SingStar: Queen
Rated T for Teens
Playstation 3
Available Now

It is about time the SingStar franchise rocked out. Sure, this reviewer is not afraid to express his affection toward ABBA but a man needs some good old fashioned, tub-thumping music. So, when I heard SingStar was going devote a whole game to the awesome rock band Queen, I was floored. SingStar: Queen is a no-brainer to me. Queen songs are very popular. Even if you are not familiar with the band itself (and shame on you if you aren’t), the songs are easily recognizable. From “We are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You” to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Queen songs have been played in sports arenas, bars, and everything in between.

The game is pretty straight forward and can be played by any casual gamer. Players choose from a list of 25 Queen songs and, like with Guitar Hero, players just need to fill up the color bars that appear on the screen by singing the correct lyrics and pitch.

The best part about this game? The wide variety of songs present in the game for any Queen fan. There are classics like “We Will Rock You” and “Under Pressure”, along with songs that are not as popular like “Fat Bottom Girls”. My personal favorite song, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, is also present in the game. Whether you are a fan of the band or not, you have to admit that each song is pretty catchy to sing to and entertaining on all levels.

There are several play options available for this game. You can go head to head with another player and see which player can rack up the most points for each song. You can also pass the mike around, giving multiple players a chance to sing a snippet of a song. There is also a cool duet mode, where you and another player can sing a song with one of you as lead vocals and the other as back up.

However, like any musically oriented game, the game is more fun when you play with another person. Playing solo is fine but without any levels to beat or secrets to unlock, what is the point? SingStar is meant to be played by a group of people.

My only complaint for this game is the lack of online play connected with this game. With online play so prevalent on all games, it is odd that SingStar has not included an option to go one on one with someone online. Hopefully by the next SingStar game, this option will be possible.

Note, this is the stand-alone version of the game, which means you’ll need some extra accessories, like microphones.

If you have played the other iterations of SingStar and enjoyed them, there should be no reason to not pick this game up. If you are new to the series and want to play a game that is part Guitar Hero and part Karaoke Revolution, this is a game for you. Queen SingStar will rock you to the core.