SingStar Dance PS3

SingStar Dance PS3

Developed by Sony London Studio

Published by Sony

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Gamers have different needs, some have to be shooting stuff (see Call of Duty or Killzone), others aren’t happy unless they’re burning along at over 200mph (see Darkmatters' Gran Turismo 5 review)… Then there are those who feel the need to dance and they can ‘Just Dance’ on the Wii, fling some controller less moves on ‘Dance Central’ on the Xbox and now get their groove on with SingStar Dance on the mighty PS3 - thanks to Sony’s excellent ‘Move’ controller.

Yep ever since the dance mat powered games hit the PS2 there has been an appetite for dance-related gaming, but up until now none of the offerings have successfully combined AAA karaoke with the ability to get jiggy in front of your console…

SingStar Dance changes all this and follows in the ‘we’ve got a fantastic product so let’s expand it’ thinking of SingStar Guitar by putting a Move controller in your hand and letting you dance your ass off, either while singing at the same time, just watching the original music video (with added dancing characters on the side for you to copy) or get down with your friends or family singing along to the words…

"Now you can 'pull a Britney'"

As the name suggests, singing is still the main business here and for the nice price of under £15 SingStar Dance (providing you’re already packing a Move controller - sold separately) and the new addition is the ability to score points by pulling off some moves. The singing is still absolutely boss, there isn’t a singing game that can hold a candle to SingStar – especially with its awesome SingStore that puts thousands of original song videos at your download finger tips in seconds, plus the brilliant chance to check out other players videos and vote on them – so things like the famous ‘dancing Wookie’ can get to number one in the chart!? There are other SingStar niceties like voice control of menus (which came before any of the competition did this) and quality wireless mics.

SingStar Dance keeps the mechanics nice and easy to follow – the video and lyrics play as always but now on the right hand side funky dancers appear which you have to mimic. The moves go from wiggles, waves, twists and all manner of variations – some easier than others. Of course you can see yourself performing instead of the original video if you fancy and if you do the Move controller even sparkles like a firework erm ‘sparkler’ when you play watching yourself dance with the PS Eye. You score points for how well you perform and it can be very satisfying to nail a perfect set of combos – especially if you’re attempting to sing at the same time!

Everything is very nicely presented, the menus are a dream to navigate (which makes this a much easier game to use in the party setting than the fiddly Kinect dance games) and you can even take requests and download the selected track (for a small price) so you’re not limited to the selection on the disc. There is also the option to watch back and edit the video of your dancing efforts before unleashing your amazing moves online for the wider community to vote on…

The track listing on the disc is diverse and includes Bye Bye Bye from N Sync, Shut Up by Black Eyed Peas, That’s the Way (I Like It) by KC & The Sunshine Band and more recent hits like Poker Face from Lady Gaga, or Don’t Cha from The Pussycat Dolls.

SingStar is the household name for music gaming on the PlayStation platforms and perhaps the ultimate ‘party game’. By Adding Dance to the mix it feels that Singstar evolves into a ‘must have’ for anyone who’s ever sung along to a track and wondered what they’d look like getting down to it too… The party season this Christmas is going to be fun!

Overall: Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (8 smooth moves out of 10)

PlayStation Game Runners – Next level street gaming

PlayStation Game Runners – Next level street gaming

Matt Adcock takes Darkmatters to the streets with PlayStation Game Runners...

This is an experimental project where PlayStation, members of the public and young people from diverse backgrounds come together to create social games. PlayStation believe the best games are played as a group.
The project has been developed by PlayStation and Hide & Seek with a team of 8 initial Game Runners who PlayStation have picked to train as game designers and work to make the games relevant.
There are three games in development: Flags, Blocks & Hoops. The games are in prototype stage and during August there will be a series of playtests to develop the games.

This week I had the chance to run around the streets of London playing HOOPS and it was major fun. Plus we were victorious as the mighty 'Team Green', because although it's fun taking part, there are no points for second place!!

You can get involved in PlayStation Game Runners at http://www.facebook.com/playstationgamerunners, where you can learn about the different games, meet the Game Runners and get involved. Fans are invited to comment on the games and support The Game Runners.
The most popular game – as decided by the fans – will be selected and put forward into development and then put into action at a live event to be announced, where fans can try out the game for real.

Commenting on PlayStation Game Runners Carl Christopher –Ansari SCEUK states ‘ PlayStation has always been about the fun of playing games. These games are inspired by the need to manoeuvre. PlayStation Game Runners is a experimental vehicle to explore getting fans of PlayStation together - online and in real life – to play, share ideas, and help progress the games. ‘

The three games in development are:

Hoops:
Hoops is an urban adventure that takes the backyard past-time of shooting hoops to an intense new level. Played out across a large area, teams of eight must work together to discover hidden stashes of balls, find shooting points, and then get the ball through the hoop.

There are many hoops hidden around the streets, so be on the look-out... Sometimes the player will be able to shoot the hoop in one throw; sometimes, the team will have to work together to pass the ball from the shooting point to the hoop. Many teams play simultaneously, so there are lots of chances for interceptions. This is a game where teamwork, communication and a good throwing arm are key...

Blocks:
Blocks is a three-dimensional game of strategy and precision movement. Two opposing players take it in turns to place the blocks in a 2 x 2 tower. Every face of the block has a PlayStation symbol on it. When a player places a block, the symbols on all touching faces must match. Here’s the tricky bit: all the blocks are a little bit uneven, and so stacking a high tower gets harder and harder. The player who lets the tower topple, or who runs out of time to make a move, loses the game. You’ll need a logical mind and a steady hand to triumph!

Flags:
Flags is Noughts and Crosses transformed into a fun, social team game. Played on a 3 x 3 grid with a flag in the centre of each square, teams of three compete against one another to make a winning row. Players capture a flag by out-numbering their opponents on the square for a full ten-count. If you don’t get to ten, you don’t raise the flag... Flags begins as a fun and chaotic game. but players soon develop complex tactics to dominate squares. You’ll need great communication, quick thinking and fast movement if you want to succeed...

Team Green - winning the HOOPS game

Want to know more about Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PlayStation 3 in November 2006, over 38 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 146.1 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 62.7 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, over 52 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 1 billion items have been downloaded.


More information about PlayStation products can be found at http://www.playstation.com/.