And now for something... Different (in music games)
When I first saw DJ Hero, I was not really looking forward to the game. I am not really into the music (or so I thought) and I figured it was just a "cash-in" game riding the coat tails of Guitar Hero and the like.
After seeing the gameplay videos, it really looked like a lot of fun and I was getting tired of Rock Band. I have put way too many hours into Rock Band and I was in need of something different and I went ahead, drank the Kool Aid, and put down for a pre-order of DJ Hero.
In addition to some promising video previews, I noticed that I recognized more of the music than I would have thought. Some seemed like a very odd fit like "Tears for Fears" while others seemed quite annoying like "Gwen Stefani". But I did appreciate many of the artists and they supplied some great beats; Beastie Boys, N.E.R.D.,Gorillaz, etc. To me, the music seems a bit all over the place but in the end, I liked the mixes and they all seem to be very well constructed.
The hardware has a very solid feel for the most part. The turntable, in particular, has a heavy and solid feel. The cross fader has a less solid feel but hopefully the entire kit will hold up.
After playing for a few hours, my expectations were certainly met for both the music and the controller. The fact that the music is stuff you will never hear in guitar games along with the new controller make the game feel fresh. With plenty of songs and 5 levels of difficulty you can spend a lot of time learning to master this game.
The gameplay feels good and you quickly get the sense of keeping the beat and in control of the mix. Much like Guitar Hero or Amplitude, when you are playing well, the music sounds full and all the tracks play. If you make mistakes, tracks are turned down and fader mistakes create a buzz sound etc. Being able to hear when you are doing well versus messing up is done right and gives you a sense of accomplishment when you are in the zone. Overall, the gameplay is very satisfying.
One negative is that there is not much focus on multi-player modes. Since you can only buy the kit with the game, it may be a while before you can buy a second DJ controller without a game. And even if you could, the game multi-player modes don't have much to offer. They do supply 10 or so songs that you can play with a GH (or RB?) guitar which at least gives you some co-op action. But its multi-player is no where near as compelling as the band style guitar games. Its simply not as much of a party game as you might expect. If you want a 4-player party game, you should stick with Rock Band or Guitar Hero.
So, if you are looking for a single player music challenge and you are sick of plastic guitars, DJ Hero may be just the thing. And if you would rather rock the wheels of steal than an air guitar, I think you are in for a good time with DJ Hero.
