Game: DJ Hero
Publisher: Activision
Platform: PS3, Wii, X360, PS2
Cost: $120/$200
Pros: Great music mixes, fun game play, a new twist to the music game genre, very addictive
Cons: Limited audience, small feature set, another rhythm game
Acquired via retail purchase
DJ Hero is a work of musical art. I have played both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, neither of which have gotten the same dancing, and dare I say, radio cranking effect that DJ Hero achieves. Bottom line, this game is addictive and immensely fun to play.
As you would imagine, DJ Hero follows the same formula of notes falling down an endless highway. You have three buttons on the top of the platter (record) that you have to hit in sequence. You earn stars. You have a point booster. This is where the similarities come to an end.
Like any new game, the first thing I did was play through the tutorial. Grand Master Flash held my hand as he taught me about scratching, crossfading, fader spikes, rewinds, and directional scratching. It was a bit much to take in at first. That said, after an hour or so of playing, I was crossfading and scratching with sheer enjoyment.
For those that are concerned about the initial learning curve, let not your heart be troubled, because the difficulty of this game scales very well. If you start out on the beginner difficulty, you only have to press a button on the platter when a colored bar comes down the screen. Easy has you doing scratches and matching up colors, with Medium adding in crossfades, Hard imposing directional scratches and fade spikes and Expert, well, that speeds the whole process up and really makes you prove yourself.
The biggest difference I noticed from other entries in the Guitar Hero brand was that missing a note does not cause a loud irritating noise that would stop the beat. This was always a big turn off for me in other games, because I might be rocking a song, miss a note, and get out of sync with the game. DJ Hero keeps the beat going, thus allowing you to remain in sync. On the negative side, this also means you won’t always notice when you miss a note, other than the score multiplier resetting back to one.
Yet another difference from other music games is that you can use euphoria (star power) as soon you gain it. You no longer need to wait until it fills the meter half way. It is also worth noting that there are now three bars to fill for euphoria. You will still want to plan your euphoria use carefully, but it is nice to trigger euphoria before you know the song is ending and you only have one bar to use.
Scoring remains much the same. If you hit all the notes, scratches, fades and spikes correctly, your score multiplier will increase. Much like playing lead guitar any of the other music games, your normal multiplier maxes out at four. This is where rewinds come in. If you manage to hit enough notes in order, the rewind ability becomes active. This allows you to spin the platter in reverse and run through a sequence a second time. Though, on the second pass, you can get double the score multiplier. Mastering rewinds is crucial to getting five stars on songs. With practice, you’ll be spinning the platter in reverse and catching the note buttons without even looking down.
Another nicety is that there is little distraction from the music. Lets face it, when star power is available in Guitar Hero or Rock Band, the sound the game makes can pull you out of a song. DJ Hero keeps these sounds subtle. Text pops up on the screen telling you that rewind has became available and the green reverse arrow lights up. When Euphoria becomes available, the bars on the right side of the highway light up. Also, the euphoria button on the turntable controller lights up. It is a nice touch.
As solid are the core mechanics are, this game would be nothing had it not been for the music. There are 93 mixes available in the game, which sounds like a lot, but you may hear the same song repeated in several mixes. This is true of songs from artists like Cypress Hill, Gwen Stefani, and Gorillaz. There are some mixes that you will see the song titles, and ask yourself “what the heck?” However, once you start playing the mix, you’ll find yourself really liking it. This is a testament to the skill of the DJs behind each track.
There are 20 venues to play, all of which contain a wide range of different track counts. Hell, there are even venues where you will only see two mixes listed. Once you have met the requirements of the location, usually achieving a three star rating on all of the songs, you will be invited to play the bonus mix. Some venues even have you playing as the actual DJ. If you manage to find the Daft Punk venue, and you will be playing as Daft Punk for the entire setlist!
The visuals on the game are pretty much on par for this style and genre of game, not that it will really matter with your eyes focused on the center of the screen. So, pretty much all you will see is black, green, red, and blue. Though fairly predictable, the backgrounds do have some thought put into them. Dancers will also do real club dance moves, spin poi around, and try and get the crowd excited. Special effects attempt to add to this atmosphere as well, just be prepared to see lots of screen flashes and strobes.
All of this adds up to a very engaging game, though it is not all ecstasy in the club. One of the biggest annoyances is that after you finish a mix, the music stops as it displays your score and star count. It would have been nice to have some sort of transitional music going, to try and illustrate how a DJ would transition from one mix to another. This would also help keep the flow of the game going without pause.
Another downfall is the feature set. You have a single player mode, two player mode with a second turntable, and two player where one plays a guitar (imagine that), along with online play, and create your own set lists. It would be remiss to neglect to mention that the guitar sections are hit or miss in terms of quality. When you play solo and have a venue with a guitar, it will put you on the left side and the guitar on the right. Why? I am glad these are far and few between, and this is only a minor annoyance.
Overall, the game does a good job of breaking the ice and bringing you into the DJ world, but keep in mind that the sets on which your DJ plays are highly exaggerated. This game will not teach you how to mix songs, nor will it teach you how to transition from one mix to another. What would have been awesome to see is some interviews with DJ’s like Grand Master Flash, Daft Punk, DJ Shadow, and DJ Z-Trip, just to name a few, included with the game as an unlockable bonus.
This is a great addition to the “__ Hero” family of games. If you are on the fence about picking up DJ Hero, you might be pleasantly surprised at how fun and enjoyable it is. Those you you who enjoy techno, house music, hip-hop, or rock music owe it to yourself to at least give it a look.
One of the goals of this game was to shine a light on the masterful work of DJ’s, and it has achieved that goal with flying colors. Another goal was to bring an interest to turntables/mixers, and it once again accomplished what it set out to do. Most importantly, DJ Hero brings a new level of fun and excitement to the music game genre.
Popularity: unranked [?]
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