We Sing: UK Hits Review

As the party game genre continues to grow and grow, we are now at the stage where games in the category appear at many a shindig, either as party starter or nightcap. We Sing tries to take the mantle as number one star on the Wii with its newest addition, We Sing: UK Hits. The We Sing series in the past has suffered from being a very average game presented in a way that lacks star quality. Hopefully We Sing: UK Hits will be an improvement on previous iterations and help cement the We Sing series as the chart topping superstar it aims to be!

As you begin We Sing: UK Hits, you realise that there is a good variety of songs available including Chasing Pavements (Adele), She Said (Plan B), Girls & Boys (Blur), Kickstarts (Example) along with such party classics like Creep (Radiohead) and Candle in the Wind (Elton John)?!? Arguably some songs are better for parties than others, but it is a positive to have such a variable range of tunes playable. Unfortunately, some of the videos played in the background whilst the songs are on don’t seem to run in conjunction with the words on screen. This can become very annoying as you watch the artists mouthing away at different speed to your own lyrics.

There’s a range of modes to play, such as We Sing, which is where two or more players can sing together as a particular artist or different parts of the song. Versus is a straight head-to-head showdown, while Group Battle is the same as Versus but you play in groups. In First to X, the first player to reach a designated points total wins, and in Pass the Mic each player is passed the microphone. Blind has you battling against other players, but this time the lyrics & sounds randomly disappear, while Marathon allows you sing a specific playlist of songs and, finally, Expert tests you by presenting no on screen pitch bars and no on screen lyrics.

Arguably the best mode is Blind, because it can be quite entertaining to see someone attempt to sing as the lyrics/sound disappears! You can play songs all the way through or play a short version, although it’s a shame you can’t choose to sing particular parts of a song. There is also the standard mode where you learn how to sing, and thankfully it caters for both players with high and deep pitches.

Graphically, We Sing: UK Hits tries to add a few novel UK touches such as having crown jewels on screen. However, the whole package is averagely presented and it wouldn’t make a Top 40 of best videogame visuals. The videos are what they should be, but the pitch bars are fairly dull looking. The onscreen content is basic; there are no explosions or bright colours when you sing well. At least the lyrics are large enough to be clearly read, although the timing bar can be a little off at times. The songs sound fine, whilst your voice can be clearly heard, although, at some points, it comes across as a slightly metallic sound to the ears.

We Sing: UK Hits states it has ‘anti-cheating’ technology, i.e. you can’t just make a noise to do well, you need to be in the right pitch. It seems to work at a fundamental level, but bad singers do seem to do better than they should more often that not. As a single player game, We Sing: UK Hits is not one to recommend, but it’s in group scenarios that We Sing: UK Hits is at its best. There are awards to unlock when you do well, but these are only novel features seen a thousand times in better games. We Sing: UK Hits is not going to change the mindset of gamers who don’t enjoy casual games but it will appeal to the party crowd.

We Sing: UK Hits is an average game that doesn’t quite have the X Factor. That being said, it is the best of its kind on the Wii. The novelty ‘UK’ brand rubs off very quickly and you are left with a title that offers nothing new and is happy to be that mediocre karaoke singer you see on a Wednesday night down your local. We Sing: UK Hits has enough about itself to keep ahead of the competition and if you haven’t got the Xbox 360 or PS3 equivalent available then it can add to a party atmosphere. However, be wary that We Sing: UK Hits is a very average game that is averagely presented and, as such, the experience is an average one. If you were going to compare it to the Top 40 music chart, then We Sing: UK Hits is very like an old indie band releasing mediocre hits that are still being bought by an avid but limited fan base.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Nintendo Wii code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.