No matter if you’re a singing sensation destined for the spotlight and a recording contract or, like myself, simply tone deaf yet living a life of constant harmonic denial, there’s plenty of fun to be had with Lips: Number One Hits. Granted, sitting at home by yourself warbling along to Lady GaGa may hold limited appeal, but get a few mates together and the game takes a whole new lease of life of its own. Your neighbours may well hate you for it, but with 40 tracks to sing along to, you’ll find you won’t be putting this one down for a while. Being called Number One Hits, it’s no surprise to find the tracks included all previously topped the charts around the world.
The original Lips was released just over a year ago, and whilst this game should serve as a sequel, it’s a little untrue to call it that. It’s more of a revamp with new tracks and extra features added to keep fans of the original happy. If you happen to be on Xbox Live, you have buy and download extra tracks from the online store to sing along to, adding even more life to the title.
The game comes with two microphones, and once you’ve figured out how to set them both up (which admittedly had me confused for a moment), you’re away and warbling. The microphones have a built-in motion sensor, which you can use to shake when instructed on screen for added points. Think of it as a high-tech tambourine, but without all the clatter. The game assigns points for well sung tracks, with extra points up for grabs if you sing in the right pitch. If you’ve ever played Singstar or any of its many clones, you’ll be in familiar territory here.
As a solo game, it’s pretty rubbish, I have to say. Yes, there is the opportunity to earn points and level up, but I’m not really much of a fan of singing on my own. As already mentioned, it is only when you’re friends are around that this becomes addictive. Multiplayer is definitely where this is at, and ever since we were sent a copy, every evening has been spent belting out our own, erm… unique versions of the classics. Beer does help, trust me. And yes, my neighbours are preparing an eviction notice as I type this. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.
To sum this up, it is the Xbox 360’s version of a karaoke machine, and when you look at it in that light, it does the job admirably. You pick a song, and you sing along either by yourself or with a friend. It’s that simple. As a sequel though, hmmm… the jury’s out I’m afraid. Only buy if you’re a die-hard fan. But for those of us who have never experienced Lips before? I have a feeling you’ll like this one very much, in fact, head to the shops now and snap a copy up. That recording contract may be just around the corner! Or something.
