The big problem with rapping in a karaoke game is that all the vocal-based rhythm games out there are more interest in your pitch than your cadence or ability to shout rhymes. You could just hum into the mic in most cases and still do OK. Rapstar will use phoneme detection to attempt to figure out exactly what you're saying and when while multiple difficulty settings will determine how harshly the game treats you when you start screwing up. I performed a couple of tracks and it seems to work pretty well.
There's more to Rapstar than just performing the songs. Much like Sony's PS3 SingStar games, this game will let you record and share clips of your performances. The clips can be up to 30 seconds long, and they can be viewed on the game's website. Players will be able to organize geographically and represent their neighborhood. Clips can be rated, and when your scores are beaten, the game can drop you an e-mail to let you know it's time to get back in and play.
Your videos can go up raw, or you can change them up by adding graphical flourishes, like putting a crowd in the foreground or replacing the background with a beach or something like that. You'll have to scan the background to get that working, and it seems sort of like the same sketchy technology used in stuff like You're In The Movies. Still, the game's pretty early, so hopefully this aspect will get better over time.
Of course, a rhythm game is only as good as its music, really. The version 4mm Games is showing off has eight different tracks in it, and it included songs from T.I., Flo Rida, Notorious BIG, Kanye West, Young Jeezy, and the duo of Pete Rock & CL Smooth. It sounds like the goal is to span every era in hip-hop history, both in the game's on-disc soundtrack and in the planned downloadable content. Also, it's worth noting that the songs we saw were shown in their radio edited form. While they're shooting for a T rating, it also sounds like 4mm Games is at least considering the release of a separate, uncensored version of the game. Personally, I think that's totally key.
The guys at 4mm Games and Terminal Reality seem pretty focused on Def Jam Rapstar and have some interesting takes on existing ideas in the karaoke video game world. With the right soundtrack and continued post-release support in the form of additional songs, this could be a big deal. It's scheduled for release this winter.