| VGLN.com
PS2 >> Reviews
>> article
American Idol
by Jolex Del Pilar
Tuesday, November 18 2003
While the official game attempts to bring fans deeper into the show, it may be a bit too shallow for most.
 |
|
|
Title:
American Idol
|
Platform:
PS2
|
Publisher:
Codemasters |
Developer:
Hothouse Creations |
#
of Players: 1 - 4 |
Genre:
Party/Puzzle
|
Origin:
United States
|
Expected
Release:
November 2003 |
Grapevine:
What pains us about this game most is that a lot of potential in terms of creativity and interactivity was wasted considering the license. |
For the past 2 years, American Idol has ruled FOX's winter quarter programming. The show which pits have-nots and potential superstars against each other in the pursuit of a lucrative recording contract has a certain charm in it, as viewers almost become sucked into the individual struggles of the contestants, and in many ways have a direct say in whether each contestant will advance into the next round or go home crying, succeed or fail. American Idol is reality TV at its best, or worst, depending on your opinion of the new sub-genre of television programming.
Codemasters, not surprisingly, has decided to bring us a video game based on the FOX show. For the Idol fan in you, there's everything in the game that you could possibly ask for. The gameplay consist of you creating your own potential singing diva picking things from the contestant's gender, outfits, and even singing voice. Over the course of 3 elimination rounds, and the final 10 weeding out process, you will eventually either become the American Idol or a poster child for the negative effects of broken dreams and alcohol abuse. Well maybe not the latter.
The gameplay mimics games like Dance Dance Revolution, and BeatMania, both Konami arcade hits. A transparent cross appears on the screen while your idol is singing, and symbols move toward the center of the cross. The symbol which consist of either a square, circle, triangle, or X mimic the buttons on the Playstation 2 controller. Once a symbol reaches the center of the cross, you must press the corresponding button on the controller. The more precise you are in pressing the button when the symbol reacher the center of the cross, the better the "note" your potential idol will sing. It's a fairly easy, and even intuitive system. However, the gameplay itself is a tad disappointing when compared to the possibilities Codemaster's had with such a lucrative license. Recently, Konami released Karaoke Revolution (review upcoming) for the PS2. For those not familiar with that games mechanics, it's fairly simple. The game, which comes with an included USB microphone, challenges players to actually sing songs to the best of their ability. They are rated by the computer on their ability to both attain, hold, and execute pitch, and notes. While the system is fairly loose, it's still a lot more interactive in terms of playability than American Idol, and a lot more fun. This is what I had originally envisioned the American Idol game to be, and with the huge license, there is no doubt that this game would've outsold Konami's effort by leaps and bounds. As it is, the American Idol game remains a variation of Konami's other games, namely DDR, and BeatMania. While you can use a DDR pad with American Idol, I fathom that most won't even try given the simplicity of the patterns in which button symbols appear.
On the bright side, if it's the American Idol experience you're looking for, Codemaster's effort gets a big plus for presentation. All the key personalities have provided their voice talents to the game including host Ryan Seacrest, and the judges, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Mr. Simon Cowell himself. During the judging section of the competition, each will chime in with their trademark wit or lack thereof. Simon, although not nearly quite as lashing as he is on the FOX show, is still fairly critical when you perform poorly. In contrast, Paula Abdul tends to judge performances in a brighter light regardless of how you perform. The visual look is distinctly cel-shaded, and for the most part, I didn't have a problem with it, though the characters in the game tend to have huge noggins in proportion to their bodies.
American Idol as a show is a mixture of Star Search and reality TV rolled into one, and it ended up being quite a success. American Idol the game is a mix of Konami's BeatMania/DDR and a lucrative license, and it ends up being a bit shallower than it needed to be. Though the young ones will probably dig the simple gameplay, and lack of interactivity, most others will probably skip this one and pick up a copy of Konami's Karaoke Revolution.
--- Jolex Del Pilar
|
