Lips

Looking rosy...

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'Community' is almost the first word on the lips of global product manager Glenn Gregory, as we sit down for a look at Microsoft's new Xbox 360 exclusive karaoke game at Leipzig.

The second word he almost says is 'microphone', and in a way this kind of sums up what Redmond want to do with Lips, and while I'm not paid per word (sadly), I'm still compelled to tell you a little more of what we've learnt on this game post-demonstration. For starters, the new wireless microphones that will accompany the game are just as funky as they look in the pictures, even if Gregory notes these are prototypes and that final production models may differ slightly.

We also learn that the microphones are motion sensitive, and that various motions will produce differing effects on a number of percussion instruments. Gregory shows off the tambourine, but we're promised other instruments too. Given the social motif, Microsoft will cleverly allow players who aren't singing to grab a second mic, or controller, and shake/tap along to the song being played; super-genki second players can also simply join in songs at any point by twirling the second mic, prompting their own lyric stream to commence on the screen. There's a lot of mass market thinking going into Lips, that's for sure.

Gregory also details to us the new way Lips will score musical performances, and while clear-rival SingStar goes unmentioned, its fairly obvious Microsoft are having a dig at that game's scoring system; noting that to hit top scores you'll actually have to sing the songs, lyrics and all, in Lips.

Vowel detection and rhythm will form the basis of the new scoring approach, and we're told that scores are likely to be more variable, the system rewarding singers with genuine technical ability. No, you can't just hum-along in-tune any more and hope to walk away with top-marks. That said, the system will also reward and aid novice singers; a sort-of two-tiered approach being at the heart of the developer's attempts to create a game aimed squarely at everyone.

Back to the microphones briefly and they really are a cut above the black plastic oddities offered alongside the PS3's current sing 'em up. Coloured lights sparkle in time to the music, and the thick-set mics should also produce better quality sound, possibly sparking a similarly 'bling' response from Sony.

Visually, Lips is a very user-friendly title sporting big, friendly menus and lashings of customisation options. Real videos accompany the bundled tracks, and the lyric stream is every bit as clear as SingStar's, although presentation is perhaps no better, it's fair to say. Gregory talks of a "robust" track list, with plenty of local content, while we spied Duffy and the Young MCs in the English version demonstrated (at one point Gregory actually regaled us with a rendition of 'Mercy', much to delight of the assembled few).

The other big feature with which Lips hopes to tempt SingStar fans is via the ability to import your own tracks from an MP3 player - such as the iPod or the Zune. Microsoft don't want to discuss this side of things too much yet, and are instead promising a few suprises on this front for nearer the game's release date. That said, copyright issues aside, we're intrigued as to how this mode will work, and also left wondering if we're really going to be allowed to sing-a-long to our own music collections. How will lyrics work? Can the scoring system accurately reflect these alien tracks? We're not sure... yet.

That said, we do know that a visualizer system will give imported tunes backing on-screen, Gregory noting some form of "interactive video" (perhaps using the Vision camera?); as well as optional generic videos.

Once again we're back to community, and while the product manager is once again unwilling to go into detail we are told of a full download system, as well as multiple social elements, enabling people to discuss music and the like. Avatar comptability won't be in Lips on day one, but Gregory does admit the developer are looking at ways of integrating the feature post-launch.

All in all, Lips is looking like a winner, although much will rest in the hands of the track-list and the inevitable response from Sony's market-leading SingStar series. Still, the glitzy microphones are enough to get us interested, as is the import function Microsoft are being so coy over. We're hoping for more big news on Lips later in 2008.

By Luke Guttridge