Karaoke Revolution Party review (GameCube)

Karaoke Revolution Party also features sing and dance mode, which can be played by plugging any compatible dance mat into the system and stepping out the notes while you sing. Different difficulties can be set for the singing, judging, and dancing, so you don't have to be equally proficient in any of them. While this is the natural next step for a karaoke game (and it does provide an interesting new challenge), sing and dance mode is slightly limited by the restrictions of corded headsets. You'll have to set up your system a specific way so that you can comfortably sing and dance at the same time, which may involve removing it from its natural position in a home entertainment system. You can do this well enough, but you won't exactly feel like a pop star singing and dancing onstage.

In this game, you can select a personal avatar, and then change hairstyles and outfits accordingly. The avatars will sing along with you in-game, swaying and bopping to the music when appropriate. They are little more than graphical enhancements, and for that, they do the job well enough. There are quite a few customizable options for the avatars, and you can unlock more over time. But when all is said and done, they don't have a huge impact on the game.

The diversity of the initial song list works both for and against the game. It ensures that everyone will find at least one or two songs that they enjoy singing to, but it also means that it's difficult to imagine one person finding many more than five or 10 songs. Karaoke enthusiasts might appreciate the challenge required to learn new songs and then sing them perfectly. But if you don't like that song in the first place, then it's hard to force yourself to get through it. While Karaoke Revolution Party definitely ups the ante as far as these types of games go, it's still held back by the natural limitations of the genre. This makes for a good pick-up-and-play game, especially when there are a couple of people around to enjoy it with. Since this is the first game of its kind on the GameCube, it does hold a certain amount of appeal, so people interested in karaoke will find that Karaoke Revolution Party suits their needs entirely. Of course, since the Xbox and PS2 versions feature the added benefits of Xbox Live and the Eye Toy, respectively, then you might be better off playing those versions if you already own one or both of them.