SingStar
Given that Sony Entertainment is a Japanese company and that the Japanese are karaoke-mad, it's a surprise that Sony has not launched a singing game in Asia, especially one that already has spawned Spanish, German, Italian and even Indian versions. Singstar is simple - take the original music videos of popular songs, add lyrics to them and top it off with pitch bars flashing across the screen. Two microphones come with the game and they measure and display the pitch of the singer, comparing it to the original artistes. By pitting themselves against the original performer, wannabe singers can rate their own performance against the pros. Luckily, the game comes in three settings, so even someone who is tone deaf has a chance of scoring some points. And while American Idol it isn't, there is still a lot going for this game, such as the chance to finally test and see if your bathroom voice is the real deal. From the recent pop tunes of Franz Ferdinand, Britney Spears and Blind Melon to the classics of David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, the game comes packaged with 30 songs across genres and eras. The good news for diehards is that the fat lady never stops singing. Via the online Singstore, fans can choose from over 200 additional songs to download at US$1.49 per track. The catch is that, you would need to connect to the US PlayStation Network and use a virtual Visa like EntroPay to access the iTunes-like services. But the effort is worth it. Classics like A-ha's Take On Me, Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire and Duran Duran's Hungry Like The Wolf are definitely must-haves. This PS3 version comes with the option to save performances onto the console for playback anytime. And I say performances because you can use the PlayStation Eye camera to record yourself prancing in front of the TV and show your friends your performance chops. If Sony is wise, it would create an Asian Singstore filled with tunes from Jay Chou, S.H.E. and Stefanie Sun. But how does Singstar stack up against real karaoke and Rock Band, the other singing game that comes with the option to play virtual guitar and drums? Well, Singstore is not exactly up-to-date with the latest songs but show me a karaoke joint with original and current English Top 40 music videos to sing to. Singstar also costs about a quarter of Rock Band's pricing and though the singing aspect is similar, Singstar allows two-player duets and battles. When singing Faith No More's Epic on both games, there is also something about singing to the original video versus Rock Band's animated singers. The latter is the equivalent of singing English songs at karaoke lounges, where the cheap video production is populated with bikini-clad Caucasian women who have no bearing to the tune you are crooning to.

Singstar
Given that Sony Entertainment is a Japanese company and that the Japanese are karaoke-mad, it's a surprise that Sony has not launched a singing game in Asia, especially one that already has spawned Spanish, German, Italian and even Indian versions. Singstar is simple - take the original music videos of popular songs, add lyrics to them and top it off with pitch bars flashing across the screen. Two microphones come with the game and they measure and display the pitch of the singer, comparing it to the original artistes. By pitting themselves against the original performer, wannabe singers can rate their own performance against the pros. Luckily, the game comes in three settings, so even someone who is tone deaf has a chance of scoring some points. And while American Idol it isn't, there is still a lot going for this game, such as the chance to finally test and see if your bathroom voice is the real deal. From the recent pop tunes of Franz Ferdinand, Britney Spears and Blind Melon to the classics of David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, the game comes packaged with 30 songs across genres and eras. The good news for diehards is that the fat lady never stops singing. Via the online Singstore, fans can choose from over 200 additional songs to download at US$1.49 per track. The catch is that you would need to connect to the US PlayStation Network and use a virtual Visa like EntroPay to access the iTunes-like services. But the effort is worth it. Classics like A-ha's Take On Me, Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire and Duran Duran's Hungry Like The Wolf are definitely must-haves. This PS3 version comes with the option to save performances onto the console for playback anytime. And I say performances because you can use the PlayStation Eye camera to record yourself prancing in front of the TV and show your friends your performance chops. If Sony is wise, it would create an Asian Singstore filled with tunes from Jay Chou, S.H.E. and Stefanie Sun. But how does Singstar stack up against real karaoke and Rock Band, the other singing game that comes with the option to play virtual guitar and drums? Well, Singstore is not exactly up-to-date with the latest songs but show me a karaoke joint with original and current English Top 40 music videos to sing to. Singstar also costs about a quarter of Rock Band's pricing and though the singing aspect is similar, Singstar allows two-player duets and battles. When singing Faith No More's Epic on both games, there is also something about singing to the original video versus Rock Band's animated singers. The latter is the equivalent of singing English songs at karaoke lounges, where the cheap video production is populated with bikini-clad Caucasian women who have no bearing to the tune you are crooning to.

Tracklist
# Blink 182 - All The Small Things
# Blur - Coffee & TV
# Britney Spears - Toxic
# Coldplay - Fix You
# Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
# Gwen Stefani - Cool
# Junior Senior - Move Your Feet
# Macy Gray - I Try
# Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
# Ne-Yo - So Sick
# Orson - No Tomorrow
# OutKast - Hey Ya
# Primal Scream - Movin' On Up
# Pussycat Dolls - Beep
# Radiohead - No Surprises
# Razorlight - America
# REM - Losing My Religion
# Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman - Something Stupid
# Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing
# Supergrass - Alright
# The Automatic - Monster
# The Cardigans - Lovefool
# The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
# The Killers - Mr Brightside
# The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums
# The Zutons - Valerie
# Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It
# U2 - Beautiful Day
# Weezer - Buddy Holly
# Wolfmother - Love Train