About ten years ago, a friend introduced me to a strange new game called "Bust A Groove". This was one of the first examples of a genre then dubbed "rhythm-action", and it transformed my gaming world. Over the following few years, I sunk my teeth into DDR, Gitaroo Man, Amplitude, and even Donkey Konga.
 
Then, almost five years ago, I was the one introducing friends to a strange new game called "Guitar Hero", and they were the ones having their minds blown. The rest is history: Guitar Hero became super-popular; then, Rock Band exploded onto the scene with bass guitars, microphones, and even drums. Now, as must have been foretold in some awesome prophecy, DJ Hero has hit the main stage, putting little plastic turntables into the hands of the masses. And I couldn't be happier.
 
The Good: One of the only complaints that I ever had with Guitar Hero or Rock Band was that all they ever offered was rock music; mercifully, DJ Hero mashes together great songs from at least a half-dozen different genres. The game's controls take a little time to learn, but they're responsive to a fault, and once you've reached the game's Hard and Expert levels, you simply get into the zone and start feeling like a real DJ.  Looking back, I think DJ Hero's campaign mode actually made me blurt out "Holy shit! YES!!" more times than did Arkham Asylum, and that title was certified "Game of the Year" material.
 
The Bad: Although the "track" where the actual gameplay occurs does its job admirably, the rest of the game's graphics lack polish. And personally, I could've done without the campaign's co-op guitar sections, since any time the six-string's present, half of my screen gets taken up for no good reason. But beyond these minor complaints, I just wish that even more songs could've been incorporated into the game's long list of mixes. Thankfully, DJ Hero 2 is less than three months away!
 
The Stand-out Moment: NOISIA's challenging "Groundhog" earns its spot as the game's unofficial "final track".
 
The Verdict: 9.5 out of 10. October's sequel can't come soon enough!

About ten years ago, a friend introduced me to a strange new game called "Bust A Groove". This was one of the first examples of a genre then dubbed "rhythm-action", and it transformed my gaming world. Over the following few years, I sunk my teeth into DDR, Gitaroo Man, Amplitude, and even Donkey Konga.
 
Then, almost five years ago, I was the one introducing friends to a strange new game called "Guitar Hero", and they were the ones having their minds blown. The rest is history: Guitar Hero became super-popular; then, Rock Band exploded onto the scene with bass guitars, microphones, and even drums. Now, as must have been foretold in some awesome prophecy, DJ Hero has hit the main stage, putting little plastic turntables into the hands of the masses. And I couldn't be happier.
 
The Good: One of the only complaints that I ever had with Guitar Hero or Rock Band was that all they ever offered was rock music; mercifully, DJ Hero mashes together great songs from at least a half-dozen different genres. The game's controls take a little time to learn, but they're responsive to a fault, and once you've reached the game's Hard and Expert levels, you simply get into the zone and start feeling like a real DJ.  Looking back, I think DJ Hero's campaign mode actually made me blurt out "Holy shit! YES!!" more times than did Arkham Asylum, and that title was certified "Game of the Year" material.
 
The Bad: Although the "track" where the actual gameplay occurs does its job admirably, the rest of the game's graphics lack polish. And personally, I could've done without the campaign's co-op guitar sections, since any time the six-string's present, half of my screen gets taken up for no good reason. But beyond these minor complaints, I just wish that even more songs could've been incorporated into the game's long list of mixes. Thankfully, DJ Hero 2 is less than three months away!
 
The Stand-out Moment: NOISIA's challenging "Groundhog" earns its spot as the game's unofficial "final track".
 
The Verdict: 9.5 out of 10. October's sequel can't come soon enough!