017 Titanium Awards, and for "Family Game of the Year" at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

The first SingStar game was well received by gaming critics. Eurogamer described it as the "definitive social game", and commented that the game was "buffed, polished and arranged to generate the maximum degree of entertainment". They did however criticise the scoring system for occasionally getting out of sync with the song. Australian website PALGN described the single-player as "a little lacklustre", but praised the multiplayer component as "the best asset of SingStar" and described the game as "addictive".