Karaoke Revolution Party Volume 4
Ages: Everyone 10+

If you don't have much experience with Karaoke.Karaoke Revolution Party will win you over with all the fun stuff inside and care with which this product was put together. There are over 50 songs to choose from and a song mix that will appeal to a wide generation so there will be a song that everyone can sing. For those who are Xbox live subscribers you will be able to down load additional songs. You can do just Karaoke sing with no scoring but the scoring is fun. The AI really does know when you are "Lousy". You can sing solo or do a two mic party, and if you are a multi-tasker -- you can use a dance pad and do dance moves along with the song. There are numerous game modes for those keyed up by competition that will keep you playing until you are hoarse.

There are various clever venues in which to perform. The sound of your voice is also modified depending on the venue -- like echoing in the large convention hall. The roof top location ends with rain dousing the singer. There are plenty more to select from and I suspect some surprises too. I was pleased by the extensive character customization. Having played with making custom body and face shapes that are part of many games, this was particularly good. Male bodies could be muscular, bulky -- even have a belly. Facial hair is a blast. In fact the characters are such fun, I am not sure that the personalization that the Eye Toy provides can top it.

I played/sang with the GameCube version which came with a mic. Each console uses a console specific mike which can be purchased separately, but the Logitech USB Karaoke Mic will work with all sets. The Cube works particularly well for me because it's small and easily portable and I intend to bring it to my family Christmas celebration.

The credit list for the game is substantial and helps to explain its excellence. It's good to see the Harmonix name appear once again that long ago was involved with musical games; House of Moves for it's realistic motion capture and OC3 for the lip sync.

Reviewed by: Editor - 12/05