Pop Idol

Pop Idol Description

There's no denying the sheer brilliance of Pop Idol. After all, karaoke's always a load of fun but to do it on TV and with such a big budget? Genius. Well, somebody somewhere has had the bright idea of how to enlighten our lives with yet more Pop Idol joy, and it comes in the form of this latest rhythm/action title for the PlayStation 2. Pop Idol the game sees players create, style and train their own wannabe chart-topper, before competing through the auditions, heats and then finals of the hit TV show. Along the way, the show's trademark judges are on hand, offering nice and nasty comments, complete with a computer-generated version of high-trouser-wearing nemesis, Simon Cowell. The gameplay itself, in true Bemani-style, is based on rhythm and timing, with players controlling the voice of their respective hopefuls by matching the song's lyrics and beats with some well-timed button presses. Perform well and everything runs cushty, your aspiring star sings like an angel, parties like it's £19.99, and subsequently has the judges bobbing their heads, slapping their thighs and sending you through to the next round. But - and here's where the fun begins - lose it on the old button-bashing and it all starts to go a bit Pete Tong, the young hopeful's voice quivers and wanders out of tune, prompting a severe lashing from Mr Cowell. The game comes complete with 40 classic pop tunes, both old and new, including Let's Stay Together, C'est La Vie, As long As You Love Me, I Want it That Way, Twist and Shout, Baby One More Time, Oops I Did It Again, Back to You, Think Twice, Genie in a Bottle, Easy, I Can't Read You, If You're Not the One, Thank You, Save Tonight, Suspicious Minds, Escape, Fast Love, Waiting For Tonight, Crush, A Moment Like This, Spinning Around, Like A Virgin, Bye Bye Bye, All or Nothing, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, Angels, Let Me Entertain You, Where Do Broken Hearts Go, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Gotta Tell You, Every Day is a Winding Road, Kiss Me, 2 Become 1, Say You'll Be There, I'm a Believer, and Evergreen, to name but a few. Oh, actually that's all of them.