Review: Jason Round

Is your party looking more like a funeral than a fun-filled freak-out? Well, it’s a good thing Sony has released these ‘party starters’ just in time for Xmas.
Apart from making great stocking-fillers, each of these three titles also utilises alternative game controllers, ie. USB microphones, buzzers or EyeToy, which means maximum interaction for you and your mates. Let’s have a closer look at what’s on offer.

SINGSTAR LEGENDS

The Singstar line-up has really exploded of late, and what better way is there to kick off the festive season than desiccating 30 of the world’s biggest classics?
In fact, each song on this compilation had to meet a whole truck-load of ‘legend’ criteria, including sell-out tours, max airtime and multiple number-ones among other things.
Check out the track-list:

Aretha Franklin – Respect
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
David Bowie – Life On Mars?
Dusty Springfield – Son Of A Preacher Man
Elton John – Rocket Man
Elvis Presley – Blue Suede Shows
Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet)
Jimmy Barnes – No Second Prize
Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Man
John Farnham – You’re The Voice
John Lennon – Imagine
John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air
Johnny Cash – Ring Of Fire
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach
Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Pet Shop Boys – Always On My Mind
Sam Cooke – Wonderful World
Silverchair – Tomorrow
The Angels – No Secrets
The Easybeats – Friday On My Mind
The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back
The Monkees – Daydream Believer
The Police – Roxanne
The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody
Tina Turner – What’s Love Got To Do With It?
U2 – Vertigo
Whitney Houston – The Greatest Love Of All

Be careful if you play this one ’round the ladies, though, fellas, because it can go one of two ways. Either they swoon at your feet or take their own out the door. Aussie Idol? Eh, who needs it.

FINAL VERDICT: 4/5

BUZZ! THE SPORTS QUIZ

Buzz! is basically a game show where you utilise special game buzzers to select a correct answer. We found this sporty version much more enjoyable than the original trivia release, with tons of Aussie-centric facts to keep hardcore sportophiles coming back for more.
There are a whole collection of suspicious personas you can employ, though Pelvis the darts player seemed to the office favourite.
Video clips and plenty of pics prevent the game getting monotonous, though if sport isn’t your arena, you might be best to pass this one on by…

FINAL VERDICT: 3/5

EYETOY: PLAY SPORTS

Man did we look like pure uncos when we took up the EyeToy challenge. Losing all inhabitation, we batted, swung and drove our way down a one-way street to pure stupidity as the EyeToy broadcast it live for all the room to see.
There are some interesting ‘sports’ included in this mix, with elephant racing, dodgeball and pancake tossing all required some interesting ’80s ‘dancefloor gone wrong’-type moves.
It was, however, the diving competition that brought out the most wackiness, and we’ll let your imagination stew for a while over just what that might entail. If you’ve got energy, check it out.

All of these games are currently available from good retailers nation-wide. Games retail for $59.95 (except Singstar – $49.95) for the game only or $99.95 with ‘gadget’ (EyeToy, buzzers, microphones).