The last few days of my life have been a hip-hop extravaganza. My thoughts were always some lame songs from the 90s that I was attempting to remix in my head. My music playlist at home was set from “indie” to “rap” and for five days, I was king of the ‘wanksters.’ This is all thanks to DJ Hero 2, a slick, feature-packed sequel to the 2009 rhythm game. DJ Hero 2 is everything that you wanted in the first, with the “Party” mode which will undoubtedly be a smash at, well, you know, parties. Party mode may be my favorite addition to the series, since it should almost be a crime as to how easy it is to jump in and out of. It goes a little something like this. You can start the game and at the initial title screen, hit X or the blue button on the turn table and bam, an endless stream of music is playing with no loading screens. Up to three players can join (two on turntables, one on a microphone) or quit the game at any time. You can now play the game using a microphone, with lyrics hoping back and forth between tracks. It’s a cool addition, if just to add another person into the mix. If no one feels like playing, you can just let the sexy playlist bump. To be honest, I left the game in party mode a lot in my house, so I could have the music playing, and if I really was feeling it, I’d join the game for a minute to bust out a few songs. Scoring is not an element of Party mode, but it’s all about just enjoying the music and playing a few tracks with whoever’s closest. Since there are over 90 tracks on the game’s soundtrack, you can let party mode go on for some time without hearing the same song twice. Even better, those 90 tracks I mentioned are all great and well varied. Rock is a lot less prevalent this time around plus the gimmicky guitar feature has been booted from the game. You’ve got all the great such as “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa to some good new stuff by Drake, Lady Gaga, and some mixes from DeadMau5 and other DJs. I couldn’t help but play songs I would never listen to, but sounded fantastic mashed up with another artist (cough, Rihanna, cough).
Point being, the soundtrack is sexy as hell, a vast improvement over the first. If you don’t feel like sharing, you can run through the campaign aptly titled “Empire.” The gist of Empire mode is you are a DJ travelling the world, busting out some sick beats by new and old artists, as well as some of today’s thriving DJs. Nothing happens in the way of plot, other than facing off against some DJs like RZA or DJ Qbert, but who honestly wants a compelling story in their rhythm games. You play in various countries or stages, each comprised of mixes with 1-3 songs. While you are incapable of “failing” at any point in DJ Hero other than the “battles,” you must try to land a decent score to earn 1-5 stars for every song. The more stars you earn, the further you can progress in Empire. There are a few different clubs that can be played in, each with its own reactions to each and every song. Yes, the background of the game reacts to each beat differently, and will react wildly during the new “freestyle” segments. As I stated previously, there is a plethora of additions to DJ Hero 2 and some of these include freestyle sampling, freestyle crossfading, and freestyle scratching. Freestyle crossfading is easily the best addition, which allows you to briefly flip back and forth between the two mashed songs, essentially aiming to make it match the beat. Freestyle sampling received a much-needed update, with all the samples coming from mix you are currently playing. Tap the red button on the turntable to whatever rhythm you think suits the song, but instead of a generic, out of place “yeah” you’ll hear a lyric or beat from one of the current songs. Freestyle scratching isn’t all that different from the continuous scratching from the first game, but with freestyle scratching, you are able to spin the record as slow or fast or in whatever direction you feel necessary without repercussion.
All the freestyle segments will deliver a higher or lower score at the end depending on if the game thought you weren’t just sporadically mashing and spinning and actually trying to mix the song. All three of these additions help deliver fresh experiences with each replay of a song. Outside of freestyling, there have been a few other updates to the gameplay, which also bring the feeling of being a DJ closer. A few additions have been added to directional scratching, with long, single scratches in one direction. These are more prevalent in hard mode and above, but they are another small but great addition. On top of all this, the game seems to have improved controls. While I loved DJ Hero 1, the timing felt “off” and that was after attempting to recalibrate the turntable numerous times. This time around, hitting notes and swapping tracks with the crossfader seem to respond to the turntable a bit better and quicker this time around. Learning the mechanics just seemed easier this time around, but that’s not to say DJ Hero 2 is any easier than the first. There’s a lot more variation in the gameplay, so expert players will love the new challenges brought forth by these additions. I was pretty damn good at the first game on Hard, but with the new gameplay elements, hard was a tad bit more difficult. The variation feels heavily rewarding, bringing you that much closer to the song. If you are nailing a song, I can assure you that you’ll attempt to dance to the beat while mixing. There are plenty of features available for Xbox Live this time around; including the updated “battle” mode that pits one DJ against another in a variety of modes. There are modes like “star battle” that urge players to try and finish the song with a higher star count than the opponent, as well as ”checkpoint” that has two DJs vie to do better than one another in the checkpoints of a song. The checkpoints typically comprise 1/10th of a song, so whoever can score the most checkpoints wins the match. If you’ve unlocked some of the “power decks” in the game that affect gameplay elements, there is a special mode to battle other players online using said decks.
There is a ton for enthusiasts to unlock including, new DJs, decks, outfits, and headphones by collecting stars in Empire mode. Some other small additions that will flesh out as more people play the game include the ability to “like” certain tracks as well as loads o’ leaderboards. The visual aesthetic is great, as I mentioned earlier, with backgrounds that are hardly distracting, but if you take the time to look, you’ll see that lights are pulsing with the beat and screens are flashing lyrics from the song. A lot more love went into the ever-changing club, while keeping from being an unwelcome distraction. DJ Hero is worth every penny. Especially if you’re looking for an alternative to the “band” games flooding store shelves. I’m more in tune with the rap genre, and even though it’s not a particular love of mine, DJ Hero 2 is the first rhythm game in a few years that I was sucked into and couldn’t put down. Party mode will certainly be a hit with friends if you are willing to splurge on the “Party Bundle.” If you played DJ Hero 1 and loved it but wished for more, DJ Hero 2 contains everything you could want for the series. While I have no really complaints other than the ludicrous difficult on Expert, those who are willing to invest the time will be playing with the best in no time. If you hadn’t heard the launch price is a bit cheaper this time around, with the turntable bundle clocking in at $99.99 and the party bundle including the game, 2 turntables and a microphone will set you back $149.99, which is not bad considering the contents especially the idea of the tantalizing party mode. Want to be a DJ, but you’re too busy playing video games? Pick up DJ Hero 2 as it’s easily the best rhythm game released so far this year and quite possibly a contender for my favorite rhythm game ever.
