Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 [X360]

Yeah; I can't believe I'm reviewing this game either. Less than a year ago -- less than ten months ago -- I reviewed Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore and here I am in the same calendar year reviewing its sequel, Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2. You might be wondering how Blitz Games and Konami could possibly pump out another game so quickly, and the answer is deceptively simple: they changed next to nothing and ignored the problems people had with the original title.

Sigh. I really don't know where to begin. This is nearly the exact same game I reviewed in February except 40 new crappy cover songs have been brought in to replace the last 40 crappy covers that were in the first title, three new venues have been added, and the new Karaoke mode allows you to sing without scores. Beyond those changes, we're dealing with a basic rehash. Just like before, you'll pick a song and take it into one of a handful of modes, but the gist is that you'll need to recite the lyrics as they scroll by the bottom of the screen while you sing on key and in time to get the on-screen arrow to cover the pitch and timing bars. Pick an American Idol mode over a straight singing session, and your performance will be critiqued by Randy, Paula, and Simon.

Judge this video.If you bought the original KRPAIE, this sequel will be a slap in the face from the start because the menus are nearly the exact same. As you delve further into the title, you'll find the same singing venues with slight variations and the ridiculous fact that Randy and Paula are in the same outfits as the original game, but everything else is a carbon copy. The character customization tools are still extremely limited and don't give you a chance to really create anything resembling you (sorry, fatties like me, you can't change body types), your character still doesn't react when you begin sucking at singing, and the animations for the judges still look like they were recorded by broken robots from Disney World. Plus, the crowd looks more barren this time around.

Now, I know that releasing sequels with minor tweaks is common practice in this industry so you might be wondering why I'm making such a stink. The answer is that Konami and Blitz have not changed enough for you to feel justified in forking over an additional $50. Why not put out a cheaper track pack like folks do for Rock Band? Why insist on only selling the game bundled with a microphone? PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners are getting this same experience but can download new content; Wii owners are forced to buy these bundles to get new songs.

With my anger over the fact that nothing has really changed in this game out of the way, I'm happy to tell you first-time KRPAIE players that you can do better than this game. Like I said in my last review, this title is a letdown on multiple fronts. The options for editing a character are extremely limited, there is still no online play, and -- my biggest gripe -- this doesn't feel like I'm on American Idol. There's no Ryan Seacrest; when people are cut, their names are just put on screen without any kind of cutscene or drama; and when you win the competition, you're just given a lame screen. However, you can set up four- to 18-round American Idol tournaments and sing duets with a second mic.

KRPAIE 2 Songs
867-5309/Jenny	Apologize
Big Girls Don't Cry	Don't Know Much
Don't Stop Till You Get Enough	Enjoy The Silence
Eye Of The Tiger	Hey There Delilah
I'm Every Woman	I'm Like A Bird
If It Makes You Happy	Imagine
Islands In The Stream	Just The Two Of Us
Life Is A Highway	Livin' On A Prayer
Dance Like There's No Tomorrow	Losing My Religion
Maggie May	Maneater
Mr. Brightside	My Happy Ending
Over My Head (Cable Car)	Paint It Black
Pinball Wizard	Rocket Man
Seven Nation Army	Since U Been Gone
Speed Of Sound	Stayin' Alive
Take Me Out	That's The Way I Like It
The Sweet Escape	Vacation
Wannabe	Who Knew
Y.M.C.A.	Crazy In Love
It's Not Over	Wait For You

Closing Comments
Although I've stated several times that not much is different in Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2, that's not entirely true. See, when the game came out on Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 2 in February, all of those versions were the same disappointing experience except for the PS2 entry, which let you put your face on a character and had a bunch of other nifty doodads. Rather than take these cool PS2 features to the other consoles for this sequel, Konami and Blitz made the only major change to this iteration of the title and dropped the PS2 SKU altogether.

Seriously, KRPAIE 2 is nothing special on the Wii. If you didn't pick up the first iteration, you might as well grab that one used because it'll be cheaper and essentially the same experience as this one. If you already grabbed the first release, you should only pick this one up if you feel like having the same exact experience with 40 new songs. Sure, the singing works in KRPAIE 2, it can be fun with friends, and there's nothing broken in the game, but overall, this is a phoned-in attempt to have something new in stores for Black Friday.

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