A pleasant surprise, DJ Hero iterates and innovates the music/rhythm genre.
***The Turntable***
The most notable feature of this game is the new peripheral, a turntable. As with the basic guitars from Guitar Hero, the turntable is 100% plastic and feels a bit miniature (it's 14.5" x 9" and only about 2.5" tall). The turntable includes a free-spinning platter with three coloured buttons, a cross fade switch, an effects knob (choose between: Horn, Siren, Blam, Bullet, and Zap), and "Euphoria" button (i.e. Star Power). In the upper left corner, concealed by a plastic flap, you'll find the D-pad and other traditional controller buttons.
The core spinning motion of the platter feels solid, but the other buttons leave a little to be desired. The cross fader in particular suffers from a lack of distinction between left, centre, and right. There is a slight "notch" at centre, but it is quite subtle and when playing the game you'll often find yourself shifting clear past the notch, which causes more than a little frustration. It seems to me that a more defined centre or even something as simple as a raised nub in the centre (like the bump on the middle button of the guitar peripherals) would have helped this issue. Of lesser note, but nevertheless a disappointing oversight, the turntable is not ambidextrous. While the documentation mentions an "expansion" for lefties, I can't imagine that many south paws will want to pay extra for a feature that could have and should have been designed into the base product.
These complaints aside, the turntable serves its purpose adequately and its minor shortcomings are in no way an encumbrance to enjoying the game. That said, I'd be interested to see the types of third party turntables that will be offered if this game proves to be successful.
***Gameplay***
The music included in the game features exclusive mash-ups of various well-known tunes, created by famous DJs. I should quickly dispel a false notion: this is not "Hip-Hop" Hero. In addition to the usual suspects like Jay-Z, Eminem, or the Black Eyed Peas you will also find a wide array of other artists such as Beck, Gwen Stefani, Queen, Tears for Fears, and even Motörhead. The mixes themselves are rather creative and I found myself grooving along to songs to which I might not otherwise have chosen to listen.
For those of you not yet baptized into the club scene, the game includes a tutorial taught by none other than Grandmaster Flash. I have absolutely no DJ experience, but in one pass I felt sufficiently acclimated to the controls and jumped head-first into the quickplay mode. The familiar "note highway" returns, but this time with only three streams. The left and right each represent one of the two tracks, while the centre is for beats and effects. In addition to scratching, you'll be cross fading between two tracks, tapping buttons in time, and sounding effects like sirens and horns. Star Power has been renamed "Euphoria" but works exactly the same- you build up a meter and then activate it for score bonus.
The demo included two play modes, Solo DJ Quickplay and Co-op DJ + Guitar Quickplay. Solo DJ should be self-explanatory but co-op warrants a brief explanation. Co-op allows one player to spin while another riffs a guitar part. (The retail version will also feature DJ + DJ co-op and will be available online or off). The guitar gameplay is identical to Guitar Hero, but DJ + Guitar play is limited to certain special mixes as opposed to the entire set list. If you're flying solo but want to play these co-op tracks, have no fear- AI will control the other part.
There are four difficulties: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert. As you might expect, each level becomes more complex, no surprises there. However, on Easy the cross fader is omitted, leaving you to simply scratch the platter or tap buttons in rhythm. This mode is extremely rudimentary and should be accessible even to those with only the most basic rhythmic abilities. But unless you just can't survive a single track, I highly recommend starting on Medium because the game just isn't as fun without cross fading included.
The background scenery for each gig retains the same basic art style of Guitar Hero, but replaces the rock concert stages with a psychedelic club atmosphere. More importantly, the same old avatars like Judy Nails and Axel Steel have been replaced by new faces. Even Grandmaster Flash has his own avatar!
While the visuals are entertaining, the music is naturally the star of the show. And the selections available in the demo did not disappoint. The handful available blended old and new favourites to create a compelling sound that left me craving the full retail version's 93 mixes. Hearing these truly creative combinations gave me a genuine appreciation for DJs- their craft truly is an art. And while I can't promise that you'll love every track, there is something for everyone.
The music is in fact so compelling that on my first time out, even though I had only intended to play for a few minutes, I quickly lost over an hour to the game. In that time I never encountered any soreness or cramping but then again I also play piano, which may have given my fingers a leg up. I could see newcomers suffering some minor ill effects, but only until their hand muscles have had time to adapt.
The $120 price tag may be a barrier that some are simply unwilling to break- after all, that's two brand new triple-A games. But if you've given this game any thought whatsoever I strongly encourage you to give it a test drive. If nothing else, DJ Hero is a fresh take on the music genre and a game that offers a truly unique experience. The mechanics are accessible, the music is creative, and the whole package is quite entertaining.
***Notes***
This review is based on a demo kit I received from the Amazon.com Vine program prior to the general release date of the game. The demo kit included a wired turntable as opposed to the wireless unit packed in the retail version, which prevented me from commenting on battery life. More importantly, the set list contained only three solo mixes and one coop mix, so I wasn't given the opportunity to try out the entire list. I feel confident, though, that this taste was sufficient material on which to base this review.