General vs Singstar: First of all, I have to mention that I have a peeve with Singstar right off the bat since it necessitates the purchase of Sony's proprietary mic hardware, and artificially at that. (The reason you can't use a regular analog mic with an ordinary plug isn't because of some fancy technology or even programming, but simply because Sony deliberately made the plastic housing on the adapter protrude so as to interfere with a regular plug being fully inserted into the jack. If you remove the housing, regular mics work just fine, but you still need the proprietary adapter.) Peeves with marketing ploys aside, I still say that KR is a stronger series in general, and if this offering is a first foray into the singing game genre, you surely won't be disappointed. This is a great party game, but also actually useful as a practice tool for wanna-be singers (but no improvising, you are scored by how you match the expected notes, not whether its musically pleasing.) If you are deciding between this and Singstar titles, after having tried both I'll say I would choose this over Singstar in a heartbeat because actual gameplay is more rewarding and fun. In terms of song selection, downloadable content is much more plentiful for the UK sensational Singstar, but even though I have very eclectic music tastes, I would say that only 10% of Singstar's nearly 1,000 available titles were of any interest to me. Although the lyrics are sometimes inaccurate (and are cover versions, not original artists) I think US players will find more familiar and therefore more playable content in this title, both on disk and online (Encore1 songs available also). Also play-wise, Singstar is kind of boring (particularly for single player - unless you REALLY liked watching MTV back when they just played music videos), while Encore 2 is more engaging, playful, with much stronger challenge elements and rewards which give it value as a "game" rather than just a home karaoke machine. Compared with previous releases on PS2: This third installment offered the added benefit of competing with online players - meaning that I needn't depend on my shy friends if I wished to play a head to head battle (and more than likely totally dominate anyway - no game there.) However I have yet to find even one match-up online to participate in. This compared to the 8 million+ people shooting each other in COD4 who can find a match in 10 seconds. Maybe that says more about a weakness in society rather than in the game though. Customizable options are lessened in this version, which makes it harder to build an avatar that I feel as comfortable with, and that identity matching was really missed. For some reason, I don't recall those characters acting quite so "Cheesy" either. Character renditions of the judges are almost the same; Paula and Randy say the same old same old and practically verbatim, though clearly "Simon" has undergone a personality alteration that can't be ignored, which really detracts from the authenticity and fun. I know when I suck, and before, I could count on Simon giving me a few good tips for improvement, but this versions disingenuous sycophantic judging is likely to lead to even more delusional people showing up for auditions to the show. Maybe it gets better in Expert mode. In sum, having moved from the PS2 American Idol titles to the PS3 with Encore 2, I can say its still a game I love. But I think I loved the predecessors a little bit morRead full review
Came in perfect condition and is as much fun as we remembered. The game is a good classic for karaoke.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This game is very entertaining! Even if your not the best singer in the world its still a lot of fun! you can be judged by the American idol judges themselves and see if you have what it takes to be the next "American Idol"! I thought this game was very good though because you are able to purchase more songs online, which is very cool! Not to mention the fact that the game already comes with a great variety of fun songs! Definitely recommended!
Great game. Good game play, easy to use. Quite the challenge. Does not work with original encore. Have to buy additional songs to play on current disc. Overall, a good product.
Negatives- No more having your face on a body with eyetoy. Not as much selection in people. Judges most aways give you positive comments so not as funny or true. Cost more then old and better idols first one was the best. Pros- Can do makeup and stuff, Better songs and more song's I would not buy it again that's my opinion. I would get the first American Idol or the 1st Encore. Then you can personalize yourself. Also you get funny comments. Very fun
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