What I learned from San Diego Comic Con 2013





Our crew as Ghostbusters on the last day of SDCC.

Well, I'm back from a month-long hiatus after surviving the nerdnado that was Comic Con 2013.  What an awesome time!  I didn't quite know what to expect since my last time at the Con was seven years ago.  But despite the massive crowds and long lines, the SDCC planners and Convention Center staff did a fantastic job managing everything.  Like many other fans, I really hope that the Con will continue to be held in San Diego in future years.



View of the Convention Center from
the pedestrian bridge.

Prior to the con, there were a ton of articles online about "How to Survive San Diego Comic Con" or "Helpful Tips and Tricks" for first-time Con attendees.   While I personally did not find much of the content to be beneficial, I know that there's a lot of hopeful SDCC attendees looking for some suggestions for next time.  So here's some of my lessons learned--hopefully a few of which won't leave you saying "well, duh" and will save you some heartache during your 2014 preparations. 

1.  Lodging Considerations.  Here's the deal.  It's never too early to plan for next year's Comic Con.  Hotels in Gaslamp will fill up quickly once people have actually secured their tickets, and many people are left scrambling for a place to stay that's not miles away from the Con and costs less than $400-500 a night.  Why not try a vacation rental?  If you are going with a group of 3-4, or can wrangle a group together willing to pool their money, a condo rental is much more cost effective than a hotel.  Try vrbo.com or homeaway.com for listings. 

      Another bonus of a vacation rental is more flexibility than hotel reservations.  We signed a condo rental contract last fall before we knew we had tickets for this year's Con, after noting that most hotels do not allow cancellations for the week of the Con.  However, most landlords of vacation rentals are reasonable enough to include a sublet clause which will allow you to rent to someone else if you don't get tickets.  Better yet, book something now and just plan on coming to San Diego regardless, knowing you'll have MORE than enough to do outside of SDCC even if you don't score tickets to the main event.  Booking something early will save you a headache later on, trust me.

2.  Cosplay Considerations.  I dressed up every single day of the Con, including Preview Night.  While this was incredibly fun and I have no regrets, I didn't fully realize how slow our progress would be getting around the Con while in costume.  Between photographs, chatting with other cosplayers, interviews, and addressing wardrobe malfunctions, we were lucky to get from the Gaslamp into the Exhibit Hall within an hour or two.  This time delay will increase exponentially the better your costume is, or the bigger your boobs are, or the more skin you are showing.  So if you plan to cosplay and are trying to keep a strict schedule (probably unadvisable anyway), allow a LOT of extra time for the frequent stops.  Or, set aside a day that you dress casual and use that as your day to be efficient and just be a spectator.

 



3.  Who's Who in the (Nerd) Zoo?   I could have probably included this part within cosplay considerations, but my personal experience with this issue made me feel it warranted its own section.  In addition to being familiar with faces of key celebrities, artists, and major players in the comic industry, it might be a good idea to take a look around YouTube and other social media outlets that cover SDCC so you can recognize these folks as they are wandering around for photo ops or doing interviews.  I was interviewed several times and admit that I didn't know who the interviewers were, only to find out upon my return home that they are fairly well-known personalities on YouTube, TV, or podcasts.  I will definitely be brushing up on my media personality knowledge for next year!

A shot of me (as Captain Marvel) being interviewed, later
determined that this was Mediocre Films' Greg Benson.  Oops.
He still put me in his video though--as Moxxi and Captain Marvel!

   A separate but related point on this is: if you are cosplaying, you should know the character whom you are cosplaying.  And not just their name.  I saw a few instances (NOT me!) where folks were interviewed and when asked about the character they were cosplaying, they had nothing to say.  That's just embarrassing, man.  Don't do that to yourself.  Do your research if it's not a character you know well.

 

4.  Connectivity, Twitter, and Communications Limitations.    It was frequently noted before SDCC that cell phone batteries drain quickly and reception is not great within the Convention Center.  That's an understatement.  While Twitter was a great resource to find out about last-minute events, contests, and to keep tabs on the lines for Hall H and Ballroom 20, I gave up trying to tweet and upload photos after Day 1.  It just doesn't work.  I would recommend going to the Con with low expectations as to what social media capabilities you will have, and plan to do all your posting and uploading in the evenings once things calm down a bit.  Batteries will drain fast regardless, so having extra batteries or a power pack are a must-have.

Standing at the end of the
line to get into the Exhibit
Hall on Preview Night.

5.  Preview Night.  We were lucky enough to score the 4-Day with Preview Night tickets.  Based on this year's experience, we will not endeavor to get Preview Night tickets for next year.  If you're a passionate collector of something or have to get an exclusive what-not from a particular vendor, that would be the only motivation to go to Preview Night.  The crowds on the Exhibit Floor on Preview Night were by far the worst of any of the days of the Con, and since we don't really collect anything, it was a fairly miserable experience.  The only other reason to attend Preview Night would be to get in line for the exclusive previews in Ballroom 20, but we did not do this (after being stuck in crowds on the exhibit floor for three hours) so I am unsure if that experience was better.

 





We had the opportunity to meet and chat
with several Bioware artists and cosplayers
from Mass Effect and Dragon Age.



Our new friends at the Black
Sails ship, who we saw
again later that night at the premiere.

6.  Be Excellent to Each Other, Dude!  I did notice this comment was made in several online postings prior to SDCC, and good for those writers.  Con attendees were extremely decent to each other in general, but it really does pay to go that extra mile to help someone out or just spend a minute talking to some of the vendors about their work.  They are there because they love this stuff too, and on multiple occasions we were treated to some special experiences and/or swag just by showing genuine interest in the work that some of the artists were doing.  We did not spend a ton of time standing in line or camping out for Hall H panels, but I felt that the experiences we had interacting with artists, writers, cosplayers, and other vendors on the Exhibit Floor were extremely rewarding and we did not mind missing out on the popular celebrity panels (although we did make it to the Agents of SHIELD Panel and Preview, which was amazeballs).    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We eventually found time to squeeze in a visit
to the Ender's Game Experience off site.
Worth it! (and I thought this Moxxi shot was
cool)

7.  Outside Comic Con... I thought I'd end on a positive note by confirming that there ARE plenty of things to do outside of the Convention Center itself, so if you are not lucky enough to get tickets to SDCC, I don't think you'd be disappointed.  If you don't believe me, check out the Outside Comic-Con website to see everything that was going on.  I found it a bit challenging to see everything in Gaslamp because we were spending so much time in the convention, and there were many neat things like NerdHQ, Geek and Sundry's HQ, plus any number of promotions for upcoming movies and video games.  Many of the surrounding hotels have agreed to host different pieces of the event in an effort to distribute crowds more evenly, and many of these events don't require an SDCC badge.  That's why I said earlier that it makes a lot of sense to just plan on coming to San Diego for the Con whether or not you have tickets yet....you'll have plenty of nerdy things to do. :)

Adult Swim Funhouse, outside SDCC.
Never before was a superhero (me, as Viper)
so triumphant emerging from the
birthing canal.

Mad Moxxi at the Ender's
Game Experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firefly: "So, think you'll go to Comic Con next year?"
Daredevil:  "I don't know, wearing costumes really isn't my thing.."

 

 

 

 

So, with all that said, remember:  Being a nerd is awesome!  Structure is fun but be flexible!  And it's never too early to plan for next year. See you in 2014!!





Returning to Point-and-Click: A Look at Machinarium

I was very excited to find a PlayStation Plus deal for Machinarium, as I had heard great things about this standout indie game by Amanita Design. My weekend was well spent on the game, which is a refreshingly unique, challenging and charming point-and-click adventure designed to appeal to players of all ages. 

The game begins by showing our hero, a little robot, being discarded in the junkyard outside of the city.  The little robot's story is slowly revealed throughout the game in the form of a series of "thought bubbles" that show flashbacks of the robot's past.  These "thought bubbles" are also used to illustrate hints and dialogue with other characters, although there is not actually any dialogue in the strict sense--everything is conveyed through short animations and pictures.

As our robot hero makes his way back to the city to save it and his lady-robot love, he encounters a number of puzzles of varying format and complexity which must be completed to advance the story.  For example, the little robot encounters a problematic gate guard at the drawbridge to enter the city, so you must find a way to trick the guard and get the drawbridge lowered.

 

Later in the game, there are more complex tasks which require seeking out other robots, completing tasks for them, and in turn using the items they give you to solve another problem. Brain teaser type puzzles are interspersed with scavenger hunt type missions, so you may find yourself facing a game of checkers or a pattern-matching puzzle to move the adventure forward.  Many of the puzzles are quite challenging and require some persistence, but not to the point of being completely discouraging.  I must admit that it took me an embarrassingly long time to beat a robot at checkers.  But what a triumph when I did!

The gameplay is easy enough to learn, since you navigate through the game simply using a cursor with one-click actions to interact with the world.  There are no extra action-wheel menus or shooting/fighting modes to fuss with. The little robot has an inventory pop-up bar at the top of the screen, but it is fairly low maintenance since your robot will discard items once they no longer have a use.  I don't think there were any more than 3-4 items in my inventory at any point.

If you are easily discouraged by puzzles, don't be scared away from giving this game a try: each scene has one freebie hint to help you with the current puzzle, and if you're really in a bind, Amanita provides a complete in-game walkthrough guide. In keeping with the game style, even the walkthrough guide is depicted in comic strip artwork, so be prepared to interpret drawings if you want that extra hint!

Perhaps one of the most memorable aspects of Machinarium is the unique and intriguing artistry used to create this whimsical robot-world in which our hero lives.  There are many cute aspects to the characters and their mannerisms, but there is also a distinct melancholy and industrial feel to the whole world.  It was truly compelling and left me wanting to see more content, since the game is fairly short (though well done and satisfying in its own right).

Earlier I alluded to the fact that there's no shooting or fighting in the game.  In fact, there's not any violence in the game and your robot hero is simply regenerated if you do something harmful to him.  For that reason, this game is suitable as a family title to engage younger gamers but still challenging enough for adults....not to mention, it's a somewhat refreshing shift from the mainstream big-dog FPSs and RPGs on the market.

I really cannot find fault with Machinarium, other than the occasional tedium of trying to find the actionable items in the environment, but this is a flaw intrinsic to point-and-click adventures.  Overall, Machinarium is a solid choice for gamers of all ages, a good workout for the brain and a fun feast for the eyes.  I hope that we'll be seeing more good things from Amanita on the next gen consoles.

Getting in Shape for Comic Con, Part 3: Crunch Time for Costumes

Since today marks the 1-month countdown for our trip out to San Diego Comic Con, I thought it an appropriate time to provide an update on our progress.  So here goes...

Captain Marvel.  Done and DONE!  I put the finishing touches on the accessories yesterday and did a trial run of everything this weekend.  It's looking great!  I thought this could be my one preview costume prior to the event since the other two are still in progress, so I've included some photos here.  I really need to work on staying in character in being serious...kept cracking up the whole time!

 Madame Hydra/Viper.  What can I say, the spandex is at the tailor.  I have the boots and holster ready, but the main feature of my costume will be her back tattoo (pictured below).

If anyone has any tips on the best method for doing a large (5x5") temp tattoo that won't rub off for a few days, let me know.  I'd really rather not use that much permanent marker on my back and, moreover, do not trust my husband or brothers to doodle with marker on my back.

 

 





Spats in progress, made from white leg
warmers...I learned to sew buttons!!

Mad Moxxi.  Almost complete!!  Here's some photos of the latest accessories to be finished up.  In keeping with my budget-savvy tendencies, I bought some $5 leg warmers on Amazon which I crafted into spats.  I also made Moxxi's belt buckle with some cheap items from the craft store and a little bit of painting skills.   Still fixing buttons on the jacket, but otherwise ready to go.

Moxxi spats, hat, and belt buckle, all handmade.


 

 

One of three versions of Wolverine that Jon will cosplay
at SDCC.

Wolverine.  Jon's cosplay is still coming along, but I think he has the beard part handled...

No beard? No problem!
Grown in three weeks.

Most recently I have been working on Wolverine's blades, which I finished up today. I used some sturdy foam board which I painted silver, and are secured together with aluminum wire.  I molded them to fit his hands and wrapped the aluminum wire with floral wire for comfort and extra support.  They're not retractable or anything high-speed, but easy to don and doff and I think they look realistic enough!

Step 1, cutting the blades
out of foam board



Step 2, threading aluminum wire
through the foam blades

Step 3, molding wire and covering
in floral wire.

Step 4, painting foam blades
and floral wire. Done!




  

That's a wrap on the costume update...coming soon on Getting in Shape for Comic Con: our adventures in juice cleanses from Khepra's and some more previews of our cosplays!   Plus a Comic-Con warm up at Annapolis Comic Con later this month!



 

 

 





 

Telltale Games Poker Night 2: All In!

"Winning streaks are like dating beautiful women. Enjoy them while you can, because it's only a matter of time before they dump you for being weird and clingy."
      --Sam

I have to admit that I was sold on Telltale Games' Poker Night 2 as soon as I saw the teasers on YouTube and Twitter.  I'm a long-time fan of the Sam and Max adventures since the days of Hit the Road, so I will pretty much play anything involving them.  And they didn't fail to deliver this time, either.  Poker Night 2 is good fun: an interactive poker game with great dialogue, entertaining characters and many unlockable features both inside and outside of the game.  There's a few features which could be improved to make the game even better, but overall it's a solid bet for any gamer out there looking for a short-term diversion from the more involved RPGs and FPSs out there.

Poker Night 2 features the following characters as players:
Brock Samson, The Venture Bros.
Claptrap, Borderlands / Borderlands 2
Ash Williams, The Evil Dead franchise
Sam (and Max), from the Sam & Max Freelance Police adventure games series and comic

The fifth player is you, portrayed as a mute (eliminating the need to provide dialogue options for you).  When you begin the game, you are given the option to play Omaha or Texas Hold 'Em style poker.  Instructional prompts are provided during your first hand, so even if you are not an avid poker player, you should be able to muddle your way through the first game until you get the hang of it (like I did).  Every game starts with a $20,000 buy-in, which is regenerated for you every game whether or not you win.  However, the system will still track how much money you've lost over time, so you could conceivably continue going  further and further into debt if you continue losing.  Even $180,000 in debt.  Like I did...

The backdrop of your poker game is an old-timey bar presided over by a very sad-looking, gray version of Mad Moxxi from Borderlands.  You are able to buy drinks for the other players from Moxxi once you begin earning tokens.  Tokens are awarded at the end of each game, and the amount you receive depends on what place you finish during that game.  The perk of buying drinks for your opponents is that it will cause them to show their "tells" more easily--a finger tap here, an ear scratch there, indicating whether or not your opponent is bluffing.  Unfortunately, you can only purchase one drink per player per game...I was really hoping that getting the other players utterly hammered would be an option.  Can you imagine things that Brock Samson and Ash Williams would say if they were obliterated?!  Oh well. 

Also joining this cast of colorful characters is GLaDOS from Portal.  She acts as the dealer and delivers many excellent deadpan lines, including some witty banter with her male AI counterpart, Claptrap. 

As I mentioned at the start of this review, the dialogue between your opponents is one of the highlights of Poker Night 2.  Nearly every word that comes out of Claptrap's mouth is a gem.  I started noticing that the dialogue was getting recycled until I actually started winning, which allowed me to unlock more table themes which, in turn, unlocks more dialogue for the players.  So if nothing else, use that as your incentive to win some tournaments!

I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to mention just a few of my favorite quotes:

"This hand was brought to you by the letters W, T, and F!"
      --Claptrap

"If you guys keep indulging my transparent dishonesty, I'm going to have to run for Congress."
      --Sam

Claptrap:  "That's what you get when you screw with the clap!"
Brock:  "There was probably a better way of phrasing that."

"I think I just got kicked in the statisticals!"
      --Sam

Sam:  "You know, I'm still not really sure what a 'Deadite' actually is."
Ash:  "It all starts with an evil book that must never be read."
Sam:  "Battlefield Earth?"



I also mentioned the unlocks outside of the game. For every tournament, there are three random tasks or missions that you can complete (e.g., win a hand in a showdown with a pair) and, when completed, you will be offered a "bounty challenge" in the next tournament. One of your fellow players will offer up a trophy which you receive if you win that tournament. With the trophy win comes an unlock of something outside the game. So far, we have been unlocking exclusive themes for Borderlands 2. I understand that later on, other PSN exclusives are offered as rewards as well.

 

You're probably thinking the whole game can't be without fault, and you're right. The game saves quite often and there are significant delays in dialogue or skipping of the soundtrack when the saves are occurring, which is disruptive to gameplay. There have also been several instances where the game has completely frozen up in the middle of a hand that I was winning, which is equally frustrating. It sounds like this might be a common error and is probably the most significant flaw of Poker Night 2.

I would also say that the inability to engage directly in dialogue with the other characters is a downside to the game and potential area for improvement in future sequels. It would be interesting to explore options that would allow a human player to verbally react to opponents' actions, or to try to elicit responses or tells from opponents through conversation. 

 

Bottom line? Poker Night 2 is worth the $10 price tag on PSN given the opportunities for external game unlocks, entertaining witty banter amongst NPCs, and enough variety in the scenery to entice even novice poker players to come back again and again. Check it out!

 

Cosplayer Interviews from AwesomeCon DC

Hey all, regarding my BioShock on a Budget project for AwesomeCon DC, ATMEtv DC posted a YouTube video of the costume contest which includes interviews with a number of the awesome cosplayers in attendance, including us! You can check it out below.

Redefining Hunger Games...

I love, love , love Jennifer Lawrence.  But somehow I don't think her eating habits will help me get in shape for Comic Con.
Any other time, I'm right there with ya, sister!

Things You Can Learn About Eating From Jennifer Lawrence

I love eating. "Work out to pig out" is a mantra I have embraced in the past. I would never take on a diet that left me starving all the time.  While I have still been eating reasonably since starting the Getting in Shape for Comic Con initiative, I didn't realize how unbalanced my diet has actually been for the last, oh, ten years of my life. I don't eat much junk food, but I certainly have not been eating the right kinds of things to recover from workouts, keep my energy level up, and slim down.  Case in point: on a rigorous workout day--one where I am burning 800-1000 calories with high intensity interval training--I need to be consuming about 110 grams of protein on that day! That is a LOT of protein. To give you an idea, one protein bar typically has 10-12 grams of protein.  I had no idea that my protein intake was too low until a few weeks ago, and now I have to really think about the protein in all my meals, which I never did before.

If you are looking for a decent post-workout recovery protein drink, I would recommend Melissa's Mix, which you can get on Amazon.com.  it is much less expensive than the more well-known competitor brands, has the same composition and is actually better in that it is formulated for women.  There is a chocolate brownie flavor that tastes really good with coconut water or plain water.

Another thing to watch out for, ladies, particularly if your dairy consumption is low, is how much calcium you're getting.  Since I have eliminated most dairy from my diet (it causes me to bulk up really fast) I have to ensure I take a multivitamin to get enough calcium. Or drink milk! Bone strong = Captain Marvel strong!

Of course I am writing this on the evening of a splurge day which is being capped off with a few hours of adult refreshments and playing Defiance.....so I should wrap this up before I make some not-so-healthy recommendations. I'll have some new opinions out about Defiance soon!Photo via Buzzfeed.com

It's a Dance-Off! A Comparison of PS3 Dance Titles

"I got started dancing because I knew it was one way to meet girls."
--Gene Kelly

No more wallflowers -- get 'em singing and dancing!  We are avid party hosters, karaoke participants, and gamers, so naturally I have a small collection of song-and dance-oriented games in my PS3 library.  For several years, Singstar and Singstar + Dance have been my go-to staples for party entertainment.  However, I recently acquired Just Dance 3 and 4 which definitely left me wondering why I had waited so long to check out these titles?  Since both game franchises have strengths and weaknesses, I wanted to do a comparison of them for any of you out there looking to hone your dance skillz, entertain at a party, or get in shape for Comic Con like us!

SingStar + Dance

We started out with SingStar, a Playstation exclusive title, before they added on the dance capability.  We were looking for a good karaoke-type game to use at our house parties, and SingStar was wonderful for just that.   The thing that drew me to SingStar over other karaoke games out there was that they featured the actual music videos as the background while singing, as opposed to a cartoonish animation themed after the artist or song (a la Konami's Karaoke Revolution).  In addition, SingStar had hundreds of songs available in their library on the PlayStation Store, on a pay-per-song basis.  Although it was an additional fee, the variety and quantity of songs available for download was a major bonus when trying to keep content fresh and interesting for multiple parties (and for our own personal use!).

Another fine example of the fun that
can be had by party-goers with
SingStar

At some point, the SingStar franchise decided to get in on the PS3 Move / Eye action by launching a dance component to the game.  As a big fan of dancing (and former avid DDR player), I immediately bought the dance version and was pretty pleased with it.  The gameplay allows for various combinations of singing and dancing roles, such that one person could both sing and dance, or the roles could be split between two different people (i.e., one person could do the dance while another person was singing).  This was especially helpful for party situations to encourage more timid guests to team up.  The online library in PlayStation Store contains about 90 songs available for purchase that have a dance routine associated with them.

 

For the dancing component, the SingStar display features an avatar in the bottom right corner which the player emulates.  It evalutes the player's dancing accuracy using inputs from both the PS Move Controller and the PS Eye camera, so it is quite accurate and, in my opinion, more challenging than XBox Kinect dancing games.  This aspect of the SingStar + Dance can be both a strength and a weakness depending on the situation....harder evaluations can be discouraging for party guests that do not normally dance, but they can also afford longer playability for someone who intends to use the game repeatedly over time.

 

One downside to the game for party use is that when using the Team Mode--particularly applicable when playing with large groups--any PlayStation Store-downloaded songs in your library are not available for play.  "Play solo" mode has to be used in order to take full advantage of your song library...not a deal-breaker, but it does restrict a player's options depending on what your priority is: larger selection of songs versus use of various team mode options (for example, Pass the Mic, Battle Mode, etc). 

 

One other limitation of the dance component of SingStar compared to other dance titles on the market is the lack of a tutorial mode.  Games like Dance Central offer a mode in which to practice different moves, breaking them down step-by-step to simplify the dancing.  SingStar does not have this, and takes a "jump right in with both feet" approach.  There is a practice mode in which a player can sing or dance without the pressure of being scored, but it doesn't really do anything in terms of slowing down the gameplay to make it easier for first-time dancers.

 

Good: Large song library, additional modes for large groups, simultaneous sing-and-dance gameplay options

Bad:  Limits on using downloaded songs, challenging/frustrating for first-time players, pay-per-song beyond in-game library

 

Just Dance 3 &4

 

Enter the competition: The Just Dance franchise.  I bought both 3 and 4 simultaneously just so I would have the additional song library for variety; but for the purposes of this comparison I'll limit myself to Just Dance 4 since it has significantly more features than its predecessor. 

 

Just Dance uses both the PlayStation Move and Eye to evaluate the player.  Up to four players can dance at once, provided there are enough Move Controllers available.  Although I am still unlocking content, there appears to be approximately 30-40 songs available for play in addition to alternate song versions and "mash-ups" for the fitness mode of the game. 

 

I thought that not having the actual music videos as the background for gameplay would be a major let-down, but Just Dance does quite a good job with avatars and theming for the various artists and songs--I imagine many of them are more interesting than the real-world music videos.  For example, the song "Final Countdown" features two dancing avatars dressed as wrestlers and the routine incorporates some wrestling-inspired moves.  Very entertaining.  Another nice feature for the dance aspect of the game is the use of dance move "prompts" at the bottom which show the next one or two upcoming move(s) in the routine.  I have also noticed that the scoring in Just Dance is significantly more forgiving than SingStar + Dance, which tends to make partygoers more receptive.  We observed that significantly more guests are willing to get up and participate with Just Dance compared to SingStar. 

 

Don't hesitate, participate!  Busting some moves in Just
Dance 4.

As indicated by the title, Just Dance 4 is primarily a dancing game, but also offers a "karaoke mode" in which the song lyrics are displayed along the bottom of the screen, and the PS Eye is used as the audio input device. However, the game does not evaluate or provide any feedback to the player on singing performance. This is a downside when compared to SingStar if the player desires fully scored singing and dancing features.

 

In addition to multi-player dance modes, Just Dance has a mission component where new content can be unlocked following completion of five tasks for each song; for example, achieving a four-star score, completing all "gold star" moves in a song, etc.   This is nice for large groups in that it provides potential team goals to collectively work toward, or a way for groups to compete against each other.  The additional content is unlocked in-game but also can be earned through a Ubisoft UPlay account via the PlayStation store.  As a solo player, I relish the prospect of unlocking new dance content and the missions offer incentive to come back to a particular song even after multiple play-throughs.

 

Good:  Multi-player dance options, dance move "cues," mission achievement component, easier scoring for newcomers

Bad:  No scoring/feedback for karaoke mode, somewhat limited song library

 

So who's the winner of this dance-off?  If you're looking for a dancing game, I would definitely say that Just Dance offers superior playability for both the solo dancer and for large groups or party situtations.  If you're looking for a solid singing game with a so-so dancing option, SingStar is still the way to go.  They're both pretty inexpensive at this point, so you may as well get a used copy of both games from GameStop!