DJ Hero

SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR INNER GUITAR HERO, EMBRACE YOUR DJ HERO!

Of all the current genres of gaming, the music rhythm genre continues to be over saturated with titles that are either poorly executed or simply copying off an already successfully established formula. Every year publishers continue to throw out new titles with small insignificant changes knowing that the majority of gamers will eat it up, in the desperation for more songs to play. While this as been successful for publishers such as Activision over the past couple of years, the winds are changing and gamers are less welcoming to new 'Hero' related games offering a unique experience and tagging along some sort of plastic peripheral. So it's with pleasure that we see something a little different make an appearance, even if that plastic piece of kit continues to tag along.   
 
DJ Hero is the first offering from British developers FreeStyleGames, promising to offer a truly immersive DJing experience with 93 exciting and 'pumping' original mixes to play along to. While on the surface it may seem like a simple reworking of the classic Guitar Hero gameplay, DJ Hero does succeed in creating a uniquely different and refreshing challenge to the somewhat repetitive feel of Guitar Hero. One thing is almost blindingly clear from just a short spell of play, DJ Hero is the first attempt at both this form of music creation made so popular over the years, and the music contained within, because while DJ Hero does feel like an honest representation of the actual thing, the game surrounding that experience is flat and lacking key functions.  
 

There's not an whole lot to FreeStyleGames first venture, making the sort of debut that will be familiar to those who first took control of a plastic guitar and played the original Guitar Hero. That's not to say there isn't depth, but when it comes to overall game modes DJ Hero is lacking. The actual single player progression is again familar to those who have played recent Guitar Hero instalments, seeing you earn stars depending on your performance as a DJ. The more stars you earn the more you generally unlock, which includes new songs, new event areas, new characters, new cloths and so much more.  
 
It's a single player experience that feels both lacklustre and heartless, while I don't want some over the top cartoon story about me becoming the best DJ in all of the land, it would have been nice to have seen some extra meat to the story, and more thoughtful rewards then just another costume for my character. In that showing, DJ Hero will not make the best first impression, but stick with it and you realize there is some great potential (and fun) to be had. It'll take you sometime to adjust to the gameplay's twists, turns and tricks. But as you advance and reach higher levels of difficulty, you'll realize that there is something to all this DJing simulation.  
 
The game does feature multiplayer, but it's all been done before and basically copies the same sort of gameplay modes seen in recent Rock Band and Guitar Hero games. Some creativity would have been nice, but it's a start when you consider that DJ Hero is the beginning of a new franchise. If one wishes, they can also throw a guitar into the mix for one of the ten mixes supporting your favourite plastic guitar, while they do add a small amount of variety to the game, they also feel like a last minute decision, almost as if Activision realized they needed to throw on the Guitar Hero feature to DJ Hero so it all looked cool and everyone would love it, sadly it's generally poorly executed. Still, what's the actual plastic turntable peripheral like you ask? 
 

Rather good actually, it's not perfect but a surprisingly solid build that should last you a while. There are a few improvments I would like to see, for one the actual fader switch never centred correctly and caused me to make mistakes that weren't my doing, and the actual scratchy part (damn my lack of DJ knowledge shows through) also feels way to heavy at times and makes actual scratching a little unrealistic from time to time. Still the rest offer a solid baseline for the years of endless remakes I'm sure we will see from Activision.  
 
So the turntable does it's job well enough, and the game modes are sufficient enough if unspectacular, what about one of the key areas that makes or breaks this sort of game, the music? Well DJ Hero's 93 original mixes tread all sorts of musical genres from soul, rock, techno, rap, RnB and more. There is a rather impressive mix of artists to enjoy, from the sounds of the Jackson 5 to the ever popular beats of Daft Punk. The overall collection is fantastic, it's in the actual original remixing where things don't always go to plan. Of the 93 mixes available in the retail package, only around 7 truly got my attention, this might have more to do with my taste in music then the actual remixes but there are sadly some rather dull tunes to be had.  
 
Did I mention Daft Punk? Oh yes I did earlier, well the techno duo make a personal appearance with a number of other DJ related stars, for that alone FreeStyleGames and Activision deserve some credit, Daft Punk would make any game better. But they don't just make an appearance, all of the featured stars have contributed remixes to the game and there are some real gems. Particularly the Daft Punk offerings which are an absolute delight to play. Like all music rhythm games, DJ Hero is judged by the music is can offer and although it's solid, it also lacks some punch. Thankfully the trustworthy Mr downloadable content as become available already, just be prepared to pay an high price for the pleasure of adding more remixes to your collection. 
 

Graphically DJ Hero uses the same engine used for Guitar Hero 5, although there is no character creation. It's a game that does it's own thing to feel separate from Guitar Hero, which includes some wacky but fantastic artwork throughout the navigation menu's and actual in game graphics perform solidly, though you'll be to busy staring at the track to actually give a damn about the half naked dancing lady with light sticks. Still it all looks rather nice and in particular character design for some of the more familiar faces from the DJ world look fantastic.  
 
Overall your decision to purchase DJ Hero will heavily depend on your love of the music, and if you can stomach the high retail price right now. But if your willing to look over the high cost, the lack of modes and some damp remixes, you'll find that it's one of the most refreshing music rhythm games released in a good many years. A solid turntable peripheral does a good job of simulating the real thing and while it won't make you an actual DJ, it will help you appreciate the skill it takes to become a DJ in the first place.  
 

SCORE: 3.5 STARS OUT OF 5.

 
Thanks for Reading, and much love! 
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