Game Review: Boogie SuperStar
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is a game where players sing
(using an enclosed microphone) and dance with the Wii remote.
Some of the songs have suggestive lyrics, though most of the
swear words are muted out. If you owned last year's version of
Boogie, and still have a microphone, you can pick up the
game for $49.99 instead of $59.99 for the game bundled with a
microphone.
Families can talk about whether this game attempts to bite off more than it can chew by creating a singing and dancing game in one, instead of individual titles. Or is this the appeal? Is it more fun to play with or against other friends on the same TV. Why?
Common Sense Media Review
Designed primarily for tween girls, BOOGIE SUPERSTAR can
best be described as two games in one: a dancing game, where
you shake the Wii remote to the beat of music to rack up
points, and a karaoke game, where you sing into a microphone
(included) and are judged on pitch and rhythm. Unlike last
year's lackluster
Boogie
, which was plagued with control issues, unfocused music
selection, and repetitive gameplay, this new version by EA
Montreal is better.
At the start of the game you're "discovered" and whisked away to a secret island to learn how to perform like a real star. After you customize your character's appearance (no disco-loving pink alien that was the star of the first Boogie) and tweak your singing and dancing skills, you can perform solo or with a friend. In the Dance mode, you must hold the Wii remote in your right hand and follow the prompts to move in time with the music, so that your character can perform cool dance sequences and earn points. Too bad the Wii Balance Board isn't supported, as originally rumored. The microphone must be used in the Karaoke mode as you sing along with songs by reading the onscreen lyrics. Don't worry -- you don't have to be a very good singer to see encouraging words flash on the screen.
Tweens girls who are into singing and dancing to pop music will get a kick out of this game. Song selection includes many contemporary pop hits from the likes of Britney Spears, Kanye West, Rihanna, Fergie, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys and Natasha Bedingfield, along with some techno dance tracks, too. For parents who want to avoid all sexually suggestive lyrics, this is not a good fit. But since most of the offensive language is muted out, Boogie SuperStar is an enjoyable "girls night in" for tweens and young teens ages 11 and above. The controls are tighter than last year's version, and the whole sci-fi alien theme that didn't quite work in the original has been replaced with a create-your-character and try to be a star theme. Boogie SuperStar allows tweens to sing along and move to music they really enjoy.
Other recommended music games include High School Musical: Sing It! , SingStar , Rock Band and Rock Band 2 , and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
