Video Game Review: Prepare to Be Addicted to ‘DJ Hero’

CHICAGO – Activision has been accused of milking the music game genre to the point of absolute exhaustion and with “Guitar Hero: Van Halen,” “Band Hero,” and “Guitar Hero 5” crowding store shelves this holiday season, it’s difficult to disagree. And yet “DJ Hero” somehow finds a way to rejuvenate a genre on the ropes, bringing a new approach to the music game that is remarkably addictive. Put away the drums and the mic (but leave the guitar out) and jump into the world of “DJ Hero”.

Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0

“DJ Hero” comes with a platter designed to replicate the genuine feel of a crossfader, effect dial controls, and actual turntable. The “record” section of the table includes three buttons - green, red, blue - that should be familiar to anyone who has played a music game before. Hit the button at the right time and make some club-thumping music.

DJ Hero
Photo credit: Activision

On the beginner and easy levels of the game, hitting the right color at the right time is about all you’ll need to do to be the next Grandmaster Flash, but “DJ Hero” features a lot more tricks the higher up the difficulty ladder the player climbs. Scratching, cross-fading, and samples (which you can choose pre-mix) play crucial roles in whether you’ll deliver a 5-star jam or a 2-star snooze on Medium and above. On several tracks, a friend can even pick up the guitar and play along with your jam.

DJ Hero Photo credit: Activision

Graphics are a small part of the success of a title like “DJ Hero” (no problem here with the cartoonish style of the Activision music titles actually fitting the garish world of DJ-ing more than, say, Kurt Cobain in “Guitar Hero 5”) but it really comes down to controls and song selection. The former is wonderfully, creatively designed and the latter is a great blend of hip hop, pop, rock, and dance.

As for tunes, “DJ Hero” includes over 100 individual songs featuring as diverse artists as Queen, Daft Punk, Black Eyed Peas, Dilated Peoples, Jurassic 5, N.E.R.D., Beck, Marvin Gaye, Gorillaz, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Blondie. Each mix features two songs and many are repeated, resulting in 93 unique never-before-release mixes, some by legends in the business like Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ AM, and more. These are not everyday mash-ups. They are expertly produced dance mixes from the best at what they do. Of course, as fans of his know, what DJ Shadow brings steals the show.

The structure of the game is familiar to music titles with increasingly difficult set lists that need to be passed to unlock more tunes, outfits, playable characters, etc. The game is surprisingly deep and should take longer to complete than most traditional music outings. When you’re done, a pretty standard online mode and, if Activision’s past is any indication, a steady flow of downloadable tunes should keep “DJ Hero” fresh.

DJ Hero Photo credit: Activision

As for what doesn’t work about this trip to the animated club, the list of complaints is incredibly short. First, the gap between difficulty levels feels larger than it should be. Anyone who’s ever played a music game (and hasn’t everyone by now?) will find the Easy level a bit too much so (I never even experimented with “Beginner”) but Medium has a learning curve that could throw players, leaving them frustrated in between. A similarly gigantic leap happens between Medium and Hard and I think there could be some fine-tuning in the complexity of the game to make it more enjoyable for players with different skill levels.

The game also feels a bit incomplete, as the online matches aren’t ranked and even all the unlockable outfits in the world can’t disguise a lack of build throughout the “story” portion of the game. You’re really just playing song after song and a bit of variety in the actual modes of the title would enhance the inevitable “DJ Hero 2”.

When I heard about “DJ Hero,” I assumed it would be a pleasant diversion, a nice companion to the “Guitar Hero” franchise. This is no “companion”. “DJ Hero” is a unique, clever, interesting game that stands completely on its own, probably even supplanting the band-driven titles for a lot of fans of the music video game genre.

After the disappointing “Guitar Hero: World Tour” and “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith,” I was one of the critics who thought the most exciting new gaming genre of the ’00s was on its way out the door. With “The Beatles: Rock Band” and “DJ Hero” proving that there are new ways to approach this genre, it feels like we’re in the middle of “music games 2.0” with more expertly crafted, detailed, satisfying music-based experiences. Except for a few tweaks to the difficulty and a bit more variety to the game modes, “DJ Hero” feels, appropriately, like a brand new mix of an old tune. And one that you’ll have difficulty getting out of your head.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com