Five years since Sony brought the sensation of crooning along to well-known cheesy tunes out of seedy downtown bars and into the comfort of the living room, karaoke games are still going strong.
Disney has generations of experience with this particular audience and, as a result, its own catalogue of karaoke games has performed well at retail over the last few years. To date, the Disney Sing It! franchise has focused on tunes from the company’s High School Musical, Camp Rock and Hannah Montana properties, but now it is veering into more mainstream territory.
Among the 30 or so songs available to choose from in new game Sing It! Pop Hits players will instantly recognise the likes of Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Colbie Caillat and Jesse McCartney. These chart-topping hits have been handpicked to appeal to teens and tweens, even if they’re not familiar with the Disney Sing It! series or other musical Disney properties.
However, there is also a selection of Disney-managed talent within the setlist as well, enticing buyers of previous Sing It! titles. Fans can croon to songs by familiar stars such as Miley Cyrus and her blonde alter-ego Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers and Camp Rock’s Demi Lovato.
As with previous entries in the series, Pop Hits offers gamers a range of different modes designed for both single and multiplayer sessions. In addition to the standard solo, duet and head-to-head options, the game features modes that make it stand out from other titles in the genre.
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Most notably, the Sing It Pro mode doesn’t force players to rely on their natural talent but actually coaches them on how to become better performers. Disney Channel star Tiffany Thornton appears as their teacher, taking gamers through a series of vocal exercises.
These cover everything from the basics of pitch and breathing to advanced concepts such as harmonising. By completing these lessons, wannabe singers will learn to achieve higher scores in the main game, improving their chances of unlocking new content and other special rewards.
Also of interest is the Sing It Encore mode, which allows players to record and play back their performances, adding special effects to make them sound like a professionally produced song.
As with Toy Story Mania, Disney Sing It!: Pop Hits will be promoted as part of the publisher’s Christmas line-up through a combination of print and online advertising, TV campaigns and celebrity endorsements.
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