Customer Reviews

Karaoke Revolution Headset Bundle

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Buy this game if you like singing and you have people around you who also like to sing or make fools of themselves.

Make sure that you like the selection of songs that comes with the game. I thought ~30 songs would be too small but because of the game element where you are trying to perfect a song, I was not bothered by it too much. Plus, I hope that the Expansion disc if they ever put one out will have 50+ songs.

Anyway, the first day I bought the game, my wife and I compete with me singing Celebration and her singing Don't Know Why by Norah Jones and she ended up kicking my butt. It was probably the most fun both of us had together with the PS2. Can't wait to have people over and have a contest.

Word of caution: the Logitech headset that comes with the game is either too small or not as good as the Sony one. It fit my wife (whose head is pretty small) well, but since I have a bigger head, it was kind of hard to get it to fit right. I ended up having to hold the mic portion of the headset close to my mouth in order for the sound to register properly.

This game is a lot of fun for people (like me) who enjoy karaoke, or making a fool of themself. The funny thing is, I was professionally trained as a singer, and I still had a hard time getting good scores. The trick is to not use a vibratto (you hear it a lot in opera singing, or professional singers), but instead to keep your pitch as pure and even as possible (which can be tricky).

I'm really looking forward to the expansion disks, and hopefully, a more sensitive microphone. The one that comes with the game (and I'd rank it a 4.5 if I could) is not sensitive enough (and I proved it by having the thing pressed against my lips and it still not picking up some pitches, even with the mike sensitivity at maximum). Also, if you're female, with a fairly high voice, the microphone won't always pick up on phrases with low pitches. According to the booklet, if you sing an octave above or below that phrase, you won't be penalized, but it's also very hard to jump octaves when you're comfortable in a certain range.

Overall, I'd rank the game itself with 5 stars. But, because of the microphone, I'd give it a 4.5. The mike I'd rank at 3. It's too small for some people's heads (indeed, my boyfriend tried it on, and he had a hard time getting the mike to fit right), and the mike really isn't all that sensitive, even with the sensitivity boosted.

It's a really fun game, though, especially when you have people over, and they would like to try it out. I enjoy DDR more, but that's because I feel like I'm actually exercising, not just singing and bobbing to music. It's still a difficult game, even for someone who's been trained.

Although I'm not the greatest, I've been singing my entire life, on my own and in organized groups in school and such. Since leaving school, there's been little opportunity for me to sing, other than in my car and in the shower at least! So I was very excited to learn about this game, and picked it up only a few days after it was released.

The first thing I learned is that many of the songs you thought you knew - you don't. The game's versions of the songs, at least the ones I've been through thus far, seem to be very accurate and close to their original verisons. I expected to hear more karaoke-style versions, but was pleasantly surprised with their "real" sound.

I've also read on message boards that people are disappointed in the graphics. I think the graphics are fairly good, especially considering they matter the least anyway. The singers, particularly the girls, move realistically, and their movements seem to echo the tone of the music for the most part. I also like the system of adjusting volumes. In the game, you can press the square, circle, triangle, and x buttons while you are performing to adjust the music volume (background music through your speakers), the microphone volume (your own voice through the speakers), vocals volume (singer's voice through the speakers), and the headset volume (your own voice through the headset). In this way you can really fine-tune what you're hearing, and make a great-sounding performance.

I personally have not had too much of a problem with the headset microphone. These types of microphones are designed to be placed very close to (practically in!) your mouth. When I have the microphone properly positioned, I never get poor registration in the game. I have also tried this mic on my home computer, and found it works better than any other microphone I've ever tried, in the last 10 years!

This is a very different and unique game, with a great mixture of songs - there will be something for everyone here, and even the songs you don't particularly enjoy, you'll find yourself singing happily!! I give this game only 4 stars only because I think that it's replay value is limited. However, the option for expansion disks is built into the game, so hopefully we'll soon see lots of new songs to sing, and I'll be able to raise this review to 5 stars! Until then, happy singing, break a leg!

Being a Dance Dance Revolution Fan, I had already decided I would get this game when it was announced, despite the fact that I don't listen to American music all that much. I was a little afraid that I wouldn't know most of the songs anyway.

Thankfully, Konami realized this and put in a good mix of songs, at least some of which you have heard (unless you lived in a cave for seveal decades...) There're probably at least five songs on there you know. You can always find the song list online if you wish, just note that some songs need to be unlocked by beating songs/reaching score goals. The ability to add on "Expansion Dics" is also an interesting feature, but we'll see if this is a tease or if Konami will put out a good selection to make the 69.99 investment worthwhile.

The difficulty is varied as well, with different settings for strictness in judging, and how much you need to sing before one "step" is completed with a "great" result.

Appreciated greatly are also features for adjusting the mic sensitivity, although that could be fine tuned a bit to have less blunt settings. Another feature that deserves praise is that you can select volume for the lead singer, music, mic, and how loud the song plays in your headset.

Now to the negative bits of the game.

One thing I've noticed is that one has the ability to mumble in the correct key and not actually sing audible words and still manage to hit combos. While that might be a legitimate technical limitaiton, it's discouraging to have someone score higher than you, but not actually sing anything.

There could have been a much better story that might have gone with the "Showtime Mode". I barely noticed that what Konami intended was that you are an aspiring singer moving up in the world of music. Also the difficulty does not go up as you try to beat the venues, although it would make sense for audience at a stadium to be more critical at one at a party in someone's home.

Back to the Expansion packs. Where are they? Konami probably didn't want to confuse buyers by releasing the expansion packs the same date as the main game, but it would have been nice if they had a closer release date than December. (That is only assuming there's no delay in the release date.)

Overall the game is enjoyable, and will be lots of fun to play with your friends (with a sort of versus mode, for up to 8 people)

I'm not a karaoke person. Someone brought it to a party which to be honest I thought was weird. Then we turned it on, for most of us it was a curiosity and a few thought it was totally a lame idea. All I have to say is that we were totally wrong. I haven't laughed so hard in my life. When my one friend got lost in the middle of a song, and was just destroying it she got booed off the stage. What a hilarious feature! It brought out competative streaks in people and some really silly performances. It actually encourages people to try to sing properly and a few people were suprisingly good at it!

I recommend this to non-singers like me and singers alike. Its really for anyone who would enjoy a fun game. I know that several people who played it that night wanted to buy it themselves. I actually heard one woman say, I'm so glad my husband has Playstation 2!

I think that says it all!

I think this game is one of the best gifts I've ever received! I've owned 2 different, expensive CD+G karaoke players in the past. You actually end up having to spend quite a bit of money to set those players up. For example, you would always need a new microphone (because the one that comes with it is junk) and to purchase CDs with graphics to go with it.
Karaoke Revolution (the one that comes with headset), along with your Playstation 2 unit and your television is all that's needed for a full-on karaoke performance.
I am totally impressed with the ability to adjust volumes so that you can sing with help from the cover artists or simply turn their volume down and sing on your own.
Also, the game has built-in echo effects to give your voice a little finesse.
When you are doing well in the Showtime mode, the crowd gets into it and they begin to cheer you on. I have performed at many karaoke bars and this game really gives the feeling of being onstage.
Don't worry about not knowing some of the "newer" songs on this game. I've only had the game for a couple of days and have already learned most of the songs by singing with the cover artists voices in the background.
Now, I can only pray that Konami will introduce some expansion discs for this game. I want some more songs.
One more bonus, the headset has an extra long cord which allows you to dance and act a fool while you sing.
Overall, it is well worth the money!

When I first played this game, the arrow/tone based scoring was a bit confusing, but 3 minutes turned into 15 mins, into 2 hours...The game is VERY additictive.
The song list is varied, from Dido's "Don't know Why", Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", Van Halen's "You got me know" to "Smooth Criminal" and LaVigne's "Complicated". While the game is very short on HipHop, it is long on rock, classic, alternative, Heavy Metal, and punk.
As you excel at the game, new characters, outfits, and songs are unlocked.
Basically, while you sing on a Karaoke Machine like monitor, a digital character mimics your singing, and a virtual crowd cheers, boos, claps, or dances based upon how well you sing. The mechanics involve singing into an included mike, while the words cross a "time bar", you must sing the words, in tune, at the right time to score points. For each sentence or *bar* that you sing correctly you get points, and get extra "combo" points for stringing two or more sentences or bars together correctly.
The only drawbacks on this phenomenal game are lack of rap and hip/hop, and the fact that you can make up words, as long as you sing on time and in tune (I cracked open a weird Al version of "are you happy now?" that got a max score.)
It's fun just to turn the PS2 into a Karaoke machine, but this game, with the multiple modes and over 35 songs, is an amazingly good buy. I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone who wants to sing to an audience that they can turn off when they are done!

I have now had two Karaoke Revolution parties and the word is spreading. Everyone wants to be invited to one.

Invite a few other couples or some single friends. Fix and nice meal or call out for pizza. Drink some beer or wine and have a bottle of Chivas Regal, the traditional Karaoke drink, on hand.

We play in 8 person Arcade mode. Eight is the maximum number of players. Given that a three-round, eight-person game takes about an hour and a half, 8 players is a reasonable maximum. Set-up takes several minutes to input names and to choose characters, outfits, difficulty levels, and songs for the round. Only one person needs to be PS-2 literate. Others don't ever need to touch a controller.

Without going into detail on the game play, suffice it to say the game is a blast for all. Since players can set their own difficulty levels, even "tin ears" can be in the running. Also, remember it really is a game, not straight Karaoke. Anyone can improve vastly with practice. You lose points for improvisation. My worry about the game was that it would not be much fun for those who don't sing well, but I've now played with some of the world's most tone-deaf and everyone has had a great time.

This is now my favorite game on the PS2 - and the family too. And I'm not even that big into singing. The best part about it is the headset that scores your actual voice singing the notes - MUCH better than the American Idol game where you have to press the controller button in sync with the notes. The first day I got it, I played it for 3 hours - it's totally addictive trying to get a better score by singing. This is also a great game for parties (after everyone's had something to drink of course). At our Thanksgiving dinner, family and friends loved it (and was really good!). The 35 songs selection is great - some rock, 80s, and music you hear on the radio today. I can't wait for the expansion disc to come out with even MORE SONGS - so if anyone from Konami is reading this, get more songs pronto! This game should blow American Idol out of the water.

I'm still giving this game 5 stars, but do yourself a big favor and do NOT buy this version. Amazon also sells the same game without the headset. Use your savings to purchase the PS2 Handheld Mic! Your scores will be so much better because the game will be able to pick up your voice.

The included headset is child sized, and in order to get it to work, one needs to hold the mic to ones mouth and it still cuts out. Do yourself a favor and buy the this game without the included mic! And also pick up Karaoke Revolution 2 at the same time while you are at it so you'll have 70 songs to choose from!