Karaoke Revolution

What is it with the gimmick controllers around here lately? First the Eye Toy, then dance mats, then Guitar Hero, and now a microphone for Karaoke Revolution. We played it yesterday, and near as I can tell, it's a game that is expressly designed to humiliate you in front of your friends.

Most of us typically only sing in the shower. I find myself singing more now than a few years ago, mainly for the benefit of my son (and my repertoire consists of chart-topper hits like The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round). But that sort of incidental song stylings really doesn't prepare you for the harsh reality of having a computer tell you how bad you suck.

But what was really shocking to me was how mortified you can be when you sing well. Karaoke Revolution has a "medley" mode, wherein they hit you with three different random songs as a medley instead of having you sing an entire song all the way through, a'la the Sweeney Sisters from SNL. When it was my turn to belt out some dulcet tones, I discovered that I sucked air on two of the three songs, which was embarassing enough, but the song that I did well on was Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? from Culture Club. "My god," I thought, "I'm Boy George." Or maybe the weird guy from The Wedding Singer.

Luckily, I played some more and regained some of the tattered shreds of my dignity by pulling off a platinum rating on a good old David Coverdale WhiteSnake song while Barb went and struck Tawny Kitaen poses on the hood of my Honda. Things looked up after that, but it still can't erase that lingering stain on my soul.