It Had To Happen… News

The news that a videogame based on the hit UK Reality TV show ‘Pop Idol’ comes as no surprise; however the fact that the ever-charismatic Richard Eddy was telling us on behalf of Codemasters, ensured a double-check of the calendar was needed to make sure we weren’t being suckered into a belated April Fool’s joke.<br><br>Most commonly known for the likes of Colin McRae and Operation Flashpoint; Codemasters plan to publish Pop Idol for the Playstation2 and PC later in the year. Currently in development at Hot House Creations (who previously gave us the money-spinner ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?’) the game takes on a rhythm/action approach and is already shaping up to be the Christmas No.1.<br><br>The game will allow players to create, train and style their very own Pop Idol contestant and compete as a singer all the way to the finals. The game features 40 licensed top-ten music tracks, for the players to perform and the judges to judge! We've learnt that everybody’s favourite TV villain Simon Cowell is currently in the studio, voice-recording a selection of his infamous put-downs - guaranteed to get gamers blood boiling.<br><br>Eddy further discussed the gameplay mechanics to TVG, suggesting that this rhythm/action game will have a layer of depth that is not commonly associated to games in this genre. High-scoring combos will allow you to pull off special vocal effects, such as a Mariah Carey’ wobble or perhaps a Britney Spears croak.<br><br>TVG isn’t noted for its love of ‘Pop Idol’ however the promise of a decent rhythm/action game with a few new ideas, coupled with Cowell’s infamous one-liners is a prospect we don’t want to miss – hopefully players will be able to trade insults with Cowell after your performance.<br><br>Realising the strength of the license, Pop Idol is set to be Codemasters’ biggest launch to date and is already looking likely to be the Christmas No.1; the UK publisher also confirmed plans to release an American version based on the US adaptation ‘Teen Idol’.<br><br>We’ll have more news on Pop Idol soon…