For a long time, Sony's Singstar has ruled the roost when it comes to karaoke games. Years ago, when the first incarnation arrived on the PS2, everyone loved it. Everyone had it. Singstar gradually evolved to where it is today, adding bit by bit a host of features, including support for the EyeToy webcam. Xbox 360 owners have, until recently, not had a karaoke game. That has now changed. Lips is here. If you've ever played Singstar, then, that is basically the concept behind Lips. Its nothing revolutionary: words come up on the screen, and you have to sing them. The more you're in tune, the more points you get. And that is basically it. The Singstar comparisons are ending here - most people don't have an Xbox and a PS3 so whilst Lips is effectively trying to be Singstar, they aren't really competing with each other.
In the overly-packaged box, along with the game you get two wireless motion sensitive mics. The mics are very easy to set up, and although they're not USB mics (so can't be used on your PC etc), they will work with Rock Band 2 if you download a patch. The mics are motion sensitive, but if feels like they are motion sensitive just because they can be. The game doesn't really gain anything from the motion sensitivity, although you can shake the mics to activate the overdrive/star power equivalent and they can also be used as tambourines. However, Rock Band has tambourines and manages without motion sensitivity.
Like any karaoke game ever, Lips could have a ton of brilliant features, but fall at the rubbish track list. Thankfully, Lips has quite literally something for everyone. There are forty tracks that come with the game, ranging from The Proclaimers' 500 Miles to Rhianna's Umbrella to Queen's Another One Bites the Dust. For the full track listing, click here. Along with the like of Adele and Jet available as DLC, Lips' most exciting feature is the ability to connect your MP3 player and sing along to songs. In practice, before we got an update from Xbox Live the feature didn't work and crashed our Xbox. After an update Lips wouldn't recognise our iPod Touch, but it would recognise songs from a memory stick and the Xbox's hard drive. According to the Lips website, Obviously, (as it would be nigh on impossible) Lips dosen't find the lyrics for any songs that you add yourself, nor does it get the music video. However, you can use a 'custom video' which Lips will create to be the background to your song. Whilst Lips dosen't know what you're meant to be singing, it takes a pretty good guess and gets it right most of the time. The ability to add your own songs really adds to the replayability of Lips. Speaking of which...
Just about all of the time, the Xbox's Achievements system adds greatly to the replayability of games. You should have to work to get your achievements. They shouldn't all be given to you on a plate. You'd think Microsoft would have picked up on this, the Xbox being their own console. Pity no-one told Microsoft Game Studios or iNiS (the developers) any of that. Lips' achievements are redicliously easy to get: there are achievements for opening menus! The full list here (external link).
All that said, Lips is great party game, with a number of fun party modes including one where you have a defuse a bomb by tipping the mic, and another one where you have to 'duel' with your opponent. The songs on Lips are excellent, and the ability to add songs from an mp3 player is a great idea. To top it off, I shoud be able to tell you how brilliant the online play is. Pity its pretty much non existant. Lips allows you to issue 'score challenges' to your friends, but asides from that, its pretty much it. No singing with your friends live, just score challenges.
We'll probably be seeing Lips again in the future, and if we do, lets pray they add online support and improve the single player experience. In the meantime, Lips is a great karaoke game.
Nometet.com says: 
What does this mean? How we rate explains all.
On our podcast, Nometalk, we talked about Lips as part of our 'Music Games Special'. Hear our Lips thoughts below. (sorry about the echo!)
+ Connect your own MP3 player
+ Excellent song selection
+ Wireless mics fun to use
+ Good choice of DLC songs
- Quickly grows old for single players
- Online play pretty useless
- Nothing new
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