Format – PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii
Developers – FreeStyleGames
Publishers – Activision
DJ Hero comes with 94 mixes on the disc as well as new mixes being released as downloadable content. The game consists of various set lists in which you play all of the mixes. Is also has online head-to-head and quick play game modes. It doesn’t sound like a lot and it isn’t.
First of all, and probably the most important thing, is the turntable controller. The design is simple but effective. You have the actual turntable which feels good when you are scratching it or triggering a rewind. The turntable does not have any lock meaning it can spin in any direction forever. The buttons on top of the turntable are also good as they are big and clear, but can be a little sensitive. You could lose your combo because of this, if your finger grazes another button. The cross fader, too, is a little sensitive; if you don’t guide it carefully back to the middle you will switch to the other track and, again, lose your combo. The effects dial works well but does feel a little cheap when you are using it, almost as if it would break after a lot of use. Finally there is the euphoria button. It is just a normal button, big enough to hit easily and doesn’t feel cheap. Overall it is a good, sturdy controller but some of the controls can be a bit annoying to use.
Despite there not being a lot of it, the gameplay makes this game what it is. The basic gameplay is similar to that of Guitar Hero. Different coloured gems come down the highway and you have to hit them using the controller. DJ Hero has a lot of different inputs that affect the music you hear. You have the green and blue buttons which affect the two tracks being mixed together, the red button that throws samples into the mix, the cross fader switches between the two tracks, the effects dial changes the sounds of the mix and scratching scratches the corresponding track.
The game itself is very similar to all of the other music games out there. It has songs that you play through in the career mode and then can replay them in quickplay mode, alongside an online mode. It’s not extensive by any means but it is still fun. The career mode is not really a career mode as there is no story. It is as simple as picking a character, which you can change for every set if you wish, and unlocking stars. The whole objective is to collect all of the stars in the game and that is it. Unlocking stars allows you to choose different DJs, outfits and decks. You cannot make your own DJ meaning you won’t feel any kind of attachment to any of the various DJs you may unlock. So basically the whole game is just about gaining 5 stars for every one of the 94 mixes in the game. So what is there to do after that?
After collecting all of the stars you can move on to quickplay. Quickplay mode allows you to play any of the 94 mixes, 8 at a time, resulting in a pretty standard quickplay mode. There are also 10 of the mixes in the game that allow you to play with a guitar controller as well as the turntable controller. It certainly adds a good co-op mode for those not wanting to pay for a second turntable controller to play DJ vs DJ mode ((given the RRP of the extra peripheral this may not be the most appealing nor sensible option to most gamers). The guitar gameplay is exactly the same as Guitar Hero 5′s.
The online mode is nothing new, nor does it have a lot of variation. There is one type of online game, head-to-head (you versus another online player). Whether you make a game, join a game or invite a friend to a game it is all the same mode. You can choose one of the pre-made setlists to play or you can choose a quicklist of up to 8 different mixes to play. The player with the most stars at the end of the set wins. Simple. The online could definitely have been improved with a few different modes. Maybe a 4 player head-to-head (to-head-to-head) mode would have been good or perhaps a DJ and Guitar vs. DJ and Guitar mode.
Overall, I think the gameplay is good enough to justify buying this game and I’m sure the flaws will be improved upon for DJ Hero 2. Hopefully the sequel will have more online modes and an actual career mode but as a first attempt at something new FreeStyleGames have done well. They should be proud. DJ Hero is an exciting and fun experience that isn’t matched by any other music-based game that was released in 2009.
