- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: FreeStyleGames
- ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
- Genre: Music/Rhythm
- Pros: Nifty new controller; fun gameplay; tons of tracks
- Cons: Crossfader wonkiness; price
I’ll come clean right from the start. I have no clue whatsoever how real DJ-ing works. Never touched a turntable before. Unlike Guitar Hero where I slipped right into that gameplay and the peripheral and everything because I was familiar with it, DJ Hero and it’s new controller were completely alien to me when I started. Even watching trailers and gameplay videos before the game launched I had no idea how any of it worked. After playing through the tutorials, I found a game that was surprisingly intuitive and a tracklist that had been carefully selected to make it as accessible as possible for everyone. I found a game that was good, period, and you don’t need to be a huge hip-hop fan or have an extensive knowledge of how to DJ to appreciate it.
DJ Hero is a bit spendy at $120, but you get a fully featured game stuffed with 93 mixes to play through along with a great new turntable controller. The controller is surprisingly heavy and solid and well made. There also doesn’t seem to be much room for improvement, so when the inevitable sequel(s) hits you shouldn’t need to pick up another bundle. Gameplay modes include quick setlists, a handful of songs you can use your guitar controllers on, Xbox Live play, and a career mode where you unlock songs and new DJ’s, tables, etc.
Gameplay
That all applies to the gameplay like this. The note highway only has three lanes – one for each of the buttons on the platter. Different “notes” will scroll down showing what button you have to use, but also how you are supposed to play it. Sometimes you just press a button, sometimes you have to hold a button down and “scratch” by moving the platter back and forth, and sometimes there are directional scratches where you have to follow arrows and move the platter in the indicated direction. If you play well, you earn Euphoria (star power) as well as the ability to rewind the track a few seconds to replay a section again for max points.
The game gets really tricky when you throw in the crossfader. All songs in DJ Hero are mixes of two songs mashed together, and the crossfader is what switches between the two songs. You use it when the green or blue lines on the note highway move to the left or right – you move the crossfader left or right accordingly. The crossfader is pretty touchy, and switching left to right and back to center quickly and accurately takes a bit of practice.
Graphics
There isn’t much to say about the way the game looks. The note highway is nice and clear and the characters are kind of ugly. Par for the course. Music games don’t have to look good.
Sound
The sound is the important part, and DJ Hero sounds great. The soundtrack is amazingly accessible since the tracks you are mixing are all pretty mainstream. You are generally mixing hip-hop tracks with rock or pop and you probably already know all of these songs. When you’re mixing two good songs you already like together, it is hard not to like the end result. DJ Hero is like the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups of videogames. Two great tastes that taste great together.
Bottom Line
