How does one review a microphone? You sing into it, and it either works or doesn't. Those of
you familiar with the SingStar games will recognize the microphone; it's identical. The mike
has a pleasant heft to it; it does not feel cheap in the least. It is connected to the PS3 via USB
as well, but the cord is a generous length, and I've rarely tripped over it. During any song,
certain phrases will be orange. Hit these perfectly to gain Overdrive. When the entire singing
area at the top of the screen goes orange, yell something to activate Overdrive. That's right,
anything. Vicious profanity, opera solos, beatboxing, any sound at all during a block of
orange will activate Overdrive. This can be fun just to see what people come up with.
As the words scroll across the top of the screen, a snaky line goes up and down which
represents pitch. When you sing, an arrow appears, and if you are in tune, the arrow will
match the snaky line and turn green. Go sharp or flat, and the arrow will turn red and you'll
begin to inch closer to failure.
Vocals can be tough in this game, especially if you're really familiar with a song. I know that
sounds weird, but take Enter Sandman for example. I love Metallica, and there's nothing more
fun than belting out "Exit light" in the car James Hetfield-style. (With a growl at the end of
every phrase-ah). You won't die singing like that in Rock Band, but neither will you rack up
the huge points. There's not really any room for interpretation; you have to keep that arrow
on the line. Having said that, vocals are definitely the least challenging part of the game.
Sure, you can feel pretty stupid trying to sing a song you've never heard before, but it's just a
matter of time before you learn it.
By the way, for all of you that aren't blessed with a Chris Cornell-type tenor, you can sing
Rock Band parts down an octave, Johnny Cash style. It works fine and doesn't penalize you a
bit.