Glee Karaoke Revolution: Guest Review

From guest video-game reviewer Josh Axelrod, a Pittsburgh native and freshman at the University of Maryland:

Everyone has his or her opinion of the "Glee" phenomenon. Some consider it an assault on their manliness to suggest that they might watch the Fox TV show. Others believe that the cast is skewering classic songs. But for those that have embraced everything that is "Glee" (including me), GKR is the perfect way to get your fix until the series returns in February.

The game contains 29 songs from the first half of "Glee’s" first season (the pilot through sectionals) to test your karaoke mettle. Just about all of the essentials from those episodes are here, with the notable exceptions being "Jump," the mash-ups of "It’s My Life/Confessions Part II" and "Halo/Walking on Sunshine," and "Thong Song."

The game plays like just about every karaoke game on the market. You have your plastic microphone, the words scroll onto the screen, and you have to sing with relatively the right key — you are given instructions to sing higher or lower, how long to hold notes, etc. — to earn top points. As you perform and accumulate points, you will gain dancing groupies that let you know you are on a hot streak. The actual game mechanics are very mundane; it will not revolutionize the industry. The real fun comes with its use of the "Glee" license.

The second the game boots up, that addictively annoying tune that plays in the background of certain "Glee" scenes (any true Gleek knows what I am talking about) puts you in a Gleetastic mood. Songs comes with background videos straight from the show. Sometimes it is more fun to watch the video and hear the true performers belt out their songs. My favorite video is "Endless Love," where shots of Rachel lovingly singing with a skeptical-looking Will are spliced together with shots of Kurt and Finn’s awkward early interactions.

I never appreciated how difficult it was to hit certain notes before trying them for myself. How Mercedes nailed "And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going" is beyond my compression. The Rachel/Kurt mastery of "Defying Gravity" defied my vocal range. "My Life Would Suck Without You," "Somebody to Love" and "Proud Mary" all seemed simple enough, but by the end I was breathless and defeated. Of course, I did have some minor victories: Try to beat my 98-percent accuracy on "Don’t Stop Believin’ " (albeit on medium) or my 90 percent on "Don’t Rain on My Parade" (take that, Barbra Streisand).

Not all songs are created equally, however.

For every awesome song, there are random and not particularly entertaining inclusions like the renditions of "Papa Don’t Preach" and "I Say a Little Prayer." The same can be said for song difficulty. Rap/hip hop songs are clearly easier than anything lifted from Broadway or rock songs, which would explain why my scores were higher on "Gold Digger" and "Bust a Move" then just about anything else. Speaking of difficulty, if you are planning on hosting a Glee Karaoke party, stick to the medium difficulty setting. The hard setting can cause people to reach microphone-throwing levels of frustration, which might not end well for the Wii or anyone in proximity.

With Glee Karaoke Revolution, you get what is advertised: an enjoyable, party-ready karaoke experience wrapped in the Glee license. It does not bring anything new to the genre, but then again it never pretends to. If you love all things "Glee" and want to sing along with some friends, this is your best option for now. Hopefully, the inevitable sequel will have more song selection and variety, but until then, grab the mike, sing along and pretend that your friends are laughing with you, not at you.
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