American Idol Games

It's back! American Idol is now in its eighth season. The show that millions of Americans love, including the comically horrible singers each with a crazier gimmick than the next; Randy, Paula, Simon and new judge Kara; Hollywood week; round after round of competition and finally America discovers and votes for a new star!

For those who just can't get enough of American Idol, this article will review three games (played in a variety of mediums) that allow you to bring the American Idol experience to your living room.

The first game is produced by Screenlife and is called American Idol - All Star Challenge DVD Game. It's hosted by Ryan Seacrest and comes with a DVD that contains over 1000 clips from the first few seasons of the show. Players pull a card to determine in what genre they will compete and then roll a die to complete a challenge. Challenges can range from singing (karaoke style with a voice amplifying microphone), answer trivia questions, or complete a dance routine. As challenges are completed, players move through levels from auditions to the finals.

After each performance, Randy, Paula and Simon comment and ultimately, one player becomes the American Idol. The game is for two to four players ages eight and above. It can be purchased from various retailers including Toys R Us and Amazon, or from Screenlife games.

If you would prefer to play on a gaming system, then Konami's Karaoke Revolution: Presents American Idol Encore 2 is for you. It has versions for Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

This karaoke version of American Idol contains avatars that players can customize to their liking and a list of over 40 songs to choose from (additional songs are available for download for the Playstation and Xbox versions). As the words go across the screen, it's important that players sing in tune and at the proper pitch. True to their real life counterparts, Randy, Paula and Simon are there to comment and judge each performance.

One of the interesting things about this game (in the Playstation and Xbox versions only) is that players can go online and compete against each other for American Idol glory. This game is for players ages ten and above and can be purchased from Amazon, Target or Toys R Us. The price starts at $19.99 and goes up depending on what bundled items (such as a microphone) are purchased with the software.

American Idol fans that enjoy traditional game board play will enjoy the American Idol version of Monopoly. The traditional places such as Boardwalk and Baltic Avenue can now be replaced by past contestants of the show. Each time the game is played, players decide what past show contestant represents each location by using the full color static cling contestant photos. Randy, Paula and Simon take the place of the major utilities. The traditional tokens such as the dog, shoe etc. become a microphone, a star, a cell phone, or the American Idol logo. Much like traditional Monopoly, this game is for two to six players ages eight and above. It is available at Amazon for approximately $11.69.

All of the games are good at being able to allow players at home to have some of the American Idol experience, however, I believe that the All Star Challenge DVD game is the most comprehensive and just plain fun!