DJ Hero Preview
A reminder of why the music genre became so popular in the first place.
September 28, 2009 - Activision is certainly not shy about releasing new entries in the blockbuster "Hero" franchise. There seems to be a new version of Guitar Hero every month, and maybe it won't be long before we're playing entire games dedicated to Oingo Boingo and Boz Scaggs. But DJ Hero is different. There's a new controller, a different take on rhythm based gameplay, and most importantly, a whole new style of music.
We've gone over the controller and the specifics on how you play DJ Hero in great detail. If you'd like to know more about how the controller feels check out the end of this article for thoughts from our Gear Editor Scott Lowe and be sure to watch our Interview with DJ Shadow. Recently Activision let us get our hands on the full game for the first time where we tried out versus mode, guitar and DJ multiplayer and the full career mode. Although this was my first time with the deck, it only took a Jay-Z and Jackson 5 mash-up to get me hooked and goofily bopping along to the music.
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If you don't trust my word on DJ Hero, listen to a professional.
Jumping into the main game presents players with a spread of different vinyl covers. Each one is either a challenge, or set of challenges based around a specific DJ, or type of music. Since a turntable may not be as familiar as a guitar to some players, there are thorough tutorial levels that introduce the new format. Then, as you progress further into the game, there are sets of challenges like DJ Shadow Presents, DJ Yoda, Extended Play, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and a Jay Z Mixtape. Each one contains a set of songs that you have to play through to unlock the next vinyl. As you would imagine, the challenges get progressively more difficult as the mixes get progressively more awesome.
As you unlock mixes in each category they become available for Quicklist, a custom playlist which lists songs by difficulty and can contain up to eight tracks. As my limited DJ skills improved and I started progressing through the game I got a taste of just how intense things become on the harder difficulty levels. Mastering the crossfader, which is indicated by the note tracks moving to the left and right, is key. Making it through a section with no mistakes charges up Euphoria, which when activated not only boosts the bass but auto crossfades for you.
The Euphoria mechanic is a lot like Star Power, but there's a second power-up that plays a large role in your score total if you can get it. Score a long enough note streak and you'll activate rewind which allows you to spin the record backwards to an earlier part of a song and retry a section. This way you can extend a streak and score even more points. Once you bump things up to hard mode there are plenty of directional scratches, meaning you have to spin the record specifically forward or backward to hit the note. Lastly, there are spikes for the crossfader. Instead of moving the switch to the left, right, or center and keeping it there, these require the player to quickly jerk the fader to a position and bring it back -- a truly difficult technique.
So far, every mix I've heard from DJ hero has what it takes to be included in a perfect party mix. There's even a special set dedicated to turntables and a guitar playing together. These ten tracks have been specially mixed to work with both instruments and are an excellent way to get someone who might be intimidated by the new hardware into the game. If you don't want to play guitar or DJ, there's microphone support that allows you to MC the party. It isn't scored in any way, but it does allow anyone to pretend they have the same skill set as Flavor Flav.
While Guitar Hero games have always been great for the people playing, what about those who have to watch? Mostly they stand off to the side listening to bad karaoke. In DJ Hero, whether you're playing or not, you'll want to get off your ass and dance. And if you're playing and badly need a dance break, you can always hold the Euphoria Button (it's like star power) and the game will jump into party mode which lets the music run without scoring or the user interface. This is a welcome feature considering how good the music is. Once you hear the full soundtrack it's easy to see why someone would want this game at their party, whether it's being played or just providing the soundtrack.
If your party attendees decide to they want to take control of the music there's also versus mode. Two DJ's play against each other on a single track for the high score, and the effects knob (it's like the whammy bar in Guitar Hero) can only be used by one person at a time. This not only changes the pitch of the track, it also doubles the current multiplier, so it's key for posting high scores. The first person to use the knob gets control of it for the duration of the effects-sensitive portion of the track. You have to be something of a quick draw artist to get the multiplier every time, and it makes multiplayer more than just note tracking.
When you jump into a song there's plenty of customization for your DJ including appearance and all of the gear that comes with playing a show. There are custom headphones, your deck, the deck design, and most importantly your effects. Before each set you get to choose a package of these custom sounds like an air horn or an MC screaming "Yeah Boy!" over the music. The effects are mapped to the center (red) button on the turntable and can be used throughout the song.
So far the DJ Hero peripheral, the familiar presentation, and the music combine to make for a very fun party experience. We look forward to getting our hands on the game for even longer.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/102/1029093/djheroingame_1254176086.jpg)
The Deck
By Scott Lowe
With the launch of DJ Hero, Activision will yet again be introducing a whole new genre of music game to the industry, and with it a whole new era of peripherals, beginning with the DJ Hero turntable. Activision is tapping into a completely new market of music fans with DJ Hero, and with the included turntable peripheral, will bring a whole new experience to the player. While the DJ Hero turntable is hardly an authentic recreation of the mixing process, it does give a fairly life-like vibe. With the DJ Hero turntable, Activision did a great job of integrating the core gameplay controls and preserving aesthetic authenticity. At first glance, you'd probably think that the DJ Hero turntable controller could actually play vinyls – sooner or later you'd realize that there are buttons on the disc platter, the absence of a needle arm, and/or that the entire chassis is made of plastic, but you get the point. But the looks only account for so much when it comes to music game peripherals, what really matters is the feel and performance, and we are happy to report that the DJ Hero turntable fares well in this area -- for the most part.
The frame of the turntable is composed of fairly strong plastic and is pretty tightly constructed with as few small, breakable parts as possible. The two most seemingly vulnerable areas of the design are the crossfader and control panel door, both of which seem like they could be easily snapped off if forced or extended too far beyond their intended range. Similarly, the crossfader is a little loose and we would like to have seen some extra resistance for both the peripheral's long-term durability and in-game feel. Additionally, the crossfader's middle notch that gives a tactile indication of when the player has reached a centered fade could have been a little more pronounced and made gameplay a little more accessible for casual or entry-level players. Strangely, the effects dial is devoid of any position notches and can be spun a full 360-degrees, which eliminates the player's ability to both visually and ergonomically identify which setting they are currently set to.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/102/1029093/djhero_1254174600.jpg)
The platter itself is perhaps the most impressive aspect of the turntable's design, with a textured faceplate that looks and feels like a real record and can be spun a full 360-degrees. What we enjoyed most about the disc platter is that it isn't rigidly mounted to the frame, or in other words, it allows for a little inward depression if you get really into it. The buttons are reasonably sized and can accommodate finger shapes and sizes of all varieties, and feature a textured vinyl-life finish comparable to the rest of the platter faceplate. Unfortunately, the vinyl-style texture doesn't afford a sizable amount of grip and we would have liked to have seen a softer, rubber-like material used.
For those concerned about using the turntable as a lefty, the developers instituted a rather ingenious flippable control pod design. In its default righty-position, users will find a series of ports on the right side of the control section. What isn't immediately recognizable is that the ports are the same on the left side, making it simple for users to simply detach and flip the control pod for left-handed use. Located underneath the deck is an unlock switch, which detaches the control pod and locks back in in the desired position.
We still have many questions about the DJ Hero turntable -- how does it fare after extended use? How does the Renegade Edition compare to the standard version? We'll have to wait to closer to release to get these answers and render our final verdict, but from what we've seen so far, we have high hopes for the DJ Hero turntable.
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