Karaoke games were big last generation, but just like many other music franchises, there aren’t that many karaoke games on the current console generation. Where Singstar and Lips were the two big players on the market, we haven’t seen any new games in those franchises. Ubisoft tries to fill in this void by bringing Just Sing on the market, created by the same developers that brought us the Lips franchise in the past.

Just Sing

Just Sing wants to do what Just Dance does for dancing games, putting you in the spotlight. This also comes with some drastic decisions. Unlike other karaoke games, you won’t see a background or even a music video of the song; instead, you’ll be able to record your own face using the camera of your mobile device. That’s right, you’re really the star in Just Sing. Your mobile device is used as microphone and camera at the same time using a ‘Just Sing’ app you can get for free. The technology is rather amazing and on paper, it could result in nights like these:

Too bad not everybody is that happy or high to create this type of party. In my experience, pointing the camera on yourself isn’t a very smart idea. As if singing wasn’t embarrassing enough. It doesn’t only feel incredibly awkward, the camera angle isn’t helping, remember those ugly chin-first selfies? Well, imagine seeing that on your television the entire time. Even the Snapchat-esque filters and background can’t solve these kinds of problems. During my sessions, I quickly switched off the camera and was left with a black screen and some lyrics, just like those cheaper karaoke machines you’ll find in stores.

Time to sing

A karaoke game won’t be a karaoke game without the actual songs right, Just Sing has a great library of playable songs and the best part about it is that you don’t need additional money to buy new songs. Unlike other modern karaoke games, Jus Sing comes packed with modern hits and classics to go crazy with. The library is rather impressive and it’s great to see that the developers really invested some time in creating a library that everybody can appreciate, there’s something for everybody.

That brings us to the actual technique behind the game, since this is a product of the former ‘Lips’ team; you already know their technology is spot-on. Using the microphone of your camera, the game will measure how well you’re performing. You won’t gain many points if you don’t sing the words or miss the tone. The technology is perhaps the most impressive thing about the game since it’s very accurate and thanks to the small screen at the bottom of your television, you always know how you need to sing, which can come in handy.

Don’t want to feel this kind of pressure? No worries, you can switch off the microphone so you can create silly lip-syncing videos you can share with your friends on several social media platforms. It’s all about having fun and share it with your friends.

Invite some friends over

If you really want to enjoy this game, we strongly advise to bring over some friends. Up to four players can sing along and having this ready for a party can result in fun. Needless to say, seeing each other going all out on the television screen is hilarious but not everybody will be up for it. If you want to turn off the camera but don’t want to stare at a black screen, you can simply switch cameras on your device and start filming an innocent friend instead. Yes, the possibilities are endless.

Don’t get us wrong, we certainly think there’s some kind of fun to be found in games like these but it’s a shame the developers didn’t make it more appealing.

Conclusion 

Just Sing works well and the app certainly is an impressive piece of technology. Too bad the game itself is a little too light on presentation, forcing you to constantly record your own face and throw some filters on it. Some better backgrounds would have done wonders for the game since now it’s just a bit too awkward to enjoy. If you’re having over some of your friends and you want to go bananas, Just Sing might do the trick. If not, the game really doesn’t have that much to offer.

6/10