It’s always exciting when a developer/publisher decides to take a video game genre that some may call overused and do something completely new with it, something we haven’t seen a hundred times before. This is the exact reaction nearly everyone who sees DJ Hero for the first time steps away with – and it eventually turns into excitement. FreeStyle Games is developing the first ever DJ simulation game that comes with its very own turntable hardware, for release on next-gen consoles this October. Last week we got some in-depth hands-on time with the revolutionary title and although it took a bit of practice to get the hang of it we came away very excited for the future of DJ video games. For fans of the “club scene” this game will feature one of, if not the, best soundtrack to ever hit the Xbox 360 – everyone from 50 Cent to Eminem to the Beastie Boys make appearances, and those are only a few of the big-name artists. There are also a ton of smaller artists with top-notch scratches to get your groove-on to.
It would be a massive understatement to say that we were a bit nervous going into the preview event, feelings of overwhelming fear were coursing through our veins as we walked into the club in downtown Hollywood. It’s probably very similar to the feeling gamers got when picking up the guitar accessory years ago as Guitar Hero came onto the gaming scene. The turntable hardware is intimidating to look at – featuring a lifelike spinning record and countless buttons, switches, and knobs. Thankfully the developers on hand gave us some time to get used to the new controls via a tutorial mode that’s available at the start of the game. Once we got through that things began to brighten up a bit, and we felt as if we were born to do one thing – spin a record. The concept is simple: press the colored buttons that correspond to the notes coming down the track on the television, but this time around there are two tracks spinning simultaneously with a middle “scratch” track used for pumping up the action.
The investment gamers will have to put up at the beginning of this title’s lifecycle is not cheap and so it was obvious that Activision wanted to make sure the journalists at the event understood just how to use it. A couple hours into the event and we knew definitively that as long as the public gives the game a chance and gets to actually feel the DJ controller - there will be no issue in shelling out the money needed to pick up a copy on release day. On the left of the DJ Hero hardware is the actual turntable (can be flipped for right or left-handedness). The mixer side is all black, with a door on the top that reveals the somewhat standard Xbox 360 controls: four face buttons, a D-Pad, the Start and Back buttons and the “jewel” that brings up the dashboard (as well as the button for mating the controller to the console). Below that is a tall knob (for changing the “effects” sound), and to its left a large black button that starts up Euphoria, the DJ Hero version of the Star Power multiplier bonus. Below that set is a large slider lever, used for switching between tracks on the fly.
Once we flew through some of the tutorial mode with Grandmaster Flash we were ready to take a shot at the actual game, there is no “story” mode so it’s all about the music. Solo mode is exactly what you would think it should be: choose between a female or male character and take to the stage spinning your heart out to a custom playlist of your favorite songs (there are over 90 to choose from). Helping to extend the replay value of DJ Hero are four different difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert. Most of the event we stayed on easy only bumping up to medium after we felt we had the skills to actually enjoy the harder mode, and let’s be clear the game is by no means easy. It’s meant to ramp up with your personal skill level so the more practice and time you put into DJ Hero – the more enjoyment you will get out of the extra features. Multiplayer is a big part of DJ Hero giving DJ-wannabees the option of playing against or with another person on the same television. The developers also gave us a little peek at DJ/Guitar mode, which allows players to go side-by-side with one turntable controller and one guitar controller resulting in a heck of a good time.
There is a lot more for us to tell you about FreeStyle's upcoming music game but the rest of it is just going to have to wait for the detailed review. DJ Hero hits stores later this month and truely is one of the few “revolutionary” games coming out this Holiday season, if you are at all interested in the art of spinning music make sure to give the game a chance. We came away more than excited to spend some real quality time with it, so stay tuned for our full review closer to launch date – until then turn your hat sideways and get ready to mix-it-up, DJ Hero style.
