 "Hard to learn, very expensive for what you get" | 2009-11-15 |
| - Reviewed By publisher50 |
I love DJ music, so I was pretty happy to be able to review and play DJ Hero. But after an hour, I was more confused than anything, and even my teenage kids just wanted to break out the plastic guitar and play Guitar Hero instead.
There is nothing intuitive with this game. A guitar, drum, singing.. we all know how to do that, even if we can't play a tune in real life. But DJing is a different concept. With DJ Hero, you get to hear some music you know, but it's all mashed up, so there is no familiarity to the music.
The learning curve is steep, and honestly not very fun. Why spend so much time in confusing fading and volume control, when all you really want to do is spin the turntable?
Speaking of the turntable, I think this is the best made controller in history. It's just fantastic, built really well and does not feel cheap. But the game itself is just too hard, not easily approachable at all for most people. |
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 "Lots of fun" | 2009-11-14 |
| - Reviewed By lmaunu2 |
*Please note that this review is for the Demo version of DJ Hero.*
DJ Hero will certainly have a lot of appeal to a select crowd. The game is fun and gets intense when you play on the "Hard" difficulty setting (which is the hardest level - there is no "Expert" setting for those of you used to Guitar Hero or Rock Band). The controls are fun and the music is great. However, the game will lack the mass appeal that most rhythm games have simply because it serves a musical niche; not knowing how the song "should" sound will frustrate some players and the overall style of music (mashups of popular songs with added sound effects) will bug others. There is also only one way to interact with the music in the single-player mode (as opposed to choosing guitar/bass/drums/microphone in the now common "band" games). That said, for those that the game appeals to, it will be a truckload of fun.
Items to note:
The coop mode of DJ + Guitar is a fun feature.
The tutorial is painfully insulting.
The music is good fun (if you are into the genre).
The controller is easy to use right out of the box and still leaves room to advance in proficiency with the use of effects.
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 "DJ Hero is the new party game" | 2009-11-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: AIP0VIGQWIW90 |
| In the same way Guitar Hero splashed and had fun when it first emerged onto the gaming scene, DJ Hero stands ready to dive in afterward. The game simultaneously introduces the unique art of disc jockeying while it propels the gamer into a mix of songs heard anywhere from 30 years ago to yesterday on the radio. I just can't get over how well done the mixes sound. They're fun.....and they're cool.....and they're just really well done. While seeing the same familiar format GH used, DJ Hero gamers use a spinning record, crossfader, command buttons and effects buttons to make the music come alive in their living room. The controller is a little larger than the size of a normal laptop, and it needs to sit on something resembling a table (just like a turntable would in a real life setting). I set it on a dining room chair and it worked out great! The game's challenge factor comes from the gamer's likely inexperience with the art of Disc Jockeying. Learning how to switch from the crossfader to record scratching to the rhythmic hits on the command buttons is what makes DJ Hero a truly unique experience and lots of fun! I would anticipate this game being a huge hit at parties considering the type of music the gamers are mixing. All in all, I'm very pleased with the quality and attention to musical detail the creators put into the game, and I can't wait to see what the next great addition will be in the Hero franchise. |
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| "Spin That Wheel!" | 2009-11-12 |
| - Reviewed By cvanhuysse |
DJ Hero is the next iteration of rhythm game, which stars you as the mix master of Club Living Room. While I found scratching a turntable to be vastly more fun than I originally expected, I'm afraid the steep cost of admission may limit the game's appeal. Still, any fan of music games would do well to try out this fresh take on the genre.
***The Turntable***
The most notable feature of this game is the new peripheral, a turntable. As with the basic guitars from Guitar Hero, the turntable is 100% plastic and feels a bit miniature (it's 14.5" x 9" and only about 2.5" tall). The turntable includes a free-spinning platter with three coloured buttons, a cross fade switch, an effects knob (choose between: Horn, Siren, Blam, Bullet, and Zap), and "Euphoria" button (i.e. Star Power). In the upper left corner, concealed by a plastic flap, you'll find the D-pad and other traditional controller buttons.
The core spinning motion of the platter feels solid, but the other buttons leave a little to be desired. The cross fader in particular suffers from a lack of distinction between left, centre, and right. There is a slight "notch" at centre, but it is quite subtle and when playing the game you'll often find yourself shifting clear past the notch, which causes more than a little frustration. It seems to me that a more defined centre or even something as simple as a raised nub in the centre (like the bump on the middle button of the guitar peripherals) would have helped this issue. Of lesser note, but nevertheless a disappointing oversight, the turntable is not ambidextrous. While the documentation mentions an "expansion" for lefties, I can't imagine that many south paws will want to pay extra for a feature that could have and should have been designed into the base product.
These complaints aside, the turntable serves its purpose adequately and its minor shortcomings are in no way an encumbrance to enjoying the game. That said, I'd be interested to see the types of third party turntables that will be offered if this game proves to be successful.
***Gameplay***
The music included in the game features exclusive mash-ups of various well-known tunes, created by famous DJs. I should quickly dispel a false notion: this is not "Hip-Hop" Hero. In addition to the usual suspects like Jay-Z, Eminem, or the Black Eyed Peas you will also find a wide array of other artists such as Beck, Gwen Stefani, Queen, Tears for Fears, and even Motörhead. The mixes themselves are rather creative and I found myself grooving along to songs to which I might not otherwise have chosen to listen.
For those of you not yet baptized into the club scene, the game includes a tutorial taught by none other than Grandmaster Flash. I have absolutely no DJ experience, but in one pass I felt sufficiently acclimated to the controls and jumped head-first into the quickplay mode. The familiar "note highway" returns, but this time with only three streams. The left and right each represent one of the two tracks, while the centre is for beats and effects. In addition to scratching, you'll be cross fading between two tracks, tapping buttons in time, and sounding effects like sirens and horns. Star Power has been renamed "Euphoria" but works exactly the same- you build up a meter and then activate it for score bonus.
The demo included two play modes, Solo DJ Quickplay and Co-op DJ + Guitar Quickplay. Solo DJ should be self-explanatory but co-op warrants a brief explanation. Co-op allows one player to spin while another riffs a guitar part. (The retail version will also feature DJ + DJ co-op and will be available online or off). The guitar gameplay is identical to Guitar Hero, but DJ + Guitar play is limited to certain special mixes as opposed to the entire set list. If you're flying solo but want to play these co-op tracks, have no fear- AI will control the other part.
There are four difficulties: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert. As you might expect, each level becomes more complex, no surprises there. However, on Easy the cross fader is omitted, leaving you to simply scratch the platter or tap buttons in rhythm. This mode is extremely rudimentary and should be accessible even to those with only the most basic rhythmic abilities. But unless you just can't survive a single track, I highly recommend starting on Medium because the game just isn't as fun without cross fading included.
The background scenery for each gig retains the same basic art style of Guitar Hero, but replaces the rock concert stages with a psychedelic club atmosphere. More importantly, the same old avatars like Judy Nails and Axel Steel have been replaced by new faces. Even Grandmaster Flash has his own avatar!
While the visuals are entertaining, the music is naturally the star of the show. And the selections available in the demo did not disappoint. The handful available blended old and new favourites to create a compelling sound that left me craving the full retail version's 93 mixes. Hearing these truly creative combinations gave me a genuine appreciation for DJs- their craft truly is an art. And while I can't promise that you'll love every track, there is something for everyone.
The music is in fact so compelling that on my first time out, even though I had only intended to play for a few minutes, I quickly lost over an hour to the game. In that time I never encountered any soreness or cramping but then again I also play piano, which may have given my fingers a leg up. I could see newcomers suffering some minor ill effects, but only until their hand muscles have had time to adapt.
The $120 price tag may be a barrier that some are simply unwilling to break- after all, that's two brand new triple-A games. But if you've given this game any thought whatsoever I strongly encourage you to give it a test drive. If nothing else, DJ Hero is a fresh take on the music genre and a game that offers a truly unique experience. The mechanics are accessible, the music is creative, and the whole package is quite entertaining.
***Notes***
This review is based on a demo kit I received from the Amazon.com Vine program prior to the general release date of the game. The demo kit included a wired turntable as opposed to the wireless unit packed in the retail version, which prevented me from commenting on battery life. More importantly, the set list contained only three solo mixes and one coop mix, so I wasn't given the opportunity to try out the entire list. I feel confident, though, that this taste was sufficient material on which to base this review. |
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| "If you like Guitar Hero, you're going to like this!" | 2009-11-11 |
| - Reviewed By fantasyweaver |
Listen up, Guitar Hero fans, there's a DJ in the house!
To tell you the truth, I'm not a big fan of Guitar Hero. Say what? No, really, I'm not. I find it too hard, possibly because it's really not set up for left-handed people like myself. I have no idea how Paul McCartney plays the guitar left-handed. It's not easy. So after failing miserably at Guitar Hero, it was with some trepidation that I tried out DJ Hero. My husband and daughter, though, are big Guitar Hero fans, and they were raring to go.
I started with the DJ lesson, and I picked it up in no time. I understand the turntable is designed so that it can be adjusted for lefthanders, but I had no problem playing with it in the standard position. My husband and daughter had a slightly harder time, probably because they're used to the Guitar Hero controls, but in the end we were all having a great time with this game.
Like in Guitar Hero, dots come down to tell you which buttons to press. There are three buttons on the turntable, and you have to press the matching color a fraction of a second before those colored dots on the screen reach the line at the bottom. In parts of the song, you see strips with something like tire tracks on them. These are meant to tell you to "scratch," which means you move the turntable up and down while you press the correct color button. The lines the dots and strips are on also shift, and this tells you when and where to shift the cross fader button with your other hand. It might sound complicated, but it's easy to pick up--and easy to play for hours.
Many of the reviews here have complained about the song list. For my family, this list is on par to what we've experienced with most Guitar Hero titles when it comes to familiarity, and, yes, they are more for discos. (But then isn't that where you would find a DJ?)
This list includes:
"Disco Inferno" by 50 Cent
"Atomic" by Blondie
"Insane in the Brain" by Cypress Hill
"Let's Dance" by David Bowie
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
"Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani
"Shout" by Tears for Fears
"Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice
"U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer
"Time of the Season" by the Zombies
"Cars" by Gary Numan
"Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas
Is it going to sound so great you could open a disco in your den? I'd say no. But you will have fun, and it will mix things up if you love Guitar Hero and want to try something a little different. And I can play it left-handed.
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| "I was kind of hoping for "Showtunes Hero" actually..." | 2009-11-09 |
| - Reviewed By michelletheelf |
I'm going to be honest. I'm really not in any way a DJ, I've never been into that scene and I didn't expect to like this game at all. When I was offered the demo I thought I would try it out, not like the music, write a review and then sell or trade in the controller for cash or something I would like.
Now I'm thinking if I buy the game I'll be able to do turn-table multiplayer with my friends right away and that's very tempting.
The music in the single player demo was great, they tended towards mashups between an older song and something new and Poppy. Which actually worked really well.
I pulled it out when a bunch of friends were over and had them each try it out. There were left and right handed people, people who claimed to have no rhythm and one guy who's totally into clubs and DJ'ing and so on.
Everybody enjoyed themselves very much, though the right handed people had an inexplicable difficulty scratching with the blue button and the one guy who was into DJ's and such complained that the music was too mainstream.
The controller itself is very easy to understand. Once the functions of the controller are explained you won't have to worry about getting hung up during gameplay going "Crud! How do I do that again?" All of the challenge comes from timing and keeping up with the song rather then remembering how to pull a particular trick off.
There are two multiplayer modes: The first is with two turn-table controllers and the other is with one turn-table and one guitar controller. For obvious reasons the demo only came with turn-table vs guitar multiplayer and we tried it out. The actual game play worked well and was interesting, but the one song they chose to use in the demo was... Well. When I saw it was a mashup of my favorite Beastie Boys song and my favorite Foo Fighters song I thought "This is going to be great!" ...But no. It was a tortuous ball of noise and pain. I wanted to yell "Hang the DJ!", but since I was playing turn-table I was the DJ. So instead, when it was finally over I turned to everybody and said, "I realize there might be some of you who want to try out multi-player, but I would rather put my eyes out with a dull rusty spork then listen to that song again."
And they agreed.
So.
I think the game is fun and will have a very broad appeal, and I hope they release DLC soon of some trance and such for the more hardcore fans of the genre. |
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