Lips is a singing game in the vein of Sony's SingStar series. Much like karaoke, players sing along to the lyrics of songs displayed on-screen. The game judges you based on pitch, earning points for accurate singing. At certain points, players are prompted to perform gestures with the microphone, activating the bonus "Star Stream" mode for more points.
Lips can be played in Solo, VS, or Co-Op modes. In Solo play, a second player can join by shaking their wireless mike, creating a multiplayer game. VS mode is a battle for the highest score, while Co-Op has players working together to achieve a high score. If both players trigger Star Stream simultaneously in co-op, their star bonuses are doubled.
There are also special game modes: in Kiss, the on-screen couple gets closer together with better singing. When they get close enough, you'll be prompted to tilt your mikes up to make them kiss. Time Bomb lights a bomb's fuse at the start of the song. By singing well, you'll fill a glass with water - use it to extinguish the fuse.
Players can also add sound effects using a controller as a Noise Maker. This allows them to add snapping fingers, cowbells, tambourines, and crowd noise to the song.
The song list varies by region, with certain tracks only included in specific versions. The main track list shared across versions includes:
Avril Lavigne - Complicated
Ben E. King - Stand By Me
Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire
Kylie Minogue - Love At First Sight
Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder
Men At Work - Be Good Johnny
Morcheeba - Rome Wasn't Built In A Day
Olivia Newton-John - Magic
Peter, Bjorn And John - Young Folks
Queen - Another One Bites The Dust
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
Rhianna feat. Jay-Z - Umbrella
Roxette - Listen To Your Heart
Sara Bareilles - Love Song
Sheryl Crow - Soak Up The Sun
Silverchair - Straight Lines
The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
The Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Weezer - Island In The Sun
You can add more songs to the mix by purchasing new tracks from Xbox Live Marketplace or importing your own MP3 player files. You can also send track information to Microsoft to suggest new songs for download.