SingStar ABBA
 | |
| Developer(s) | SCE London Studio |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 |
SingStar ABBA is a singing/voice simulation video game released in 2008 for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3.[1] It was the first band specific SingStar game,[2] followed by SingStar Queen in 2009.[3]
Development
David Reeves, President, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, said of the release: "We are thrilled to be collaborating with ABBA to bring their tracks to SingStar this Christmas... The popularity of this iconic band continues year after year, and we know SingStar fans will be delighted to add this selection of classics tracks to their SingStar collection.”[4]
Patrick Foster reports that "Bocu, the British music publisher that acquired the British rights to ABBA’s songs more than 30 years ago... collaborated with Sony to release Singstar Abba."[5]
Gameplay
Arnold Katayev explains that the game "uses a very clean user interface, one that even a five-year-old can navigate. You can either play a practice session, or play for points and attempt to score the best record."[6] He adds, "The object is to fill the bars on screen with accuracy by singing as accurately as possible. If you go flat, you'll get color below the bar; likewise, if you go sharp, you'll get color above the bar. It's a very intuitive system, and figuring out how it works doesn't take any longer than 10 seconds."[6]
Track list
The PlayStation 2 version of the game features 20 songs whereas the PlayStation 3 version features 25 songs.[7]
| Title | On PlayStation 2 version | On PlayStation 3 version |
|---|---|---|
| "Chiquitita" | Yes | Yes |
| "Dancing Queen" | Yes | Yes |
| "Does Your Mother Know" | Yes | Yes |
| "Fernando" | Yes | Yes |
| "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" | Yes | Yes |
| "Happy New Year" | No | Yes |
| "Head Over Heels" | No | Yes |
| "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" | Yes | Yes |
| "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | Yes | Yes |
| "Mamma Mia" | Yes | Yes |
| "Money, Money, Money" | Yes | Yes |
| "One of Us" | Yes | Yes |
| "Ring Ring" | Yes | Yes |
| "SOS" | Yes | Yes |
| "Summer Night City" | Yes | Yes |
| "Super Trouper" | Yes | Yes |
| "Take a Chance on Me" | Yes | Yes |
| "Thank You for the Music" | Yes | Yes |
| "The Day Before You Came" | No | Yes |
| "The Name of the Game" | Yes | Yes |
| "The Winner Takes It All" | Yes | Yes |
| "Under Attack" | No | Yes |
| "Voulez-Vous" | Yes | Yes |
| "Waterloo" | Yes | Yes |
| "When All Is Said and Done" | No | Yes |
Reception
The game has received fairly positive reviews, with a Metacritic average of 70%. On one hand, Jillian Allison-Aitkin writes, "With more than 20 of the band's best songs, this one will keep the ABBA fans occupied for hours."[8] On the other hand, Greg Miller writes, "SingStar ABBA has all the moving parts that make the SingStar games fun, but the scope is so limited that I only see a tiny audience really enjoying this title. If you're not the world's biggest ABBA fan, do not buy this disc. It's not worth forking over $40 to only enjoy the three or four real hits out of this collection."[9]
References
- ^ David Sheets, "ABBA is coming to ‘SingStar’," St. Louis Post-Dispatch (09.30.2008).
- ^ Arnold Katayev writes that "ABBA is an unusual first choice for the SingStar, as far as band-specific compilations go..." See Arnold Katayev, "SingStar Abba Review," PSXExtreme (12/1/2008).
- ^ Huntress, "SingStar Queen: A ‘must-have’ for Queen fans; a ‘should-have’ for regular SingStar players," GamePlanet (30/03/09).
- ^ Brian Crecente, "ABBA Invades SingStar," Kotaku (Sep 10 2008).
- ^ Patrick Foster, "Tiny firm, Bocu, says thank you for the music as Abba soar again," The Times (November 29, 2008).
- ^ a b Arnold Katayev, "SingStar Abba Review," PSXExtreme (12/1/2008).
- ^ Brian Crecente, "Thank You (SingStar) For The (ABBA) Music," Kotaku (Oct 29 2008).
- ^ Allison-Aitken, Jillian (March 1, 2009). "Singstar ABBA". The Southland Times. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ^ Greg Miller, "SingStar ABBA Review: Oh, dear God, why?," IGN (November 25, 2008).
External links
- PlayStation 2 Version's Page on Official PlayStation Site
- PlayStation 3 Version's Page on Official PlayStation Site
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