Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first hour is easy to enjoy because the song list wastes no time getting to the good stuff. “The Look of Love,” “Cruel Summer,” “Video Killed the Radio Star,” “Whip It,” and “Come On Eileen” make this feel less like a deep karaoke library and more like somebody’s carefully loaded eighties party playlist. If you know these songs, you will probably spend more time arguing over the next pick than worrying about learning the game.

There are no notable mechanical changes from the previous Lips release, so this is a straightforward purchase: you are here for the music, not a reinvention of the series. That is not a bad fit for karaoke. Familiarity keeps the focus on actually singing, and a set that ranges from Bowie and Blondie to Culture Club, Devo, Pat Benatar, and Tears for Fears has enough shifts in mood to keep a session from settling into one note.

The microphone situation matters. It works as a stand-alone disc or with a wireless microphone, while ordinary USB mics—including ones used for Rock Band or Guitar Hero—also work. The trade-off is important: those USB mics do not support avatar movement, mini-games, or percussion instruments because they lack motion sensitivity. They are a practical way in, but the wireless mic is the better match if you want the fuller Lips experience.

Freestyle still lets you import custom songs from a USB device, which gives the disc some welcome life beyond its built-in 40 tracks. The recurring annoyance is disc swapping, carried over from Party Classics. It is the kind of friction that will not ruin a one-disc singalong, but it can puncture the momentum when your night turns into a broader Lips rotation.

Graphics

With a motion-sensitive wireless microphone, your avatar can move during performances, and the game also includes mini-games and percussion instruments tied to that support. Use a standard USB mic and those on-screen extras are unavailable, making the experience more stripped down.

Story

The through-line here is the decade itself. This is a trip from the bright, extroverted rush of “Celebration,” “Mickey,” and “Relax” to the cooler melancholy of “Forever Young,” “Bette Davis Eyes,” “Vienna,” and “Boys Don’t Cry.” A good karaoke collection needs more than famous titles; it needs enough contrast that people can find a song that feels like theirs. This one does.

There is also a pleasingly broad version of the eighties on offer. You get synth-pop staples such as “Blue Monday ’88,” “Don’t Go,” and “A Little Respect,” but they sit alongside rockier picks like “Bad Reputation,” “Roxanne,” and “Don’t Get Me Wrong.” That variety gives the disc a stronger shape than a collection made entirely of the same few radio-friendly sounds.

The best moments come when a recognizable chorus turns into a group performance. “Our House,” “Shout,” “Gold,” “Kids in America,” and “The Power of Love” are not subtle choices, and they do not need to be. They are songs with immediate hooks, which is exactly the point when you are passing a microphone around a living room.

Overall Experience

Lips: I ♥ the 80s is a solid, focused expansion for anyone whose idea of a good night includes Duran Duran, Soft Cell, the Human League, and Huey Lewis & The News in rapid succession. The tracklist has real depth beyond the unavoidable hits, with choices such as “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “A Good Heart,” “The Riddle,” and “Alive and Kicking” giving regular eighties listeners something to appreciate too.

It is harder to recommend as a fresh purchase if you already own another Lips disc and do not care deeply about this era. The play has not moved forward, and disc swapping remains a needless annoyance. This is a song-selection decision, plain and simple.

For the right crowd, that is enough. Put it on when you want uncomplicated karaoke built around a consistently strong decade, bring the motion-sensitive microphone if you have it, and let the lineup do the heavy lifting. At its best, it turns “one more song” into an entire evening.

Retro Replay Score

7.1/10