DJ Hero

It was inevitable that Activision would look to expand its rhythm genre empire and DJ Hero is a noteworthy addition to its arsenal. However, it isn't nearly as accessible nor as polished as its current bread and butter franchise, Guitar Hero. Still, it has potential and the music is good enough that it should convince enough gamers to step up to the ones and twos; we're also certain it will warrant a sequel, which we hope will fix some of the issues that bog down an otherwise noteworthy debut.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier today, an older draft of our DJ Hero reivew was posted in error. We have since updated our review with the correct score and text. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Guitar Hero isn't just a successful game franchise: it's a bona fide phenomenon. But as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end and it's obvious that we've reached a saturation point for rhythm games. Sequels are becoming nothing more than glorified track packs and while sales are still strong, gamers are like cats in that they become easily distracted, so publishers have to find new ways to keep them interested. In that respect, you can either specialize, the way Rock Band did with The Beatles, or you can produce an offshoot, which is the route Activision took with DJ Hero.

DJ Hero

It's a title that benefits greatly from the familiarity that we have with its siblings: Guitar Hero did such a great job of indoctrinating us to the joys of pushing buttons to a beat that half the battle's already been won. But I don't think DJ Hero will reach the same level of success that the Guitar Hero franchise did for a couple of reasons. The first is the price tag: at $119, it's a rather large investment for yet another specialized piece of plastic. Experiencing it first-hand will make believers out of some but it probably won't turn an entire generation of gamers into converts the way Guitar Hero did, especially because the experience isn't as inherently satisfying; after all, everyone wants to secretly be in a band but far fewer of us long to be a professional DJ.

Secondly, the hardware isn't nearly as accessible or as polished as the now classic five-buttoned guitar. The turntable peripheral is solidly built but it's one or two revisions away from being perfect. The cross-fader switch is way too fickle for its own good; sometimes being even a little out of position will result in a miss, which wrecks havoc on your combos. The turntable itself works fine but having to press a button while also making a scratching motion is more work than it should be; the blue button, which sits closest to the "record's" center, is especially difficult because you can't get as much leverage with just your ring finger. The actual note charts could also use a bit of polishing as well; it can get a bit too "busy" for its own good, especially on the harder difficulties.

DJ Hero

You'll mess up a lot if you play on Hard or Extreme and that's a shame because missing a note cuts the music off and that's the one thing they absolutely nailed. The 93 included songs are so good that I'd sometimes stay on the menu screen and just nod along to the beat. The audio team really put a lot of thought into the mixes and the pairings not only make sense but they're often clever as well. Eminem's "My Name Is" perfectly balances with Beck's "Loser" to form a track that not only playfully thumbs its nose at the artists involved but also gives them a pat on the back. And the fact that they took two songs that have become pop-culture punchlines --Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice Baby" and MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" -- and mashed them together into something worthwhile is downright inspiring.

The music really does most of the heavy lifting here and I'd gladly purchase the soundtrack if one was made available but the game's lack of polish left me a little flat. DJ Hero has its moments but I didn't feel that immediate sense of magic that I did the first time I strapped on a replica guitar. I do think DJ Hero will carve out its own niche but for the reasons listed above its fanbase probably won't be as sizable or as rabid as its rock & roll cousins. There is hope, however, that the inevitable sequel will solve the issues with the hardware and note charts, the way GH2 finished what GH1 started, and that version might be the one to wait for but at the least, gamers who invest in DJ Hero can soothe any angst they feel over its faults by listening to the incredible setlist.

PROS: The music is good enough that I'd boot up the game just hear it; some tracks let you play along with a guitar, which is a nice bonus.
CONS: The controller and note charts need polish; the price tag might turn off some would-be DJ's.
DJ Hero

Comments [21]

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jdavison

I have to admit that I was very skeptical about DJ Hero. My taste in music is not necessarily hip-hop, and I'd unfairly characterized DJ Hero as "that hip-hop game," but it really isn't. The music choices are really exquisite, and kudos to the team for making such an excellent selection. The mix of old and new, rock, pop, and club music makes the whole thing a joy to listen to, whether you're playing or bobbing your head to someone else playing.

The price really is an issue for me though. $119 is very steep for a game with possibly limited appeal. I'd love to know what everyone that reads GamePro thinks of this, and also what you feel would be a fair price that would make you vote with your wallet and buy the thing.

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lovetelephone

Pslog wrote:

$120 for a game with a cheap plastic toy, has the world gone mad!!!!

Yes.

xtremekirk

I think $99 would be a fair price. New game is 60 and the controller is 40. That would be a better deal then most wireless controllers are. But then again, I have no intention of every playing one of these games, so make it a $1000.00 for all I care. Even then, some dumba$$ would buy it. My only comment on this whole genre is, for the amount of time that people spend "playing" guitar hero and rock band and whatever, they could be learning a REAL guitar, be spending LESS money, and actually accomplishing something. Now they have a fake turntable with buttons on it...whats next a saxaphone? a Piano? Billy Joel Rock Band???

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AndyBurt

xtremekirk wrote:

I think $99 would be a fair price. New game is 60 and the controller is 40. That would be a better deal then most wireless controllers are. But then again, I have no intention of every playing one of these games, so make it a $1000.00 for all I care. Even then, some dumba$$ would buy it. My only comment on this whole genre is, for the amount of time that people spend "playing" guitar hero and rock band and whatever, they could be learning a REAL guitar, be spending LESS money, and actually accomplishing something. Now they have a fake turntable with buttons on it...whats next a saxaphone? a Piano? Billy Joel Rock Band???

I'd argue that music games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band are a great way to get gamers into the rhythm of playing an actual instrument. Rock Band and Guitar Hero's drum kits for instance are in many ways no different than playing a real electronic drumset. Playing tracks on harder difficulties tasks gamers with hitting practically every note on the drum track, just as it was played originally. I remember when GH: Metallica came into our office and I got to try out the expert+ mode and just being blown away. As a drummer and a guitarist, playing rhythm games are a great way to keep up rhythm chops and coordination, but to non-musicians it's an awesome way to be introduced to playing a real instrument. I'd even put money down and bet that more often than not non-musician gamers who get really engaged by GH and RB games are going to try out playing an actual instrument.

360989
TKK

To follow up on Andy's comment, the other benefit of these types of games is that it exposes people to a lot of good music that they otherwise would never had heard. By also making it interactive, it allows people to take a more active interest in what they are hearing. The fact is, without GH and RB, some gamers would never had heard Stevie Ray Vaughn or The Who, which is just sad.

TKK

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