SingStar Amped and SingStar ’80s – PlayStation 2 [$29.99 each]

You either love the SingStar series or you hate it, depending largely on your feelings on karaoke in general. Karaoke buffs love the licensed music and smooth visual style of the series, while detractors can’t imagine taking part in such an activity without the assistance of some serious liquid courage. One year after Sony introduced their fantastic karaoke series to the United States, that series gets a jolt from the fantastic tracklists of the Amped and ’80s editions of the game. Amped is even more rock ‘n roll than last year’s Rocks!, with a large helping of early ’90s grunge-era songs for aspiring Eddie Vedders and Chris Cornells (not to mention a little bit of Snow Patrol for the more sensitive rockers out there). On the flipside of Amped is the ’80s edition of SingStar, which might just be the most hilariously embarrasing game you ever play on your PlayStation 2. Imagine putting together the most accurate rendition of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” or “Rio” you can muster, and you have some idea of the level of ridiculousness possible with this game. Either new edition is worth your time, so grab one, pick up your microphone, and start singing.