Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol

The quality we’ve come to expect from the Karaoke Revolution series meets with a great presentation that makes full use of the American Idol license (Paula Abdul notwithstanding), making for a solid karaoke game bound to make you happy (provided you like the tracklist).

For fans of the series, Karaoke Revolution: American Idol is a absolute must buy. The American Idol stuff is incredibly well implemented, and not just the quick paste-job cash in you might expect.

Rarely does a franchise truly add value to a videogame beyond its name value, but here that is most definitely the case. And with 40 new songs there's no excuse to sleep on getting this one if any of the previous games have blasted out of your entertainment system.

No matter what your ability is, there is fun to be had by all and adding the popular show tie in only makes for more enjoyable experience than before.

The game is by no means an "American Idol simulator” and probably won't help you score a trip to Hollywood at the next NY audition (if you can't sing now this game won't be the silver bullet for your shortcomings in that department), but it is certainly a lot of fun to play.

If you’ve ever wondered how you’d perform on American Idol but you just don’t have the stomach to face public humiliation, here’s the perfect chance for you to see how you’d do.

The game rocks, whether you love Idol or not.

Quite simply, Konami's Karaoke Revolution series was made for the American Idol license, and fans of the show won't be disappointed.

Though it may not feel like the American Idol license was ham-fisted into the existing gameplay, the two aren't married so perfectly yet that they feel like they've always been there. With a little more work on the judges, from modeling to animation to textures, and just a little more work to make it seem like you're actually playing to a crowd in faithfully replicated venues from the show, this could be a killer app.

It's fair to say that Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol is simply Karaoke Revolution with a layer of American Idol paint. That's not a bad thing at all. The karaoke gameplay is tried and true, while the popularity of the show will help the game reach a new audience.

Konami adds the massive American Idol license to their already huge music franchise, and it's the closest you can get to the real thing. A must have for karaoke lovers.

Other than missing out on the presence of Paula Abdul, Konami made great use of the American Idol license by implementing a well executed career mode.

It could use a lot more integration of the television show, but at the same time, the show assets aren’t overly invasive as to turn off fans of the Karaoke Revolution games.

While he is realistically prickly, his insults are disappointingly generic. I’ve watched a couple of episodes of “American Idol” and recall Mr. Cowell having a caustic wit; but in the game he isn’t witty, he’s just mean.

Unless you're a big fan of the show, base your purchase solely on how much you like the new songlist. [Feb. 2007, p.84]

What ultimately matters is the singing experience, and that is as enjoyable it ever has been. That's not entirely a positive statement, however. Aside from the "American Idol" skin, Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol is generally unchanged from previous entries.

Gives you your money's worth.

Solid, deep, and full of clever surprises and tricks. Unfortunately, it’s saddled with a song list playing, right now, in waiting rooms all across our nation’s dental and pediatric offices.

The half-baked American Idol trappings don't detract from this otherwise solid iteration of Konami's long-lived karaoke series.

It's Karaoke Revolution--you know if you like this by now, but don't get it if you're looking for much more than just a new set of songs. [Jan. 2007, p.83]

With a way deeper song list than 'Singstar Rocks' and its authentic content, 'Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol' holds up as the ultimate karaoke game for those who are fans of that sort of thing; Paula's deplorable absence notwithstanding.