Level Up: DJ Hero

(Originally intended to be posted January 8th)

First off, sorry about not making an episode last week, and sorry about my presence today; I have an explanation for both of those. See, last week was New Years, and me and some friends decided to get together for some drinks. One thing led to another and… well the party only ended 36 hours ago. Seriously, it was wild; we ate 42 large pizzas total, had a jello swimming contest and Jack made over 100 dollars returning the empties. I think there were monkey’s there too, but I don’t remember. Anyways, at one point, part of the party was around the TV playing a video game, and I need to bring you a review anyways, so might as well review it. DJ Hero, for X-Box 360, PS3 or Wii as I have it.

Alright, I’m not in the mood to beat around the bush today, to I’ll just be up front: this is a game published by Activision, and by now, you should know my thoughts on what that company is able to produce. This shouldn’t come as much of surprise though since it carries the “Hero” title, much like the famous “Guitar Hero” series that they became the publishers of. (As a matter of fact, there is a mode where a guitarist can play along to certain songs in DJ Hero.) The game play between that series and DJ Hero is quite similar: play music by hitting coloured buttons when they hit the target zone. However, there are many game play mechanics that would obviously have to change between the two series. First off, the turn table requires scratching: this is when you hold a button and move the platter up and/or down to make the desired sound (the prompt for this is a long section of the corresponding colors or arrows going either up or down). Next we have the fadder. Each song in DJ Hero is actually two songs mixed in one. To switch from playing both “records” to only one, you’ll use the fader bar (prompt represent when a row takes a sudden side step). Just move the bar to corresponding side or to the middle when needed so the mix continues rocking.

The rest of the difference may not matter as much, but some were necessary and others just cool. For example, instead of activating Star Power by tilting the controller, you have euphoria, activated by hitting a button that turns red when available. You’ll also be given the ability to rewind the songs at certain points. All you have to do is spin the platter backwards and it’ll spin the tracks and… spinning… Whoa, wait a second *barfs* Ok, sorry there, I’m good. Anyways, this gives you the chance to hit notes a second time and is a great way to assure you get the highest score possible. Finally, you also have free style zones, where you can press the red button to play selected sound effects (when the middle row becomes wider) or turn the effects knob to warp the sound of which ever track is glowing at the time. They may not be that useful for points, but if you learn to use it the right way… it just sounds cool.

Of course the make or break aspect of any of these music based rhythm games is naturally the music. Here’s my thoughts on this song selection; unlike games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, where you can hear the songs already on a CD or on the Radio, the mixes in DJ Hero are entirely original and you won’t get them elsewhere. And I have to admit this: I love Mashups. My theory on Mashups is that, if you like one song in the mix, a decent enough DJ would be able to make you enjoy it even more mixed (and they got some awesome DJ’s to make the songs in this game). For you not to like most of the mixes in this game, you would have to not like most of the songs used for them (which is bad news for you if you don’t like “Hollaback Girl” or any Daft Punk). All and all, I think the sound track for this game is great, and like Battle of the Bands, I think it’s worth getting this game alone.

All in all, I really enjoyed DJ Hero: though it is far from a perfect game. The graphics are a little weird (even though you won’t be looking at them anyways) even when compared to the way Guitar Hero has presented itself; it tries to be too “club” or something. Also, the whole concept might seem pointless to some people, since it’s just adding another peripheral game into the market. Speaking of the peripheral, the cost of getting it might also off put some potential buying costing about 100 buck Canadian for the game and a deck. But, as I’ve said, it’s the music that counts, and I love the mashups. Furthermore, the button layout on the platter makes me feel like I’m playing an arcade style game in some songs, so it still fun as a game. I give DJ Hero for the Nintendo Wii 9 levels out of 10.