Music games are becoming more and more popular among gamers, with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and others topping the charts. The thing about these games though is that even though they appeal to the masses, they are still not the most casual party games as you have to know somewhat about what you are doing. With that said, we are given Lips, the game that aims to create the ultimate karaoke atmosphere on your Xbox 360.
Microsoft is clearly making the push towards casual gamers this year with releases such as Lips, You’re In The Movies, and others. Some of these efforts have been strong, some not so strong. Lips, I can safely say, is up there as one of the best efforts to date.
Lips relies on the fact that people love to get drunk, have a good time, and take part in some good old-fashioned karaoke sessions.
That is the exact crowd that Lips is going for, and it succeeds on many levels in that it will do a great job of being very entertaining for that crowd.
The developer iNiS worked on this one and shipped the game along with two very stylish wireless microphones so you are not tied down to any wires while you sing your hearts out.
This is not a clone of Karaoke Revolution in any way, as it really relies on you just having a good time. The game is all about loading up songs, and going at it on the microphone. The whole idea behind it is that you will see the lyrics up on-screen, and while you are singing, you will see if you are hitting the right notes at the right times.
Once you rack up enough points, after making a total fool of yourself, you can use the mic, which is motion-sensitive, to pose and spark a star power of sorts.
When you are playing Lips, it is important to factor in that you cannot fail. So if you are too drunk to even pay attention to what is going on, you have nothing to worry about.
The scoring is also very lenient to say the least as you can get a good score without even saying the right words at times.
This is not a bad thing though, as Lips only aims to be a great party game. If you have a bunch of people at a party trying to sing and they fail in 10 seconds, the whole fun of the game is gone, this is where the game truly succeeds.
The track list features 40 or so songs that will certainly appeal to people of all ages, with songs from Avril Lavigne, and many other big name artists. As stated above, this is pretty much a karaoke experience as you have nothing to unlock, you get every song the first time you load up the game.
There are some varying game modes here such as a battle mode to go up against somebody, as well as some Xbox Live support where you can compare scores, try to top other people’s high scores on your friends list, etc.
The other bonus is that the game allows you to use your own songs in the experience. These will be filled with standard background videos and such throughout, but no lyrics. So if you wan to sing these songs make sure you know the words! We were able to successfully use our Microsoft Zune to get the songs on there.
In time, it is expected that many more songs are going to be up and available for download off of the Xbox Live Marketplace, and are going to add a lot of legs to the game.
My only wish was that Lips supported the Xbox Vision camera so you could record your own music videos, but hey, maybe in the sequel!
Lips aims to be a karaoke experience which does not force gamers to try and achieve scores, hit the right notes, etc. Instead, the game is simply about loading up some great songs, and singing your heart out no matter how good or bad you are. If you are looking for a good karaoke game to take out at a party, this is a solid choice!
Graphics: 8.0 The music videos that go with the music are very clear, not bad at all!
Audio: 8.0 The sound quality is superb and the selection of tracks is very well-done, will appeal to all ages.
Gameplay: 8.0 The game is not very deep, but it succeeds in being a solid karaoke experience.
Replay Value: 6.0 The biggest issue with this one is that if you are not in the middle of a party, there is really no fun in it.
Final Score: 7.8
