SingStar Ultimate Party is karaoke gold at its best

SingStar made its grand debut exactly ten years ago for the PS2 and it took the world by storm. SingStar Ultimate Party is more of the same thing, but now you don't need to spend extra money on microphones.

Back in the PS2 days, the only way you had to play SingStar was to use the console's unique microphones. The microphones were not too expensive, although the SingStar bundles back then were priced higher than the average game.

SingStar Ultimate Party's best feature is that you can now use your own smartphone or tablet as a microphone. All you have to do is download the SingStar app and your device will work as a microphone for the game.

The SingStar app worked perfectly on my tablet. The app itself is only 3MB and it was able to work with SingStar Ultimate Party without any issues. My tablet was able to pick up my voice just like a normal microphone would.

Bear in mind for it to work, both your smartphone/tablet and PS4/PS3 console have to be connected to the same WiFi network. It won't work if your handheld device is connected to a mobile network. Be sure to connect your device to your home WiFi first before you start playing the game.

SingStar Ultimate Party is exactly how you remember it back in the PS2 glory days. You pick a song and sing to your heart's content. The game critiques your performance and scores how well you did. The fact that the game rates how well you sing is the biggest selling point of the SingStar series. It's unlike normal karaoke where you just sing and that's the end of it.

The only thing I have noticed that has changed in SingStar Ultimate Party is its scoring system. The last time I played a SingStar game, the maximum score you can get was 10,000 points. In SingStar Ultimate Party however, they increased the maximum score to a random 3 million points.

3 million points seems weird to use as a scoring scale, but the overall gameplay remains as addictive as ever. All you need to do is sing and see how well you have done at the end of it.

If you have a PlayStation Camera, you can also see yourself singing as the game will record around 30 seconds of your performance. The game will also take pictures of you while you are singing too. If you are brave enough, you can even upload your performances online for your friends or even the whole SingStar community to see.

The social media aspect of SingStar Ultimate Party is pretty cool as you can see others from around the world sing. Some performances are bad yet funny, while other performances are actually pretty good.

In terms of song selection in SingStar Ultimate Party, the game caters for a younger audience. The majority of the 30 songs include that are included on the disc itself are from the years of 2010 - 2014.

Some of the songs selected are the same ones seen from Just Dance 2015. Those songs include "Let it Go" from Demi Lovato, "Burn" from Ellie Goulding and "Happy" from Pharrell Williams. The only Kiwi artist that made the list is Lorde with the song "Royals".

If you are an older music fan, you will have to pay for DLC that includes a back catalogue of previous SingStar songs. DLC costs $2.25 per song. It is a bit pricey since most songs from the '70, '80s and '90s are only available as DLC.

Overall, SingStar Ultimate Party is still the best karaoke video games on the market. It may not have changed much since the PS2 days, but it doesn't need to evolve as its always been fun the way it has been. The smartphone/tablet integration is by far the best feature of the entire game. You don't need to purchase extra microphones anymore.

The only downside to the game is down to the song list preference. The 30 songs included on the disc will not appeal to older fans. Older fans will have to pay for older songs to sing along to. Other than that, SingStar Ultimate Party is karaoke at its finest.

Verdict: 8.0/10

Check below the tracklist for SingStar Ultimate Party:

5 Seconds of Summer – She Looks So PerfectAvicii – Hey BrotherBridgit Mendler – Ready Or NotCarly Rae Jepsen – Call Me MaybeClean Bandit Feat. Jess Glynne – Rather BeColdplay – MagicDemi Lovato – Let It GoDisclosure Feat. AlunaGeorge – White NoiseEd Sheeran – Lego HouseEllie Goulding – BurnIcona Pop Feat. Charli XCX – I Love ItJohn Newman – Love Me AgainKylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out Of My HeadLady Gaga – Born This WayLionel Richie – HelloLorde – RoyalsNaughty Boy Feat. Sam Smith – La La LaOlly Murs – Dear Darlin’One Direction – Best Song EverOne Republic – Counting StarsP!nk Feat. Nate Ruess – Just Give Me A ReasonParamore – Still Into YouPet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield – What Have I Done To Deserve This?Pharrell Williams – HappyPlan B – She SaidSelena Gomez – Come And Get ItSwedish House Mafia Feat. John Martin – Don’t You Worry ChildThe Lumineers – Ho HeyTLC – No ScrubsTrain – Drive By