Comments on: Codemasters disasters #3 American Idol / Pop Idol

By: david b

david b — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:25:25 +0000

this game is a waste of money thank god guitar hero rock band and singstar are out there or i would lose hope for music games

By: Mare Garrel

Mare Garrel — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:27:56 +0000

I got this game when it first came out and I have to say, I’m one of the few that loved it. I never could understand why it didn’t sell.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:44:59 +0000

Sounds like the licence SingStar missed out on. With a few drinks inside you, that’s actually a pretty fun game…

By: Rich T

Rich T — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:13:10 +0000

You’re missing out one of the kickers of the Pop Idol Debacle- paying a fortune on a TV ad featuring Simon Cowell, then finding out afterwards that said advert couldn’t actually run in the ad breaks of the Idol TV show as it featured a cast member…

By: Callum Godfrey

Callum Godfrey — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:11:35 +0000

I should point out that the game was also against it from a time frame point of view by the time it came in to production in order to coincide with the TV show.

Not trying to justify the awful quality, as it was awful, but when people expect a game in so short a time frame they shouldn’t be shocked that it isn’t AAA quality.

By: Matthew Hill

Matthew Hill — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:17:51 +0000

A massive opportunity missed particularly if you look at the success of High School Musical – Sing It.

Wonder if anyone is doing a new version – especially given the much more mass market nature of today’s Games market. In theory it should be successful providing the original is forgotten.

Personally i’m looking forward to Dirty Dancing the Game…………

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:06:54 +0000

Ste, the game was externally developed and came as a package with the license. There were those within the company, even at the highest levels, that didn’t want to touch it. But stupidity prevailed.

By: Tobes

Tobes — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:03:09 +0000

It must’ve been heartbreaking to watch so much “marketing magic” go to waste.

By: M@

M@ — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:56:12 +0000

IMHO the whole concept was terminally flawed.

The show is a singing show. The game was a rhythm action game, more suited to a dancemat. That no-one anywhere in Publishing thought that they’re not really the same thing is the most surprising thing.
That it was a poor execution of the rhythm action genre doesn’t really come into it.

By: Ste Pickford

Ste Pickford — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:58:01 +0000

C’mon Bruce, tell us *why* the game was so awful. That’s the key bit of the story you’re missing out.

Not enough spent on development? Wrong team? Did nobody think the quality of the game mattered with such a strong license, or was there just not enough cash left for development when the license fees had been paid?