DJ Hero books October 27 gig

With Guitar Hero 5's release date set for September 1, Activision had left a hole in its release schedule around the franchise's previously favored late October launch window. That hole won't go unfilled, as the publisher confirmed to Joystiq that its upstart music game, DJ Hero, is set for an October 27 North American launch and simply "late October" in other markets.

DJ Hero will feature 100 individual songs in 80 all-new mixes previously unavailable to the public, with a number of licensed disc-scratchers, including DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Shadow, DJ AM, DJ Z-Trip, Grandmaster Flash, Tiesto, and DJ Yoda. That crew will be mashing up familiar songs from a wide variety of artists, from Daft Punk to Tears for Fears.

The game will also pack in a new turntable peripheral, with retailers accepting preorders for a standard edition bundle at $120, and a Renegade Edition package for $200. The Renegade bundle will contain a "premium" black-and-gold turntable controller and a hard-shell carrying case that converts to a stand, so gamers can easily take their kits on the road to battle the DJ masses. A pair of CDs from Jay-Z and Eminem will also be included featuring unreleased tracks.

For more on DJ Hero, check out its appearance on the premiere episode of Today On the Spot (below).