Review: SingStar Queen

I must admit I did a little dance of joy upon receiving my copy of SingStar Queen in the mail yesterday. Of the many music games coming out this year, only one other has equaled the amount of excitement I have for SingStar Queen and that is Beatles: Rock Band. I immediately popped in the game and sang my little heart out all alone in my living room, which was a good thing because I wasn't exactly in my best voice.

SingStar Queen for the PS3 features twenty-five songs (twenty on the PS2) from the band who brought us such enduring classics as Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You. Of course, we can't mention Queen here on GayGamer without talking about the fabulousness that was, and is, Freddie Mercury. He was out and proud on the top ten when others in his position were still hiding in the closet. The game includes all the videos that go along with the songs including the extremely edgy (for the time) I Want To Break Free which features the entire band in drag with Mercury sporting a bouffant hairdo, pink sleeveless blouse, mini skirt and his trademark "clone mustache." (see video above)

Singing Queen songs is significantly more difficult than it might seem at first. Mercury had a range and style that are quite hard to master, but that shouldn't stop you from trying. Just be aware that you don't need to match Mercury's stratospheric high notes since SingStar doesn't mind if you sing the song in your own key as long as your tonality is on target.

What's truly significant about SingStar Queen besides the amazing song list, is the introduction of a new voice control system. You can now control almost all of the games functions by speaking in to the microphone, eliminating the need to grab the controller between each song. You can choose a new song, navigate the song list, search for songs by artist, genre and album, all by just speaking into the microphone. It's an absolutely brilliant addition to the game and streamlines the whole SingStar experience beautifully.

If you haven't yet dipped your toe in the SingStar pool, this is a terrific place to start. If you're already into SingStar, this edition is an absolute must have for your collection. Between this and SingStar ABBA, there should be enough songs to throw the biggest, gayest, most awesome karaoke party on the planet. In fact, I plan to do just that this weekend as soon as I'm sure I can hit all the high notes.

(You can check out the set list after the jump)

10 out of 10