Sing It Again and Again With Disney

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It's common enough to be shouting on the floor of E3, since there is a constant din around you. Crowds moving, conversations all around you, and blasting music from booths or large-screen installations probably put the noise level during the show somewhere in the 80db+ range. So the shouting is a byproduct, if you want to talk with anyone. Singing is not so common, but that's exactly what I was doing during the Disney Interactive booth tour last week. If you don't feel compelled to sing along with at least one of Disney's new music titles, check your pulse. The appeal for kids and grown-up children is just too great to resist, and the games looked to be coming along nicely in preparation for a launch this summer.

Disney Sing It Family Hits and Disney Sing It Party Hits share the same karaoke DNA, but also have huge entertainment value if you enjoy these characters. We use the term characters most appropriately for the Disney Sing It Family Hits release, since it comes with songs from classic animated features like The Princess and the Frog, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King. There are songs from 20 films included in this game, so fans of both the old and new Disney will have something to sing about. I rocked a duet with one of the friendly Disney staffers during the show, singing "The Bear Necessities" from The Jungle Book. If you've played any of the games in the Disney Sing It series, or other sing-along games on other platforms, you'll know what to expect. Follow the on-screen lyrics and try to stay in rhythm, and on pitch. If you have more than two people in the room, you'll find that the non-singers will enjoy watching live animation from the films streaming in the background.

Kids old and young can appreciate Disney's animated flicks, but Disney Sing It Party Hits hones in on the segment of the population that feels a bit more grown up. Disney Sing It Party Hits collects videos and lyrics in a sing-along style of game, featuring artists like Justin Bieber, Black Eyed Peas, Jonas Brothers, Paramore, and Kelly Clarkson. Demi Lovato even makes an appearance as your vocal coach, which we thought was a nice twist. The lure of Jason Mraz turned out to be too much of a temptation for our booth guide, who slipped away to sing a few bars during our tour. These games definitely present well; although we only viewed the Wii versions, there will be a PS3 release as well. Not having a cordless mic on the Wii is a bit of drag, but if you already have a mic you like to use, know that the games will ship both with and without mic hardware.

These are great party games, or entertainment for a rainy day. From our hands-on experience at E3, we're confident that fans of the shows and these musical artists associated with Disney are in for a treat upon the launch of both games, later this summer.

STAT BOX
Product
Sing It Family Hits and Party Hits
Company
Disney Interactive
Date
06/22/2010