The cost of admission is high but the buzz is so, so worth it. Activision spins itself a new success story with DJ Hero in time for Christmas.
Wow! Our number one rule when appraising any new game is that it must make us sit up and pay attention. Sometimes it’s the visuals. Sometimes it’s a new way to play. DJ Hero combines flair for both, adding its own musical adventure, right between the eyes.
No doubt about it, the team at FreeStyle Games have cooked up a winner here, and we’re sure they must already know it. As the boxed sets containing a multi-featured turntable and game roll out this weekend, FreeStyle must be thrilled about the impact it’s sure to have. Like Guitar Hero before it, DJ Hero has the power to give almost anyone a thirst for scratching, cross-fading and free-styling. Enjoying the uplifting, sexy and often humorous mixes are one thing. How you interact is the killer.
Don’t be a fool first of all. This isn’t a DJ simulator, it won’t teach you how to really DJ. A shame, because after Grand Master Flash is through with the tutorial – yes, it’s really the big man himself – you’ll wish that you could boast of being taught the fine art of scratching from such a legend. Alas you’ll just have to do with a terrific game of matching on-screen-symbols to increasingly complex button combinations using a DJ style turntable controller. It’s an absolutely fascinating challenge, addictive as hell.
Here’s how it works, more or less: There are three tracks played using three large buttons on the turntable platter (if you're left-handed you can assemble the deck to suit). Your most basic skill is to push each one when corresponding buttons appear on screen. Hit them without mishap and your score begins multiplying. Miss a beat and your points take a tumble. A stage on from that and you’re already scratching, a series of zig-zags indicating a random to and fro movement of the platter. In hard difficulty or above, however, you’re required to match precise up or down movements – tricky enough all by itself. But add to this the cross-fader, that’ll have you switching tracks on and off, or quickly Cross Fade Spiking for special effects and you already have your hands full. Put this all together and you will certainly feel like a DJ Hero as Eminem with Beck, or Gorillaz with Blondie blasts out of the sound system… probably just your TV but good enough.
Yours truly started off with the volume respectfully low during the tutorial, but it was already creeping up by the time I’d learned how to combine rewinding tracks with the Euphoria button (active after a perfectly matched section) for silly score multipliers. A couple of hours later, my right arm getting seriously tired, I was determined to keep going and earn my stars (being the currency in this game) to unlock new DJs, Decks, Outfits, Venues, and… you name it I wanted it. By this time my TV speakers were borderline distorted. I’ll be hooking up my Xbox to the hi-fi this weekend.
Basically as soon as you get the turntable controller out of the box you’re going to be happy. Perhaps some of you remember feeling similar excitement upon the arrival of Konami’s BeatMania in the summer of 2000? DJ Hero is evidence that there really has been a decade of progress since that time! FreeStyle Games has created a modern classic in DJ Hero, the guys have got everything spot on – an astonishing videogame and a magical musical thrill ride with respect paid in all the right places.
For sure £99.99 RRP is serious money even at Christmas. However with so many of the world’s biggest name DJs offering support, the download content to come looks to be very exciting for anyone who loves gaming and mixing in equal measure.
5 out of 5