With only five songs on the DJ Hero demo disk, I still played the game for three straight hours. I could essentially sing all of the songs to you now, but you wouldn't want that (trust me). When screens for DJ Hero first appeared, I, like so many others, was going "wtf?" After seeing a live demo at E3 2009, the game started to make more sense, but I was still feeling a bit left out. It's all finally fallen into place having played the actual game. You'd be surprised-- it's no small task. Read on to find out what I thought of DJ Hero in all it's remixed glory.
So, to start, I went ahead and did the tutorial. I am no DJ, so when you say "crossfade" I say "huh?" That's not to say I am entirely ignorant about DJing, otherwise DJ Hero would have been ten times harder. You have five things to worry about (until you reach higher difficulties): the three buttons, the scratch disk, and the crossfader. For those in the dark, crossfading allows the DJ to quiet one track so another track can play solo. When the crossfader is in the middle, both tracks are audible. That said, five things to worry about is a lot. The game is pretty overwhelming at first, just learning the basics. Crossfading isn't even a problem until Medium level!
So, once you have figured out how the darn thing works, the next step is tackling it, possibly even more challenging. I found it easier to start at Hard, and work down to Medium. It is all very overwhelming with things coming out of nowhere and happening at the same time. Unlike Guitar Hero, which I have seen four year-olds rock at, DJ Hero certainly has a steeper learning curve. I wouldn't consider this a family game simply because it requires a high level of comprehension and concentration. To a practiced DJ, the song mixes and commands might make more sense, but to anyone new to the idea, it's a very confusing situation. The off beat becomes a constant companion, as well as keeping good rhythm. The game is scored based on how well you can maintain the beat, not how many notes you get right. Also, unlike Guitar Hero, the eclectic mixes make it hard to know what is coming next. These aren't songs with predictable choruses.
Next are the bells and whistles you can mess with while playing. You have your Euphoria, which is achieved by getting a perfect in the Euphoria zones (essentially Star Power from Guitar Hero). There are also effects zones and freestyle sample zones. Besides the basic five controls, there are two more: the Euphoria button (glows red when you have Euphoria ready) and the effects dial (allows you to select from a list of sample effects that can be used in the freestyle sample zones). I highly suggest ignoring these features until you can successfully finish a song. For more advanced levels, there is crossfader spike and Rewind. Rewind allows the player to rewind a section of a song using the scratch disk to gain higher points.
DJ Hero will feature a DJ + Guitar multiplayer section. The game includes both co-op and online multiplayer modes. DJ + Guitar is certainly an odd combination, but it works. For friends that don't know DJ hero well, the guitar is a fun way to enjoy the music and to avoid worrying about sweating over the turntable. DJ + DJ is also a multiplayer option if you are fortunate enough to have a buddy who owns the game as well.
A lot of the song combinations are certainly unique, with everything from Eminem, to Beck, to Daft Punk. At first I wasn't sure if any of these would even sound right, but from what I have heard so far, they did an excellent job on the remixes. The worst part is me messing it up every five seconds. Curse you crossfader! For a complete set list, click here.
The videos that play behind all the action are rather entertaining. Bright colors and flashing lights seem to be a reoccurring theme, as well as a sexy lady who wears a skin-tight outfit. As the game progresses players can pick other venues to perform at, but what you see is basically what you get. Be prepared for a considerable amount of psychedelic, albeit distracting backgrounds.
Conclusion? While the game is a far cry from easy, it is highly entertaining. The harder difficulties really incorporate the feel of being a DJ, all the way down to the smooth spin of the scratch disk. The turntable itself is well constructed, with a full set of controls at the top for moving around the game interface. While the songs might get old quickly to anyone not fully sold on techno music, the tracks are still impressive. A refreshing twist on music games, I give DJ Hero two thumbs up.
