Hands-On Impressions: DJ Hero (XBox 360, PS3, Wii)
Yesterday, Gamestop locations around the US had demo machines set up for Activision’s upcoming rhythm game, DJ Hero. The demo units were only on site for the day, so Jesse and I made the trek to the evil empire to give the game a spin (see what I did there?).
At first glance, what you see on the screen is very similar to the Guitar Hero interface. You hit colored buttons as they pass you on the screen. Then you will notice the lines cut to the left and right, have strange symbols on them, etc. and it all becomes a little confusing.
I’m happy to say that once you are actually playing, it all clicks. You tap your fingers when the bubbles hit the bottom of the screen, just like strumming the appropriate notes on Guitar Hero. If you are playing right handed, then your right hand is on the “record” portion of the controller with your fingers on the different colored buttons. Your left hand is on a slider (the crossfader) that has three positions; left, middle and right.
When the screen shows the lines move to the left or right, you have to have the slider in the appropriate position to be able to tap the correct notes. This simulates fading between the two tracks of the VS battle song going in background. When you are in the middle, both tracks play evenly.
You also have to scratch when the arrow symbols appear on the various buttons. Most of the time, any up-down combination will work. Sometimes, there are specific directions you need to scratch in order to successfully hit the notes.
What surprised me the most, and made me want to buy the game, is how easy it was to pick up and play. I was able to start on hard, and while I didn’t do great on the song, I understood exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I know little to nothing about real DJing, but this game makes you feel like a pro.
Tags: activision, DJ Hero, hands-on impressions, music games, ps3, rhythm games, Wii, Xbox 360
This entry was posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 1:36 pm and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Michelle says:I think this is going to have to go in the pile of music games I must never try. Can you believe I wasn’t keen on the idea of Rock Band until I tried it? Putting me on a DJ Hero cabinet is asking for trouble. Sounds amazing, but my pockets tell me that I must try to avoid!
Oh but Daft Punk are calling me…
October 12th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Wesley says:I def. want this. I’ve always thought it’d be worth getting because I’m so into hip hop culture. I actually wore ecko and turntable shirts a while back.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Jonah "spambot" Gregory says:I did forget to mention that the setup at Gamestop was HORRIBLE. My hand was aching from being at such a steep angle while trying to play (it was set up for little kids, and I’m 6’1″), and you could just barely hear the music because of the stupid Gamestop TV blaring in the background.
Even with the terrible surroundings, the game was able to shine through and make me want to buy it.
October 12th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:And keep in mind too that Jonah is wanting to buy it knowing full well it will already be in the house if he doesn’t. That’s gotta count for something.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Joe Bonelli says:I really want to try this game. I went to Best Buy over the weekend for one reason and it was to try the demo and see if it was worth a purchase for me, but I couldn’t even get near it, I waited around but the people there were almost like vultures circling over a dead body, one guy left and then 2 more people came. I pretty much gave up and left after that so hopefully in the future I’ll be able to try it before someone breaks it or before they make the controller all dirty.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Jonah "spambot" Gregory says:Yeah, I find that when it comes to waiting in lines to try a new game, lots of nerds are total jerks.
At PAX, there was a guy on the new WoW expansion demo that I had changed lines to get out from behind. When Brittany and I had both finished demoing the game, that asshat was still there playing. For some reason the people in line behind him hadn’t yet changed lines or reported him to the nearby staff.
October 18th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
fernando says:i think this would be good for kids that want to learn how to dj like my 4yr old girl