EDITOR’S NOTE: At the time of writing, this US game has not yet been released in Europe.

The human voice: not only do we use it to communicate with one another, but it was also the first musical instrument readily available to every individual. Using this to their advantage, Konami has taken our fascination with karaoke and added it to their Bemani line of rhythm/music styled games with Karaoke Revolution Party. Unlike the other Bemani titles, there's no need to purchase a bulky peripheral such as a dance pad or guitar, as this game simply requires a microphone. This makes Karaoke Revolution Party one of the more affordable Bemani titles and acts as a great introduction to the whole music simulation genre and is guaranteed to keep you and your friends singing on into the night.

The premise behind a Bemani title is to watch the game's indicators and make the corresponding action when they pass a certain point. This can be stepping on a dance mat or strumming a guitar, but in KRP's case you sing in time with the song while the game monitors the frequency of your voice and awards points on how closely you're in tune. On screen, the target frequency is displayed from right to left and depending on how high or low your pitch, the arrow on the left fluctuates accordingly. The idea is to keep the arrow within the narrow bar for the longest period of time, resulting in the highest possible point total.

Unlike some of the more recent Bemani titles, such as Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2, KRP does not feature a single player mission mode. More along the lines of DDR Max 2, the single player content involves selecting song after song to sing, all of which have a 15,000 point goal for a gold record, 25,000 platinum and 50,000 for diamond. Achieving numerous records unlock even more songs (eventually totaling to 50 included tracks), as well as new costumes to select for your character.

Ah yes, characters. As with Konami's other rhythm titles, Karaoke Revolution Party features a main character that hops around and does simple dance routines on the digital stage while you belt out a tune. You have the option to customise a character, using one of the included models as a base, then altering hair, facial and body features accordingly. Once you're finished with your onscreen persona, you may use this character at any time in the game's single player or multiplayer party mode.

Of course, the party mode is where this title shines (hence Party in the title). You and up to eight friends may compete against one another, taking turns on the mic to find out who's the real karaoke master. The one-mic party mode allows individuals to challenge each other in regular match-ups, a medley of a few short song clips, or KR Challenge, where up to eight people can play in customisable matches. Having two microphones expands the possibilities even further, as you now have the ability to perform duets with your friends, as well as having sing-off and knockout competitions, even challenging your buddies to a few minigames where your voice controls the action.

In either single player or party mode, if you happen to have a dance pad to hand you can try out the game's Sing and Dance mode. Not only must you worry about keeping your voice in tune but you also have to step on the corresponding directional arrows at the correct time to achieve the best points score possible. While this may sound easy for those familiar with DDR's gameplay style, Karaoke Revolution Party's Sing and Dance mode may take time to get used to, as the step commands move from right to left with the pitch indicators, instead of the normal bottom to top. Another aspect to be aware of is that if you're looking to achieve a high score and unlock some items, it's best to only attempt the Sing and Dance mode with songs that you know by heart. Attempting to figure out a new song while moving your legs to and fro may prove a bit difficult for those new to this title or DDR play.

I found that many of the 50 songs in Karaoke Revolution Party are fun to sing along to and are they're taken from several musical genres. This helps to keep you interested in actually singing and not getting tired of the same song style. All of the major music genres (such as R&B, rock, pop, classic rock, etc) are included, and although they are not performed by the original band, unless you're specifically listening you'll rarely notice a difference.

At one time or another you'll become proficient enough with the gameplay to unlock everything this title has to offer. While most times this means putting the game on the shelf only to get it out when friends are present, Konami utilised the Xbox's hard drive and Live functionality to allow you to download dozens of new songs and begin mastering them immediately. Each pack of songs costs about $5, or you can obtain them all in one download for $80. These aren't crappy songs either, as you'll find big hits such as Rock and Roll All Night and Every Step You Take as part of the downloadable packets. So if you're willing to spend a few bucks here and there on songs in your favorite music genre, you can keep singing with Karaoke Revolution Party as long as you'd like. When I originally saw the Xbox live option, I was hoping that Konami had finally given us gamers the ability to match vocal skills with players around the world, much like they had in DDR Extreme 2. It turns out that Live is only used to purchase and download new content and while this is definitely a nice feature, the game's replay value would have been increased with the inclusion of some competitive karaoke competition.

Karaoke Revolution Party finally allows us gamers to live out our American Idol dreams without having to answer to Simon Cowell at the end of our performance. The gameplay is very solid and the game easily measured my pitch regardless of whether I was using one of my headsets or the standalone microphone. Integration with the DDR dance pad and downloadable content extends the replay value, but eventually you'll find that singing with the same songs over and over can get boring. Online competitions would have helped to remedy this problem, however it seems that we'll have to wait until Konami's next Karaoke Revolution title to experience that. So, if you're a big fan of karaoke and too shy head out and perform in front of a live audience, or if you're just looking for the chance to practice a bit during your night off, Karaoke Revolution Party is absolutely worth checking out.

Reviewed by Zach Lark for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).