LIPS (Xbox 360) Review

Posted by Ty Huston on 02.01.2009

Microsoft takes another leap into the latest fad - the music game. But is LIPS a music game or a party game? Watching the trailers can be confusing. Click here as I break down what this game is all about.




Title: LIPS
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: iNiS
Genre: Music
Players: 1-2


And first, on a personal note …

Wow, it has been a while since you all last heard from me. My last post here at 411mania was about two months ago. Thanks to our nation’s current economic climate, I was laid off by my employer four days after I posted my Fable 2 review. It also happened to be my wife’s birthday. Since then, life has been in a bit of a state of turmoil. I am now collecting unemployment while searching for a new job and the government pays me generously; just short of a third of what I was making while still gainfully employed. Three weeks ago we gave my wife’s SUV back to the financing company because we can’t make the payments anymore. We’re filing for bankruptcy. Times are tough. Fortunately, not all is lost. I’ve taken the opportunity to take steps towards changing career paths, something I’ve wanted to do for years now. I’ve enrolled in college, taking the steps from estimating construction projects to becoming a teacher. It’s always been a dream of mine to become a teacher and now I am finally getting the opportunity to pursue it. I just wanted to say thanks to Ramon and the rest of the 411Games crew for sticking with me through this rough patch. You guys rock.


And now, on the with show …

LIPS is the latest in a handful of games that Microsoft has put out in recent years trying to exploit the newest trends. They tried it with SceneIt! and You’re in the Movies and both of those games were truly forgettable. LIPS, on the other hand, is their venture into the karaoke genre which games such as Karaoke Revolution and SingStar have been dominating, primarily on the Playstation systems.

The game definitely has a strange name. The slogan to go with it has been “You can’t sing if you don’t have LIPS.” That helps make the choice of name a little more logical, but not any less awkward.

Developed by iNiS, famous for creating the awesome Elite Beat Agents, this is a game that is a mix between a karaoke game and a party game. Unlike the Karaoke Revolution games where obtaining the highest score is the ultimate goal to showing up your friends, this game is based entirely on just singing and having fun and the more people the better.



This chick’s voice has me begging for mercy.


Gameplay

This game is a piece of cake to manage. The basic set up, is that you have two wireless microphones for two singers at a time. There is always one primary singer for any song, but at any time a second person can shake the second microphone and jump in. While they do provide lines to follow for pitch to coincide with the lyrics crossing the screen, having perfect pitch will not necessarily help nor the lack of it hinder your progress in singing the song. Unlike the Karaoke Revolution games where if you sang like crap you’d get booed off the stage and “lose” the round, you don’t have to worry about that here.

The game itself comes equipped with forty songs to choose from. The list is actually quite good and covers most of the bases of songs that people would like to sing. Rock, hip hop, country, and pop are all represented. Here is the list:

“Take on Me” by A-ha
“No One” by Alicia Keys
“Potential Break Up Song” by Aly & AJ
“Complicated” by Avril Lavinge
“Stand by Me” by Ben E. King
“Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé
“Call Me” by Blondie
“With You” by Chris Brown
“Yellow” by Coldplay
“Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode
“Survivor” be Destiny’s Child
“White Flag” by Dido
“Mercy” by Duffy
“Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver
“Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash
“Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis
“Lip Gloss” by Lil’ Mama
“Superstar” by Lupe Fiasco (feat. Matthew Santos)
“Makes Me Wonder” by Maroon 5
“In Bloom” by Nirvana
“Young Folks” by Peter, Bjorn and John
“Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen
“The One I Love” by R.E.M.
“Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead
“I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Ramones
“Stand” by Rascal Flatts
“Umbrella” by Rihanna
“Listen to Your Heart” by Roxette
“Love Song” by Sara Bareilles
“Soak Up The Sun” by Sheryl Crow
“I’m Only Me When I’m With You” by Taylor Swift
“Walk Like an Egyptian” by The Bangles
“Over My Head (Cable Car)” by The Fray
“ABC” by The Jackson 5
“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police
“Love in a Trashcan” by The Raveonettes
“Ladies Love Country Boys” by Trace Adkins
“Island in the Sun” by Weezer
“Bust a Move” by Young MC

From that primary list, most people could find at least two or three songs they know well enough to sing. Unlike most music games these days, however, LIPS is lacking when it comes to single player depth and online capability. While the game functions quite nicely as a karaoke machine for songs which come with the game or can be purchased and downloaded through Xbox Live, where you get the official music video for the song in the background while you sing, it also lacks in the department of single player progression. You get points for singing well and it moves you up a ladder of achievements, but I haven’t found any bonus songs or features that are unlocked through this. Also, the game does feature songs which are too old to have an “official” music video and so these songs have videos created by the developer which are quite corny.

If you don’t want to sing along, you can tap the secondary microphone to make a clapping noise or as a virtual tambourine. The Xbox 360 controller can also be used to make musical sounds to add in while someone is performing, however both features are quite poorly implemented because the wireless capability of the microphones and controller also limit its reaction time and most often these rhythm sounds end up being delayed and off-beat. It also takes some training to exactly follow the cues on the screen for singing because there is a delay related to that as well.

Also unlike the Karaoke Revolution series, you don’t create your own character for the purpose of the game. You simply sing in front of a video with lyrics, just like you would at any regular karaoke bar. Where SingStar has the ability to create custom videos, LIPS does not. The My LIPS section of the game is basically just a place to keep track of your own score, see what songs you sing the most and challenge other people to beat your score. But, as I said before, there is no true online capability with the game. That means no online multiplayer.

One thing that is awesome about the game is the ability to upload your own songs for play through the game. Whether you’re pulling the songs from your PC’s hard drive or your friend’s IPod thanks to the Xbox 360’s USB ports, you can sing along with these songs on Lips with the two very stylish, light-up microphones which come with the bundle. Unfortunately for these songs, you get no official videos or lyrics, but to implement that ability would be far too much to expect.




Peter, Bjorn and John? Who the hell picked this song?


Graphics

The menus are crisp, bright and clear and easy to function through. The words are clearly legible on the screen and cues are simple to follow. The addition of official music videos for songs is a definite plus. Beyond that, there is really nothing else to say for this game because it doesn’t have rendered characters or scenes.


Sound

One thing that Microsoft did right with this game was provide the original songs by the original artists. There are zero covers here. I feel that they made a solid effort for the most part in their choices, but looking at the overall song list it really makes me wonder about a few of the song choices. The Raveonettes? I don’t think they were a good choice. John Denver? A bit out of place on this list, and I won’t say the same for Johnny Cash simply because of the resurgence of popularity his music has seen since the release of Walk The Line. Other songs you don’t question the artist, but the song itself. Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees?” Radiohead has much better songs they could have chosen from. Then there are songs that you shake your head at because they’ve already been in other karaoke games. Avril Lavinge’s “Complicated”? The Jackson 5’s “ABC”? Granted, this is Microsoft’s first foray into the karaoke game genre; therefore they don’t have games already featuring these songs. My problem with it, is that when you make a game like this, you are looking for sales from a certain demographic. That demographic likely already owns the Karaoke Revolution and/or SingStar games. This is the kind of garbage you get when buying and 80s compilation album. Two songs you really want and ten songs you already have. In my opinion it is lazy research and they were just added for filler because nobody could think of anything better to add.




This is more like it.


Lasting Appeal

Music games have a decent lasting appeal in this day and age. With the invent of downloadable content, these games can be stretched out for quite some time and already Microsoft has begun releasing new songs for LIPS, including some stylish classics like “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers. The other thing you have to consider with a game like this is its ability as a party game. Stick this baby in for a night of drunken rowdiness with your twenty best friends and a good time is sure to be had.


Fun Factor

Having spent a month playing the game with my wife and kids, we’ve had a blast. I expected more from the game, but for what it gives you it is a lot of fun. Singing duets to songs is an enjoyable time with family and friends and watching my ten year old daughter reach “Super Nova” status while rapping to Lil’ Mama’s “Lip Gloss” makes a daddy proud.


The 411

While it’s not your typical karaoke or party game, LIPS offers something that other games don’t – a more genuine karaoke experience. Anyone who has actually sung karaoke before would recognize the game as being very familiar in that regard. The features it does have are nice, but not quite on par with what this generation of games has to offer, specifically online multiplayer. The ability to play music from your own library is also a nice feature, although it does not include lyrics or video. It also lacks the ability to use the Xbox Vision Camera to make videos like the SingStar series. LIPS is a mixed bag, but by far it is not a bad game. It’s a decent game that is missing some of the key components that other games in this genre have.

Graphics	7.0	Stylish presentation and easy menus. Honestly, that is all it really needs. I did take into consideration the game's lack of recognition for the Xbox Vision Camera though.
Gameplay	8.0	For what it does, it does it well - mostly. The delay with the wireless microphones and controller hurt this a lot.
Sound	10.0	Quality sound, original songs by original artists. That is all that a game like this needs.
Lasting Appeal	5.0	As I said, most people will sing 2 or 3 songs from the original list. DLC will determine whether this game lives or dies.
Fun Factor	8.0	Overall the game is a lot of fun, especially the multiplayer. The problem? No online multiplayer, and that's why it has the score it has.
Overall	7.0   [ Good ]

Screenshots
All 9 Lips Screenshots