While Nintendos next entry in the console market the curiously-named Wii, due later this year is chasing non-gamers by offering intuitive, gloriously simple titles that appeal to an audience who cant be arsed learning the million-or-so combos in Tekken or Gran Turismos complex controls, Sonys SingStar series has already charmed thousands of casual players with its straightforward, hysterical karaoke action. But while Anthems offers more of the same, this time it simply isnt enough.
While the rock and pop editions of SingStar at least adopted a recognisable theme, the track listing in Anthems is a bewildering mixture. And while Queens Radio Ga Ga and Bonnie Tylers Total Eclipse Of The Heart are sure to have gamers of a certain age punching the air in glee, its hard to imagine a festival crowd holding their lighters aloft to Steps Deeper Shade of Blue, the Pussycat Dolls Dont Cha or Charlotte Churchs Crazy Chick.
Worst of all, though, while previous SingStars featured 30 tracks to croon along to, Anthems has cruelly slashed the number to 20. For sheer, unadulterated fun, SingStar is still hard to beat but if youre a fan of the series, twenty quid for a standalone disc seems like a rip-off.