We Sing Pop

Singing is something that’s often best left to the talented and yet up and down the country right now, there are people in karaoke bars singing their little hearts out. There are people in front of their TVs, with microphones plugged into their consoles, singing equally as passionately as the karaoke goers and often considerably more drunk. Yes, We Sing Pop, the latest iteration of the We Sing franchise has been let loose on an unsuspecting British public.

Yet, We Sing Pop is far from different from its predecessors. In many ways, it’s the same game just rehashed with new songs and this is clearly one of the reasons that there’s so little to actually say about the game that hasn’t already been said. We Sing Pop allows for various different modes of play, but most of the time will be spent in the main Solo and Party modes.

As with SingStar of old, the singers prowess isn’t really a deciding factor of points, it’s all about pitch. So long as you’ve roughly done the right pitch of the song, you’ll get points. In fact, if winning is really vital, simply hum the song loudly in your throat and put the microphone up to your neck and you’ll get points. Easy. This applies across all singing portions of the game and whilst it’s something that’s annoying for those who notice it, overall, it’s nothing groundbreaking or a real inhibitor of enjoyment as people playing We Sing aren’t training to be professional singers – they’re having fun.

Fun is exactly what We Sing Pop is, with thirty songs and the vast majority of them being “current” it’s very easy to pick up a microphone and sing along. Even if your taste in music is classic videogame remixes from OverClocked Remix, or if you’re a pop music aficionado the music’s played enough in TV shows, on the radio and just around the place that nothing feels alien or forced. For those who remember the 1980s, there’s the odd clanger thrown in to, with the likes of Cyndi Lauper trying to tell you what girls want.

The actual interface and menu control has been pulled straight from previous games, with a little flair thrown in to show that this is actually a “new” game, rather than just a cheap upgrade. Which technically it is. If We Sing were on any other platform, a foul wind would be blowing across the console, rendering it unplayable as the cold shoulder would stop all singing. After all, technically this is just downloadable content. But as we all know, the Wii, whilst technically can do downloadable content, isn’t really configured for it and most people who’d buy We Sing Pop will be the casual owners who don’t care for such complications.

For a first time We Sing buyer, the bundle is certainly worth it as the microphones included are great quality and the entire system works as it should do. Smoothly and easily. An important footnote is that for Wii owners who already have microphones, but plugin with a Gamecube port, they won’t work. The bundled microphones are USB ports and will work fine and can transfer to any console as they are console “neutral”.

We Sing Pop is a good addition to the We Sing family, not straying from the formula at all, it’s a game that plays to its strengths and you know exactly what you’re buying. This is also the downside as there’s been no real progression in the series at all and aside from inserting new songs, it will soon grow tired.

The full tracklist is as follows:

1. Adele – Rolling in the Deep
2. Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are
3. Coldplay – Clocks
4. Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun
5. Enrique Iglesias – Hero
6. Fergie – Big Girls Don’t Cry
7. Flo Rida ft. David Guetta – Club Can’t Handle Me
8. Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over
9. Hanson – MMMBop
10. Jason Mraz – I’m Yours
11. Jessie J – Nobody’s Perfect
12. Kelis – Milkshake
13. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
14. Lady Gaga – Born This Way
15. The Killers – When You Were Young
16. Nelly Furtado – I’m Like A Bird
17. Nicole Scherzinger – Don’t Hold Your Breath
18. Peter Andre ft. Bubbler Ranx – Mysterious Girl
19. Pussycat Dolls – When I Grow Up
20. Outkast – Hey Ya!
21. Owl City – Fireflies
22. Rihanna – Don’t Stop the Music
23. Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’
24. Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe
25. Tinie Tempah ft. Eric Turner – Written in the Stars
26. Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby
27. Village People – Y.M.C.A.
28. Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around
29. Wham! – I’m Your Man
30. Wretch 32 ft Example – Unorthodox