Hands-on: DJ Hero

by Andrew Yoon

It may look like Guitar Hero at first glance, but DJ Hero is anything but. The introduction of a new plastic controller (this time, in the shape of a turntable) certainly changes the feel of the game, but what really makes DJ Hero so novel is its sound. The music genre has become over-saturated with guitar riffs and the sounds of rock and metal. It only takes a few seconds to immediately recognize that DJ Hero brings something brand new to the table -- something we couldn't say about the genre for a long time now.

To say DJ Hero's lineup is eclectic would be an understatement. What other game not only offers a lineup so diverse, but encourages players to mix the sounds of artists like Eminem, Tears for Fears, N.E.R.D. and the Jackson 5? Not only has developer FreeStyleGames managed to compile a variety of sounds for the game, but they've managed to combine these into devilishly edgy mixes. Certainly, this is a game that demands your attention.

It's a rare feat that a game can be mesmerizing even when it's not being played. We can easily see people adding DJ Hero to their library, using it as the soundtrack to a house party. Good thing the developers had the foresight to add a non-interactive jukebox mode, letting you enjoy the game in a purely hands-off way.

Gallery: DJ Hero (GamesCom 2009)

For many, we can see the turntable controller being an intimidating thing to handle. I met the controller with the same trepidation I had when guitar controllers first rolled out. However, while most people know how a guitar works in some fashion (who hasn't performed air guitar?), this turntable was completely foreign to me. What am I supposed to do with it? What if I look like an idiot?

My befuddlement actually added to the excitement of getting to play a song. The motion of moving my hand back and forth to spin the toy vinyl was foreign, but easy enough to perform. To overcome its perplexing, exotic nature, DJ Hero does a great job of easing players into the experience, locking away parts of the controller in easier difficulties. As a DJ Hero virgin, I didn't dare to try a harder difficulty. This presented me with the rather easy task of simply focusing on the three colored buttons on the controller and scratching during the on-screen indicators.

It's easy enough for anyone that's played a music game before to pick up. Like in the other Hero title, I had much more fun when I started adding flourishes, head bumping to the beat. There are opportunities to go a little wild, as well. Extended sequences encourage players to mash a colored button as frequently as they wish, similar to how the drum fills work in Rock Band. Even at its lowest difficulty, DJ Hero made me feel like I was creating the music, vicariously experiencing what a real DJ would do. Surely, that's the litmus test of a successful music game?

Harder difficulties encourage players to start exploring other parts of the controller, like the crossfader that mixes the two different audio tracks. In addition to providing more "notes" on screen, more challenging difficulties will also require players to focus on their form, with up and down scratches indicated onscreen. As with any other music game, being able to understand all the information that scrolls down will be a challenge -- something that a novice like me couldn't master in a short amount of time. While DJ-ing may appear to be easy, it is most certainly not. DJ Hero has certainly instilled a newfound respect for the genre.


I've only spent a little time with the game, but I'm already very excited for more. While the experience is exciting and fresh, it's still hard to swallow the incredible price tag. It plays and sounds unlike any other game out there. Question is: how much will people pay to get that experience?

Tags: dj-hero