Why? Because it's Queen. As far as strutting, pour-your-heart-out rock goes, it doesn't get much bigger than Queen. Which means when your girlfriend/lady friend/wife/sister says "oh go on, have a go", your usual excuse of "nah, this is all girly tripe" just won't cut it. Why? Because it's Queen. You're just going to have to man up.

Loved
Variety: A big part of not just Queen's popularity, but also their longevity, is that the band's catalogue is so wildly eclectic. Pop, ballads, hard rock, most people's genre of choice will be covered, which for a party game is crucial. Indeed, in my humble opinion, the SingStar Queen tracklist is more varied – and more enjoyable – than the remainder of the SingStore itself can manage.

Princes of the Universe: The whole point of these music games is that they should make you feel big. Like a rock star. SingStar Queen nails this. Sure, that has more to do with the fact it's Queen than with the game itself, but if you don't break into a massive grin after singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" there's something inhuman about you.

Wireless Mics: My copy of the game arrived with some wireless microphones in tow, and they've been worth the wait. They're well-built, have a good weight to them, and there weren't any lag or feedback issues I could pick up. (Ed's note: The wireless microphones were released as a standalone in the UK on March 18.)

Greatest Hits: OK, yes, I am a massive Queen fan. Which is why I'm so happy with the tracklist for this game. Sure, as I said above, it's got a bit of everything, but Sony's London Studio went the extra mile and included some classics that are skewed more towards appeasing Queen fans than providing songs that would be good for SingStar's gameplay. Like "Who Wants To Live Forever", a teary train wreck of a song that not only has intolerable instrumental sections, but is from the Highlander soundtrack. Both of which make it awesome, and which also seem to have me standing to lose a gentleman's agreement...

Hated
Inequality: The game is available on both PS2 and PS3. The PS3 version contains 25 songs, but the PS2 version only has 20. This is no doubt down to size restrictions, as other SingStar titles available on both platforms have featured the same discrepancy, but still. It's a little unfair on PS2 owners, who are no doubt still the most numerous purchasers of the series.

Under Pressure: This one isn't really the game's fault either, but you can't help playing through SingStar Queen's tracklist and wishing it was Rock Band: Queen's tracklist instead.

Being the umpteenth release of a well-worn, successful franchise, there's really not much more to say. This is SingStar, only instead of corny pop songs, it's a collection of classic rock tracks. Your mileage on this will depend entirely on how comfortable you are singing in public, and how much you enjoy Queen.

SingStar Queen was released in the United States on August 4 for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. Developed by London Studio, published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Retails for $40 on PlayStation 3 (UK version reviewed), $30 on PlayStation 2. Played every song in multiplayer mode, most songs - shamefully - in single player.

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There'll be 25 tracks on the PS3 edition, while on PS2, there'll only be 20. Blame Blu-Ray. Anyway, SCE Australia tell us the game will be out in PAL territories in March, and with the PS3 being region-free and all, that means everywhere else can get it in March too.

As for the songs...nailing 25 of Queen's finest was always going to be a struggle, so eccentric and diverse is the band's fanbase, but I think they've done a pretty good job with these. And no, I'm not just saying that because they included one of the tracks from Highlander.

If I had one gripe - and this is real look-a-gift-horse-in-mouth territory here, I realise - it's that Princes of the Universe didn't make it. Then again, maybe that's being saved for Rock Band, where it would be twice as awesome.

Oh, and Sony. Whoever made the call on the inclusion of Who Wants To Live Forever...thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Full tracklist follows.

The packs - available right now - include the following:

Ultimate Queen 1:

Bohemian Rhapsody
One Vision
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Breakthru
Bicycle Race

Ultimate Queen 2:

We Will Rock You
Another One Bites The Dust
Who Wants To Live Forever
I Want It All
We Are The Champions

The announcement of SingStar: Queen at Games Convention had some of us immediately and excitedly wondering online, what's on this thing anyway? And is "Who Wants To Live Forever" going to be included? Sorry, Luke, we still don't know. We do know however, that Queen classics "Don't Stop Me Now", "Radio GaGa", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "A Kind of Magic", "Breakthru", and "The Show Must Go On" will definitely be included, going by the screen shots and trailer provided by SCEE. If you want to gorge on low res shots of Freddie Mercury's face, do so in the gallery below.