This is my karaoke nightmare: I grab the microphone, ready to belt my soul out to the world (or at least the four unfortunate people sitting closest to me), and I can't find a song I want. I stand there for five, 10, 20 minutes, and I can't find a song that I like, that I can sing, or even that I know. I'm holding up the group. I'm not participating. I'm not contributing. Everyone's eyes are on me. Oh, and I look down and realize I'm in my underwear.

If Konami delivers with Karaoke Joysound, coming out for the Wii this fall, my nightmares could be over. See, Karaoke Joysound isn't just another music game where you're limited to a very narrow set of songs on disc or through DLC. The online Joysound library goes beyond double or even triple digits to claim over 1000 English language songs, with new songs added monthly. In fact, Joysound maker Xing is in the business of producing karaoke equipment and offering song library access subscriptions to actual karaoke bars and other businesses.

Konami hasn't gone into detail over what songs to expect, but a quick investigation by Nintendo World Report suggests that the following songs may show up in the game (included in parentheses is the artist known for performing the song, though it appears Karaoke Joysound will credit each song with the writers instead):

• "Womanizer" (Britney Spears)
• "Crazy in Love" (Beyoncé / Jay-Z)
• "How You Remind Me" (Nickelback)
• "Heartbreak Hotel" (Elvis Presley)
• "Teenage Dream" (Katy Perry)
• "ABC" (The Jackson 5)
• "I Will Always Love You" (Whitney Houston (or Dolly Parton?))
• "Material Girl" (Madonna)
• "Oops!... I Did It Again" (Britney Spears)
• "Hey There Delilah" (Plain White T's)
• "Take on Me" (A-ha)
• "All Star" (Smash Mouth)
• "Alone" (Heart)
• "America's Suitehearts" (Fall Out Boy)
• "Apologize" (OneRepublic)
• "Baby Love" (The Supremes)
• "Bubbly" (Colbie Caillat)
• "Celebration" (Kool & the Gang)
• "Dance to the Music" (Sly and the Family Stone)
• "Endless Love" (Lionel Richie / Diana Ross)

Konami hasn't yet announced the full extent of the game's song list, nor what songs will come on disc and what will only be available online.

However, all those songs don't come for free. Wii owners will have access to more than 30 hit songs on the Karaoke Joysound disc itself that they can presumably play whenever they want without ever hopping online. But Konami and Xing have designed an "all-you-can-sing" rental scheme for their extensive online offerings where you'll have to use Wii Points to purchase either one-day, three-day, or 30-day access (which cost 500, 1000, and 3000 Wii Points respectively).

Karaoke Joysound lets singers queue up additional songs even while someone is still singing (the Japanese version allowed for 19 additional songs to be lined up for play), and supports two microphones. Hopefully reflecting what North American owners can expect when they get the game, the Japanese version of Karaoke Joysound also allowed users to adjust their microphone volume, adjust echo levels, adjust the music's key and speed, fast-forward through music, and adjust the volume of the song's melody.

These songs can be experienced through Avatar Mode, where users can import their Miis and customize their venue's stage and background. Other activities include Battle Mode, which admits two singers to a croon-off and declaring one the winner afterwards, and Standard Mode, which may play a non-customized generic video in the background while you sing.

Additionally, singers apparently earn points, or "Taves," as they appear to be labeled in screenshots, based on their performances. These can be spent on things like outfits for Mii-based avatars, different mics to hold (including humor-based mics like tuna fish and baseball bats), and also stages and stage props. Early screenshots and video suggest there could be as many as 78 outfits to wear, 30 microphones to accessorize with, and perhaps up to 60 stage items players can arrange around their singer. Some of the trailer footage also suggests certain items may start "locked," which could mean players unlock them by completing certain in-game tasks.

If all that wasn't enough, Karaoke Joysound also has mini-games that support up to eight players, according to the game's website, some of which could involve using your voice and the game's microphones to play in some way. Another example of something Western singers could hope to find in Karaoke Joysound is the music tutorial/training mode from the Japanese retail version of the game. This mode had music-oriented quizzes, as well as interactive mini-games that used your own voice to practice musical tones.

Karaoke Joysound is slated for release on the Wii later this fall, and Konami has previously mentioned a bundle edition of the game that includes two microphones right off the bat. Stay tuned to Nintendo World Report for more coverage as the game's debut performance on the American stage draws near.