We Sing: Robbie Williams Hands-On

We Sing has become quite a success for Nordic Games, and after two games, it has established itself as the de facto karaoke series for the Wii. The latest version will be based solely around one artist, Robbie Williams, who is celebrating 20 years in the music business this year. We managed to play the game for the first time at Gamescom, taking a break from the hubbub of the show for a blissful duet of "Something Stupid."

"We had quite a bit of involvement from Robbie," the developer told us during our visit. It's clear to see from the game itself that the ex-ex-Take That member has personally dedicated time to the project--he welcomes you to the game, runs you through the game's menu system, and even comments on your performances. It also has that air of authenticity, thanks to a wealth of unlockable content, such as images and live performances of his famous Knebworth gigs. There will also be something "very, very, very special in the game for Robbie Williams fans" to unlock, although the developer wouldn't be drawn on what.

The game itself will include 25 songs from the man's back catalogue, with all but two of them boasting the original music videos, while the others feature live performances from the Royal Albert Hall. The famous duets with Kylie and Nicole Kidman are also included, as are more recent ones with The Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant. There will also be medleys of songs from the same genres, such as love songs, rock songs, and upbeat songs. They'll all be unlocked from the off, so you can jump right in and play the nine game modes, including versus, pass the mic, and no lyrics, across the entire catalogue. And, of course, the game will also be playable by up to four players.

As well as the competitive modes, there will be a singing tuition mode, with 30 lessons teaching the basics of technical singing. We saw them in action--starting out as simple hold-the-note exercises and going to full-on do-re-mi at the hardest difficulty. The game will be coming out in October exclusively on the Nintendo Wii, and beyond Robbie Williams, the developer is looking at other artists it can work with. We hope to bring you more on the game in the run up to release.