Gamers beware, it’s that time of the year again where publishers are pumping out more than enough entertainment for anyone to handle; unfortunately Activision is making sure your wallet is super-dry this holiday season with the release of DJ Hero – yet another music game that requires a big-ass controller. Things could have gone very bad for the little DJ engine that could, it’s a super-big investment ($120 retail with turntable) and if it had ended-up a critical failure neon-colored heads would surely roll. When DJ Hero showed up at our office a couple weeks back there was a short argument over which of us had the “skills” needed to give the game a proper play-through. Somehow because I am the only writer old-enough to remember where Will Smith came from and who Grandmaster Flash exactly is – the 20 pound honor plopped onto my desk. Luckily I had some practice with my inner DJ earlier this year and really enjoyed that hands-on time, with my only negative being that I wasn’t actually good at spinning the DJ Hero digital-record. By the time you finish this review you will see that whether or not I am the spin-doctor I now claim to be, DJ Hero is one hell of a fun video game to play – and a unique experience at that.
This is one of those atypical video games that cannot be reviewed using a standard process; it has no story mode or campaign, and can be played for 5 minutes or 5 hours with little difference in player-result. Let me start this experience out by making sure that everyone reading this understands one thing, to truly enjoy the game that is DJ Hero it must be practiced, think of it like sex (or riding a bike). The first time I picked up the controller I actually laughed at myself, for the sideways hat and thumping foot did little to help the 2-star rating I earned. However, by hour twenty of this review period I was spinning the turntable and mashing those tri-colored buttons like I had been throwing rave parties my entire life (5-star performances are now a common occurrence). It’s not that DJ Hero is exactly complicated, because it’s gameplay is actually very simple; it’s just not something that most of us are used to doing. 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 (see above image), 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. 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, Jay-Z, 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. You can create your own varied playlists and even customize every aspect of how the song will play-out, leaving a massive amount of options for the gamer looking to bring out their inner DJ.
