We Sing Encore for Wii | Game review

Wii; �29.99 (game only), �49.99 (with two mics); cert 12+, Nordic GamesWhen We Sing hit the shelves last year we dismissed it ? justifiably ? as not being able to hold a note to its rivals. Ho ho, see what we did there?Nintendo's first foray into the lucrative home karaoke market was a very basic package indeed. A handful of songs, no downloadable content, a very forgiving scoring system ? We Sing was, we suggested, one that would be played briefly over Christmas and stuck in a drawer by New Year.And now, to paraphrase Gloria Gaynor, it's back (and yes, that is on this disc). And it's undergone such a transformation that, instead of being eclipsed by the rival consoles' Lips and SingStar, it's threatening to leave them standing.The downside? There are still no downloadable songs so the 40 here ? up from last year's 30 ? are all you get. However, the songs featured cover a wide range of bases, from today's popular artistes like The Saturdays, N-Dubz, Florence & The Machine, to the sort of crowdpleasers ? Three Lions, I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), I'm Too Sexy ? that were notable by their absence first time out.All ages are covered, there are serious challenges for those eager to show off ? Total Eclipse of the Heart, perhaps, or Mika's only-dogs-can-hear-the-chorus Grace Kelly ? and, for those who care about such things, all the wallpapers and background music can be customised. There's also a four-player mode, which gives the game a distinct edge over other similar titles.That, however, is only scratching the surface. Modes include Group Battle, Pass The Mic, Party and Marathon, all of which pretty much do what they say on the tin. However, you can now rap and score points, should you want to. You can remove the original vocals and fly completely solo. You can set it up to act as a video jukebox (most of the songs feature the original videos). You can even replay your performance but, having tried that, I really wouldn't recommend it. Not in company, anyway.Best of all there are two additions that are so brilliantly obvious you wonder why it's taken this long to add them. Blind mode drops out lyrics at certain points in the song and expects you to fill in the gaps, in time and in tune. It's deceptively difficult, even on songs you would have sworn you could recite backwards. Finally, there are also 30 "singing lessons". These are set up as mini-games, but act as both instruction to maximise the enjoyment of the game and, remarkably, boost your general vocal skills.Not so much a sequel as a complete reboot, We Sing Encore is a massive improvement. With downloadable content to extend the fun this would probably be the best of its ilk.Rating: 4/5GamesWiiNintendoNeil Daveyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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