Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a DJ; To be the center of the party while mixing and scratching your favorite tunes? Thanks to the latest release in the Hero line by Activision, gamers can get a taste of what it feels like to be a DJ Hero.
While the game follows a recognizable format to its predecessor, Guitar Hero, there are many noticeable and challenging differences.
The biggest thing that sets DJ Hero apart is the music featured in the game. The soundtrack is a eclectic mixture of rock, hip hop, electronica, pop, R&B, soul, and more, featuring the likes of artists such as The Jackson 5, Justice, Marvin Gaye, Beastie Boys, Blondie, Beck, and Public Enemy to name a few.
Players are able to play preset sessions or make their own comprised of their favorite mixes. Each mix is made up of two songs which are “mashed-up” to compose a new song that were all made exclusively for this game. Some mash-ups just seem like they go together, such as Jay-Z’s “Change Clothes” with 2 Pac’s “All Eyez On Me” or Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” with MC Hammer’s “Can’t touch this.” Other mash-ups seem like they could never work, but still bring the songs together in a way that is modern and just plain fun to listen to. Some of the more insane mash-ups are Eminem’s “My Name Is” with Beck’s “Where it’s at,” Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” with Daft Punk’s “Da Funk,” and 50 Cent’s “Disco Inferno” with David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” All of these mash-ups and many more are available to check out at djhero.com/music.
When playing story mode, players can choose between a variety of characters and actual real-life DJs to play as. DJ Jazzy Jeff, Daft Punk, DJ Shadow, DJ AM and Grandmaster Flash are just some of the DJs you can play as you unlock them through the game. Other unlockable features include different turntables, music venues and of course, more songs to play.
To master the mash-up, players will need to put down their guitar controllers for a faux DJ turntable. The turntable features a silver cross-fader which allows players to mix the two songs playing. Keeping the cross-fader centered will play both tracks simultaneously. To play just one of the tracks, move the cross-fader either left or right, depending on the mix. For instance, while playing the 2Pac/Aranbee Pop Orchestra mash-up, moving the cross-fader to the left will single out the vocals of 2pac and moving it back will bring in the familiar instrumentals of “Bittersweet Symphony.”
The effects dial is a knob that allows the player to tweak certain parts of the song, similar to the whammy bar on Guitar Hero. The platter, which is the part that looks like a record, is used to perform the scratching function and it also contains three stream buttons (green, red and blue), which must be hit whenever you see the corresponding icons enter the “Hit Zone.”
While the DJ controller uses many of the same ideas as the guitar controller, it doesn’t necessarily mean your skills will translate over to this game. The controller is a little awkward at first, but once you get a hang of it, DJ Hero may be your new go to game to during your next party. However, if your still having trouble convincing your buds to cut and scratch with you, it is possible to hook up a Guitar Hero controller to play mash-ups that have more of a rock sound, like Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” with Evidence, The Alcemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys’ “Fresh Rhymes and Videotape.”
During finals week of the fall ‘09 semester, Nineronline.com held open demo sessions at the Student Union, to allow students to test out the game and give us feedback.
“It makes me appreciate what DJs do,” said Willie Frazier, one of our student testers. “I think it would be a great party game. Invite your friends over, pop some popcorn, turn off the lights and turn on the DJ Hero.”
Others were not so pleased with game. “I didn’t love it,” said Dominique Steward, a Sophomore and self-proclaimed game enthusiast at UNC Charlotte. “It doesn’t really compare to Guitar Hero. It has the basics, but besides that its far from it and I don’t see it getting picked up by the masses.”
If you would like to have a chance to find out if DJ Hero is the game for you, we will be holding the second demo sessions in the Student Union, during the first week of the spring semester. Not only can you come by and test out the game, but you can enter our free drawing to win a copy of the game. Follow us at twitter.com/nineronline for more information about the demo and giveaway.
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