It's about to get real up in this...
“So look it here check the flavor of the rhythm I wrote and while I got chance here let me clear my throat.” –DJ Kool
After devoting a good chuck of time to this game, it’s time I spit some fire bout it. Deliverin’ the truth like a record drops a beat, DJ Pandamic (What I call myself when I’m playin’ it) will walk you through the upbeats and the downbeats. So get your hands ready for the fantastic voyage that is DJ Hero.
Fo’ a recap Activision published this joint. It is a rhythm-based game modeled after it’s one hit wonder game Guitar Hero. FreeStyleGames developed it. Their first title, B-Boy got released in North America in 2008 for the PSP. If this name sounds familiar they are responsible for two titles in 2007: Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam and Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble.
So lets lay one track down at a time and see what kind of trip it takes us on, and I’m gonna need some help from the maestro please!
Gameplay:
To play this game you gotta have the right equipment and a swagger to match, but that comes later. First and most importantly you need to master the turntable peripheral. (Playing the tutorial is a *must* if you want to excel in this game.) Just like its ancestor Guitar Hero, you have to hit the three colored buttons in sync with the corresponding nodes as they hit the strike zone. However the new elements comprise of: scratching, cross fading, and mixing. So while you are ‘zugga zuggin’ or scratching with your main hand, your other hand has its own stuff goin’ on.
It is always good to check out the other modes in this game as well as the various ranges in difficulty. This makes it accessible to everyone who just enjoys having a good time. So if you have a hard time on easy, or you have a kid around who just wants to play, you can step back a notch to beginniner, and have at it.
Multiplayer:
There is a multiplayer option in this game, which allows a DJ to collaborate or battle. DJs can collaborate and battle with guitars or they can compete against another DJ.
When battling, the difficulty is set for both right out the gate, so you are both equal.
In my experiences playing competitively with another DJ, I didn’t feel that urge to beat the ever-loving crap out of her. (At the time, I played against my older sister.)
It fails at being competitive, or rather succeeds at being competitive. The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t feel like a competition at all. The whole time I was playing, I was too busy enjoying the mix to give a crap about what the numbers said. It unifies two DJs instead of separating them.
Even though this game is marketed as a party game, it does have its learning curve. Jumping straight into this will only lead to a rage quit and some minor property damage. So, take the time to get it right, and you’ll play all night! Ya feel me?
Result:
5 of 5
Visuals:
By today’s gaming graphic standards, most of us would say the graphics are nothing to write home about. However the style is unique and artistically sound for the game series. The various venues are thumping to the beats we provide to them as the DJs we play. The customization is a lot more thought out this time around even though it is not as free range as other rhythm-based games we are familiar with. All in all, being able to choose new sprites along with a few that were modeled after some of greats in the DJ circuit are good things. Customizing your deck, style color, freestylin’ samples and your signature headphones are perks simple perks.
Fo’ what the game is tryin’ to depict its fresh and innovative and because of that it also eliminates the one issue I had with its ancestor Guitar Hero. I don’t know about you guys, but I noticed if I played Guitar Hero for too long I would begin to see things stretch out. This is an illusion brought on from a linear highway that we are focus on in the game. DJ Hero’s highway is curved, like a record baby right round… round round. (Sorry, I had to do that ☺.) So this increases the amount of time you can play without dealing with eye issues. (Yay!)
Result: 5 of 5
Soundtrack:
The music is pure audio fire. The set list has 93 mashups, most of which, if not all of them, will get a foot tappin’ or a head bobbin’. Great thing about these mashups is that they aren’t just current music that we all listen to on the radio. DJ Kool said it best: “It’s that o’ skool rap with that new skool hit”. If only he had been talking about DJ Hero, but since he wasn’t then, I will now.
The mashups that mix some old school with new school joints really capture the essence of what DJin’ is all about: making something new with what you got. It also allows for some who don’t know a damn thing about it, to learn it real quick.
If there is any downfall with the music selection, it is the ability for tracks to repeat themselves. In my initial playthrough I heard Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back” more times than I cared to. Its mashups are good tracks don’t get me wrong, but give a girl some space…Geez.
DLC will happen on the regular for DJ Hero via its online store. To get that ball rolling, some DLC was already available when the game released in October of this year.
Expect more fun than anything else out of this title.
Result: 4 of 5
Overall Rating: 14 of 15.
This is definitely a game that should be played if you are big into the interactive gaming scene. It is a *must* if you are a lover of rhythm-based games. It will add to your steadily growing collection of peripherals but one more couldn’t hurt right?
For people who aren’t musically inclined, this could be something that you play at a party and will never touch again—but for the few minutes of musical bliss, you will enjoy yourself.
The only things that I saw as shortcomings were the hint of repetitive music, and the pronounced learning curve early on in the game.
It was great to get my hands on this, and it definitely deserves recognition for stepping out the box in terms of what it actually simulates. Note I said simulates. Many would argue that this game is pointless because it doesn’t actually teach you how to mix on actual turntables. To those people I say this and only this: It-is-a-game… it isn’t meant to teach you to be a DJ. There are classes for that.
For those of us who understand what this game allows us to do, I say let the good times roll…or scratch…mix maybe? You get the gist, now go forth you DJ Heroes! The world needs saving one mix at a time.
Labels: Activision, Pandalicious, Rhythm Based Games, XBox-360
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