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Lips is a 2008 karaoke video game developed by iNiS and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The game features the use of motion-sensitive wireless microphones and supports the use of songs already owned through a Zune or iPod.[1][2][3] Lips has spawned three sequels: Lips: Number One Hits, Lips: Party Classics, and Lips: I Love the 80's. Localized versions of the game and its sequels have been released in several countries, including Spanish and German.

In summer 2009, it was announced that the Lips' microphones would be compatible with Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: Metallica through a patch.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Lips is similar to the gameplay of SingStar and Karaoke Revolution. In addition to supporting single-player, the game allows two players to sing duets or play competitively in various multiplayer modes, including "Time Bomb", "Kiss", and "Vocal Fighters". Unlike most other music games, players cannot fail a song simply because they sing poorly (or even if they don't sing at all).[4] The game does not have a difficulty setting but rewards players for their singing in six categories, including rhythm, pitch, and vibrato.[5]

Players can connect a digital music player (such as an iPod or Zune) or use a flash drive to sing along to their own music. The game will perform vocal reduction and score players based on the included songs, except that it will not display song lyrics.[3] Players can also connect their Xbox 360 to a computer running a compatible media sharing service, such as Windows Media Connect 2.0, Windows Media Center, Zune PC software with sharing, or PVConnect to access their own music from a network share within the game.

Lips is bundled with two motion-sensitive wireless microphones (one white, one black). A second player can seamlessly join in the currently playing song by picking up the microphone and shaking it.[3] The microphones can also be used to perform gestures dictated by the game, plus the standard game controllers can also be used to add overlays such as hand-claps and crowd noise.

In February 2009, Microsoft released a title update for Lips.[6] This patch addressed most of the issues with the game, namely, it introduced a new algorithm for voice recognition and vibrato pick-up, claiming that the game was "too easy" before, and the ability to synchronize the microphone timing, a cause of regular negative feedback. This update also introduced the use of global leaderboards to track high scores. Minor tweaks were also made to the user interface.

Additionally, following the April 2009 title update, song packs were also introduced for purchase, offering bundles of songs for a discounted price.[7]

As of October 2014, the store and server for Lips have been shut down.

Soundtrack

The Lips soundtrack is localized for each region where the game has been released. Most versions of the game contain 40 master tracks, most of which include the original music videos. The game also supports downloadable songs in all regions, some of which appear on-disc in other regions. Notable tracks in the game include: Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John, Take on Me by A-ha, and Bust a Move by Young MC[8].

In February 2009, it was announced that Lips would offer several song packs, starting with a Coldplay pack.[6] Other notable artists that have song packs available include Ne-Yo and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Reception

 Reception
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com B+[9]
Game Informer 7.5/10
GameSpot 6.5/10[5]
IGN 6.8/10[4]
Official Xbox Magazine 7.5/10
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
Game Rankings 72% (based on 33 reviews)[11]
Metacritic 71% (based on 40 reviews)[10]

Lips received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Reviewers praised the wireless microphones and multiplayer experience but criticized the single-player modes and the song import feature, with which many people had issues. In addition, the import feature does not support lyric downloads, but the game does attempt to reduce the real singer's voice volume while playing in this mode.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Luke Plunkett (2008-07-14). "Take A Look At iNiS' Lips". Kotaku. Retrieved on 2008-07-16.
  2. ↑ Tom Bramwell (2008-07-16). "INiS's Keiichi Yano quiet on Lips DLC pricing". Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2008-07-16.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Christopher Grant (2008-07-17). "Details on Lips: microphone, your songs, its songs". Joystiq. Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Lips review". IGN. Retrieved on 2008-11-22.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Lips review". GameSpot. Retrieved on 2008-11-22.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lips Title Update and Power Pack DLC Retrieved 2009-03-03
  7. ↑ ""Guitar Hero Metallica" and "Rock Band 2" Go Wireless with "Lips" Microphones". Xbox Press. Retrieved on 2000-04-03.
  8. ↑ "About Lips - Lips official site". Retrieved on 2008-11-22.
  9. ↑ "Lips Review". 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-22.
  10. ↑ "Lips reviews". MetaCritic. Retrieved on 2008-11-22.
  11. ↑ "Lips reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved on 2008-11-24.

External links