View source for Karaoke Revolution

{{Short description|Music video game franchise}}
{{For|the 2009 reboot of the franchise|Karaoke Revolution (2009 video game)}}
{{Infobox video game series
|image = Karaoke revolution logo.png
|caption = Logo used in ''[[Karaoke Revolution (2009 video game)]]''
|developer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Harmonix]] (2003–2007)
* [[Secret Level, Inc.]] (2004)
* [[Blitz Games]] (2007–2009)
* Hijinx Studios (2010–2011)
}}
|publisher = {{Plainlist|
* [[Konami]] (2003–2011)
}}
|genre = {{Plainlist|
* [[Rhythm game|Rhythm]]
}}
|platforms = [[PlayStation 2]], [[Xbox (console)]], [[GameCube]], [[Xbox 360]], [[PlayStation 3]], [[Wii]]
|first release version = Karaoke Revolution
|first release date = November 4, 2003
|latest release version = Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 3
|latest release date = November 22, 2011
}}

'''''Karaoke Revolution''''' and its sequels are [[music video game]]s for the [[PlayStation 2]], [[PlayStation 3]], [[GameCube]], [[Wii]], [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], and [[Xbox 360]], developed by [[Harmonix]], [[Blitz Games]], [[Sega Studios San Francisco|Secret Level, Inc.]], and Hijinx Studios and published by [[Konami]] in its [[Bemani]] line of music games. The original concept for the game was created by Scott Hawkins and Sneaky Rabbit Studios.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/ps2/karaoke-revolution/credits|title=Karaoke Revolution (2003) PlayStation 2 credits}}</ref> Technology and concepts from the game were subsequently incorporated into Harmonix's game ''[[Rock Band (video game)|Rock Band]]''.

The Japanese versions of the game are developed by Konami themselves. The gameplay also differs significantly. Rather than a game per se, it is merely a karaoke system for the PlayStation 2, with no judgments.

The game does not attempt to understand the singer's words, but instead detects their pitch. As such, singers can hum to a song or sing different lyrics without penalty. The game adapts to the player singing in a different [[octave]] than the song, to accommodate players whose [[vocal range]]s do not fit the song.

The songs in the game are [[cover version|covers]] of pop hits frequently sung in karaoke bars. This contrasts with the ''[[SingStar]]'' series from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, which features only original artist recordings along with the music videos. However, the 2009 remake of the game (titled ''Karaoke Revolution'', just like the original) features all master tracks.<ref name="kotaku-newkr">{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5221458/konami-readies-a-new-karaoke-revolution|title=Konami Readies A New Karaoke Revolution|last=Fahey|first=Mike|date=April 21, 2009|publisher=Kotaku|access-date=2009-04-23}}</ref>

==Gameplay==
The player is depicted as a character on-screen performing at a public location. The words to the song scroll bottom to top at the bottom of the screen, above a [[piano roll]] representation of the relative pitches at which they are to be sung (the game calls these "note tubes"). At the left end of this area, a "pitch star" shows the pitch which the player is singing and provides feedback on whether they're hitting the notes. A "crowd meter" shows the mood of the crowd as the player sings; if they do a good job of hitting notes on-pitch then the crowd will cheer more loudly and clap in rhythm with the song, and the scene will become more vividly animated. If the crowd meter falls all the way to the lowest rating, the audience will boo the character off-stage and the game is over.

Each song is divided into approximately 30 to 50 "phrases". A meter will fill up and turn from red to green for each phrase, based on how well the player sings the right notes; if the player can fill the meter to green, they will score more points, and getting several greens in a row will create a "combo" and award a 2x score multiplier until the player fails to make green on another phrase. This blue meter resembles how long you should hold the note for and at what pitch. The game can be set at higher [[difficulty level|difficulties]] which make this meter larger and require the player to hit the right notes more precisely to fill it to green.

Since maximum scores for each song are normalized 50,000 regardless of difficulty, overall scores on songs can be compared. To achieve the ''gold record'' for a song, 12,500 points must be achieved. To achieve the ''platinum record'' for a song, 20,000 points must be achieved. Winning records will unlock additional characters, outfits, and songs. In ''Karaoke Revolution Party'', ''Karaoke Revolution Country'', ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol'', and ''American Idol Encore'', 50,000 points (a perfect score) earns a ''diamond record''. In ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2'' the point system was changed so that 60,000 points gives a ''platinum record'' for a song and 100,000 points is a perfect score (''diamond record'').

''Karaoke Revolution Volume 2'' introduces a "medley mode" which challenges the player to sing a string of short clips from various songs.

''Karaoke Revolution Volume 3'' introduces "duet mode" which lets two singers play simultaneously. It also revised scoring so that perfect performances result in exactly 50,000 points (with the exception of the Jackson 5's "ABC").

''Karaoke Revolution Party'' features minigames, support for the [[EyeToy]] camera, and a "Sing and Dance" mode which utilizes the [[dance pad]] controller.

''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol'' utilizes [[American Idol]] judges, commentary, and stages.

==Releases==
{{Video game timeline
|title=Release timeline
|2003 = Karaoke Revolution
|2004a = Karaoke Revolution Volume 2
|2004b = Karaoke Revolution Volume 3
|2005 = Karaoke Revolution Party
|2006 = CMT presents: Karaoke Revolution Country
|2007 = Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol
|2008a = Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore
|2008b = Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
|2009 = Karaoke Revolution (reboot)
|2010 = Karaoke Revolution Glee
|2011a = Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2
|2011b = Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 3
}}

Many expansion discs are available for the Japanese version of the game, including an [[anime]] song collection and several volumes of [[J-Pop]].

The North American version of ''[[Karaoke Revolution (2003 video game)|Karaoke Revolution]]'' was released in November 2003 on [[PlayStation 2]] version in a bundle with the Logitech headset attachment. The game was sold without the headset in February 2004. The PAL version of the game, titled ''Karaoke Stage'', was released in Australia on March 31, 2005, and in Europe on April 22, 2005. ''Karaoke Stage 2'' contains the same songs as ''Karaoke Revolution Party''. The [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] version was released in November 2004 featuring four more songs that were present in ''Karaoke Revolution Volume 2'' and 10 exclusive [[Motown]] songs which are the original non-cover versions. The Xbox version also supported [[Xbox Live]] for downloads of more songs.

''Karaoke Revolution Volume 2'' was released in North America on July 13, 2004, on PlayStation 2; ''Volume 3'' came in November 9 for the same platform.

''Karaoke Revolution Party'' was released in North America on November 8, 2005, on PlayStation 2, [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] and [[GameCube]]. The Xbox version was the only version to feature downloadable songs.

''[[Country Music Television|CMT]] Presents: Karaoke Revolution Country'' was released in North America on March 28, 2006, on PlayStation 2.

''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol'' was released in North America on January 2, 2007, on PlayStation 2.

* [[Simon Cowell]], [[Randy Jackson]], and [[Ryan Seacrest]] lent their voices and allowed their names and likenesses to appear in the game, but [[Paula Abdul]] did not and was replaced by a judge named Laura who was voiced by voice actress Kenna Kelly.

''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore'' was released in North America on PlayStation 2, [[Wii]], and [[Xbox 360]] on February 5, 2008, then to Canadian retailers on February 17, with the [[PlayStation 3]] version released in North America on March 4. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were the only ones that featured downloadable songs, but after May 14, no more new downloadable songs came for either version. New downloadable songs will continue with the sequel, ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2''.

* In addition to Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, [[Paula Abdul|Paula Abdul's]] name, voice, and likeness appear in this title for the first time. Ryan Seacrest did not return to voice himself as the host. He is replaced with voice actor Johnny Jay.
* The PlayStation 3 version is the only one that had all downloadable songs available on the [[PlayStation Network]] marketplace. The Xbox 360 version had six songs discontinued from the [[Xbox Live]] marketplace for undisclosed reasons. On November 18, 2008, the downloadable song "[[I'll Make Love to You]]" became available again in the Xbox Live marketplace.

''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2'' was released on November 18, 2008, in the United States on PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. This is the final ''Karaoke Revolution'' game to use the ''[[American Idol]]'' likeness and features. Songs downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace for the first Encore game on Xbox 360 are compatible with ''Encore 2''. The previous downloadable songs for the first ''Encore'' game on PlayStation 3 downloaded from the [[PlayStation Store]] would be automatically imported to ''Encore 2''. For the first time, Konami has released 5 new downloadable songs that never appeared in any of the previous ''Karaoke Revolution'' series before. However, these songs originally appeared from one of Konami's other musical game ''[[Rock Revolution]]''.

In 2009, Konami released a [[Karaoke Revolution (2009 video game)|new version]] for the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 as a [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] of the franchise. It features enhanced career and multiplayer modes, the ability to record footage for venues with the [[Xbox Live Vision]] and [[PlayStation Eye]] cameras, and a soundtrack with 50 tracks, all original versions rather than the covers used in previous versions.<ref name="kotaku-newkr"/>

''Karaoke Revolution Glee'' was released in North America on April 13, 2010, on Wii. Featuring clips and music from the show

''Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2'' was released in North America on April 5, 2011, on Wii.

''Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 3'' was released in North America on November 22, 2011 for the Wii and Xbox 360. This is also the final ''Karaoke Revolution'' game developed and released for the entire series, there will be no longer anymore ''Karaoke Revolution'' games developed for the series as it ended.

Four different microphones were released for the game:
* The original microphone included with the first ''Karaoke Revolution'' game is a headset model, and is compatible with the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360.
* An updated microphone model was included with future ''Karaoke Revolution'' games, and is also used for Karaoke Stage, the European edition, and is compatible with the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. It is a standardized microphone that is also compatible with other games (such as ''[[Rock Band]]'', ''[[Boogie (video game)|Boogie]]'', and ''[[High School Musical: Sing It!]]'').
* An Xbox-compatible microphone was included with versions of ''Karaoke Revolution'' for Xbox. It plugs into a memory card/headset port on the controller.
* A GameCube-compatible microphone was included with ''Karaoke Revolution Party'' for GameCube. It plugs into the memory card slot. It is a standardized microphone that is also compatible with other games (such as ''[[Mario Party 6]]'').

==Reception==
{{Expand section|date=December 2008}}
<div style="font-size: 90%;float:right;border-left:1em solid white">
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Aggregate Reviews'''
!Game
!Game Rankings<ref name="gamerankings">{{cite web| url=http://www.gamerankings.com/browse.html?search=Karaoke+Revolution | title=Rankings | publisher=Game Rankings | access-date=2008-08-19}}</ref>
!MetaCritic<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web| url=http://www.metacritic.com/search/process?sb=0&tfs=all&ts=karaoke+revolution&ty=0&x=34&y=13 | title=Search Results | publisher=Metacritic | access-date=2008-08-19}}</ref>
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution (PS2)''
| {{center|84%}}
| {{center|83/100}}
|- 
| ''Karaoke Revolution (Xbox)''
| {{center|84%}}
| {{center|80/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 (PS2)''
| {{center|81%}}
| {{center|76/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Volume 3 (PS2)''
| {{center|85%}}
| {{center|82/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Party (PS2)''
| {{center|80%}}
| {{center|78/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Party (Xbox)''
| {{center|81%}}
| {{center|80/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Party (GameCube)''
| {{center|81%}}
| {{center|80/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution: American Idol (PS2)''
| {{center|78%}}
| {{center|78/100}}
|-
| ''CMT Presents: Karaoke Revolution Country (PS2)''
| {{center|73%}}
| {{center|71/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore (X360)''
| {{center|68%}}
| {{center|70/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore (PS2)''
| {{center|76%}}
| {{center|76/100}}
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore (PS3)''
| {{center|62%}}
| 
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore (Wii)''
| {{center|68%}}
| 
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 (X360)''
| {{center|55%}}
| 
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 (PS3)''
| {{center|55%}}
| 
|-
| ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 (Wii)''
| {{center|53%}}
| 
|}
</div>
{{Clear}}<!--remove this line when this section is expanded-->

''[[IGN]]'' ranked the 2003 version as the 99th best PlayStation 2 game due to the involvement of Harmonix.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/top/ps2-games/99 |title=Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games (#99) |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=IGN Entertainment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821124812/http://www.ign.com/top/ps2-games/99 |archive-date=August 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 3, 2025}}</ref> 

''Volume 3'' was nominated for the "Best Puzzle/Rhythm Game" award at ''[[GameSpot]]''{{'}}s Best and Worst of 2004 Awards, which went to ''[[Katamari Damacy]]''.<ref>{{cite web |author=GameSpot staff |year=2004 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2004/day4f_13.html |title=Best and Worst of 2004 (Best Puzzle/Rhythm Game, Nominees) |website=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CNET]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041228235824/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2004/day4f_13.html |archive-date=December 28, 2004 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 3, 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Karaoke Revolution songs]]
* ''[[Battle Rap Stars]]''
* ''[[SingStar]]''
* ''[[Def Jam Rapstar]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Xbox game link|k|karaokerevolution|Karaoke Revolution}}
* {{Xbox game link|k|karaokerevolutionparty|Karaoke Revolution Party}}
* {{Xbox game link|k|krpaie|Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore}}

{{Konami franchises}}
{{Harmonix games}}

[[Category:2003 video games]]
[[Category:Harmonix games]]
[[Category:Karaoke video games]]
[[Category:Konami games]]
[[Category:Konami franchises]]
[[Category:GameCube microphone games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 2 games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 3 games]]
[[Category:Video game franchises]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Wii games]]
[[Category:Xbox games]]
[[Category:Xbox 360 games]]
[[Category:Video game franchises introduced in 2003]]