DJ Hero Stand Alone Software

by ACTIVISION

Product Features

• The ability to battle your friends or jam together at home or online with two turntables or one turntable and a Guitar Hero guitar controller.
• Game bundle including software for PS3 and the exclusive DJ Hero turntable/mixer controller that allows players to scratch and mix their way to hero status.
• Variety of unique musical content featuring in the form of 80+ DJ mixes pulled from multiple genres including Hip Hop and Dance music fused with Rock, Pop and R&B.
• Variety of multiplayer co-op and competitive modes including DJ vs. DJ, DJ + DJ and DJ + Guitar.
• Engaging and easy to pick-up rhythm based gameplay in the Guitar Hero tradition.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0028ZNX40
• Product Dimensions: 16 x 8 x 31 inches ; 4.4 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: October 27, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,055 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #36 in Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Rhythm > Musical Instruments

Product Description

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 | Edition: Bundle with Turntable

Amazon.com Hands-On Review

Although the Guitar Hero series has only been around since 2005, the gobs of exposure--or perhaps over exposure--that it has received has fueled an understandable amount of skepticism among many gamers regarding the future of the overall franchise. After all, once a music game has conquered single player, two-player, artist-specific, full band multiplayer and handheld action, where does it go? Answer: into the DJ booth with DJ Hero. Recently I was able to spend some time with a Xbox 360 demo of the game that has been making the rounds, and here is what I came away with. Challenge yourself with realistic DJ gameplay mechanics and multiple point multipliers. View larger. Put your old Guitar Hero axe to work in DJ and Guitar mode. View larger. Go head-to-head against a friend in DJ vs. DJ mode. View larger. Action in DJ Hero revolves around a Guitar Hero style note highway which streams color coated prompts toward the player, in the role of DJ, who input these via the bundled game-specific wireless turntable/mixer controller. The turntable portion of the controller is made up of a realistic platter that spins all the way around in both directions when pushed by the player and has familiar green, red and blue buttons attached on top. The mixer half has a sliding three-position fader bar, a button used to activate star power like "Euphoria" gameplay sections which temporarily double point multipliers, an effects knob and a hidden control panel containing your console's standard navigational buttons. Gameplay takes you through pre matched, two-jam tracks, with the green and blue buttons oriented on the left and right edges of the note highway and on the platter representing these, and the red button in the middle providing a spot to add samples, which can be changed at various times in the game with the effects knob. Players must perform three main types of DJ actions when prompted by the note highway: taps, which are beat matching actions requiring the pushing of buttons on the platter; fader bar moves indicating either a selection of one of the two tracks during the jam, or a mix of the two; and scratching, which entails selecting one of the two tracks on the platter and moving the turntable quickly up and down. In addition, players can activate Euphoria strategically, as success throughout sections of a track fills the Euphoria meter at the left, and shoot for the additional bonus of a Rewind, given for perfection in certain sections, and allowing the player to replay that same section again for additional points. It's interesting how this latest release in the series parallels the historical deconstructive trend in actual pop music, which saw Hip-hop, Electronica, House, and other musical genres rise through the use of DJ sampling and mixing techniques, but does this mean that DJ Hero will enjoy as much success and be as good a play experience as some of the Hero games that came before it? Only time will tell, but after a few hours breaking it down on the DJ deck myself, it seems to me that the game has a major thing going against it, and an equally important positive thing going for it that together will probably decide this for most players. The negative is that the controller used is a bit more difficult to operate than any used in earlier games, except perhaps the drums of Guitar Hero World Tour, while the positive is that the overall gameplay is as fun and infectious as any seen in the series. To be clear, the controller issues alluded to are by no means a deal breaker. More than anything else, what the vast majority of players will be challenged by in the DJ Hero controller is their unfamiliarity with a DJ deck. As popular as DJ influenced music is in reality, not too many fans per capita have had hands-on experience with the tools of the trade, unlike the legions of Guitar Hero fans, purchasing in their millions, who are at least somewhat familiar with how a guitar, drum and microphone work. Another inconvenience related to the controller is its fairly cramped layout, with both sections residing right next to each other and no apparent way to create space between the two pieces without disconnecting them. This is enhanced by the fact that in many cases the controller may be more easily worked from a high platform in front of the standing player, potentially making this lack of space even more of a problem. But as with any new controller type, muscle memory will kick in with practice and players become more comfortable with the basic DJ mechanics of the game. There are also some simple hints doled out by the in-game tutorials that should be heeded, like when scratching make sure to let go at the end of each scratch, and anchor your hand to the turntable deck with your thumb to avoid spinning the platter too wildly. Also, the two pieces of the controller can be swapped to allow for left-handed play, and thankfully DJ Hero's development team recognized that discouraged players are not a good thing and did away with the familiar Guitar Hero scenario of AI audiences booing a player off the stage. If you are screwing up they will still let you know, but at least players will always get the experience of finishing. At the end of each set you are rated at 1-5 stars, where the more stars you get the more tracks are unlocked and DJ gear is made available to you. The gradual organization of the game's four play settings also help you build confidence by introducing more advanced skills as you progress. In Easy, players primarily use tapping and a simplified form of scratching. The Medium setting adds fader bar functionality. Play on the Hard level requires precise directional scratching, where you must scratch in the same direction as the note highway. The assumption is that Expert level bumps things up even farther, although this level was not available with the demo played. Finally, as part of the fun built into the game, players can expect various ways to play and experience the game. These include a variety of gameplay modes including single player, a head-to-head multiplayer DJ vs. DJ mode where two players work their way through the same track for the best possible point total, the multiplayer Guitar and DJ mode which is compatible with all Guitar Hero guitars made for the same platform, and Party Mode where scoring is turned off and you can just listen to the 80+ unique mixes by big name DJs included in the game. And as with all games in the Guitar Hero series players can expect some pretty deep character customization options to be made available as their skills rise. Taken together does all this equate to a quality music gameplay experience? Well, what I've seen is pretty solid, so if you are a fan of both Guitar Hero type gameplay and DJ music and culture, I'd say you almost certainly will not be disappointed. Also, with its new controller, as well as different and in many places, challenging gameplay, if you are more interested in DJ Hero as a departure from series' very well-worn gameplay mold, you will probably be equally happy. Tom Milnes, Amazon.com/games freelance contributor

Product Description

Be the life of the party! The makers of Guitar Hero introduce an entirely fresh and innovative way to experience your favorite music. With DJ Hero you will be the life of the party as you spin and scratch more than 100 songs into unique mixes. Get ready for a whole new phenomenon in music.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DJ HERO on the ONES and t.... well just the ONES!!!, November 2, 2009

By 

Wyatt A. Lowe "Caped Cru-gamer" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: PS3 DJ Hero Bundle with Turntable (Video Game)

I have always appreciated a good rhythm game and DJ hero is just that. The game boasts a good song selection for everyone hip-hop, rap, pop and a little rock. If you have listened to a radio in the past 30 years your going to recognize a majority of the songs.

Hardware- Lets start with the actual turntable its self. It looks amazing for starters. The turntable is very well constructed feeling heavy and durable. I have never spun records but I would assume this is what it would feel like. You have the normal colored buttons on the turntable. To the left or right, whichever you decide to put the mixer table, has a Fader, Effects dial, Euphoria button (that lights up when the euphoria meter is ready) and full D-pad and controller buttons.

HARDWARE
Pros- feels sturdy, heavy and durable
- Realistic feel
- Full spinning turntable
- looks amazing you wont mind having this setting on your coffee table

Cons-Buttons on turntable can become slick(from sweat or your potato chip grease stained fingers) after a while of play making the heaviness of the turntable cause you to scratch for a little to long on some parts or slip out of your hand.
- The fader has to be moved from left to right and back to the middle which is hard to do precisely since where the fader clicks in the middle can be hard to find and can become frustrating when going for a streak.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is a lot like all the guitar hero games. It reminds me of the Guitar Hero games as it is easy to pick up very hard to master. Most gamers who are not experienced DJ's will stick with the medium difficulty. You have a green, red and blue record stream that comes down the screen like previous guitar hero games. The green and blue are tied to the two separate tracks while the red usually controls some type of effects noises and the freestyle parts on tracks where you can add in samples(like the classic air horn noise or Flavor Flave's YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHH BOOOOOOY!) that you select from a set before you start each event. Euphoria is practically the same as star power the music gets louder, multiplier doubles and you don't have to fade the tracks in and out until the euphoria meter runs out. One of the coolest gameplay features is the rewind. Imagine your friends are watching amazed at your DJ skills (the game looks hard to play to bystanders and you really mimic a DJ to some extent) you go on a streak and acquire a rewind. The hook comes in "my name is CHICKA CHICKA SLIM SHADY" rewind..."my name is CHICKA CHICKA SLIM SHADY" and the crowd goes wild! Another great feature is the Party Play. Let the game be the background music for your next party and you can join in anytime. The game amps up the difficulty pretty quickly not enough to be annoying but definitely challenging and very rewarding. The best part of all you can't be booed off of the stage you just wont earn as many points with a bad performance. You will need stars to unlock everything. There a few songs that support the guitar hero controller for a second player to play. I haven't used this feature but I have noticed there are only a handful of songs that support it.

GAMEPLAY
Pros- great slightly familiar gameplay
-Party Play
-Rewind

Cons- Hard to stay on a streak sometimes with having to be precise on the fader parts
-you don't have the ability to record your own samples for freestyle sections and there are only 10 or so sample sets for freestyles possible more added in DLC?
-No create your own DJ you have to use the ones they provide for you that you unlock as you go but the all have a good selection of customizable clothes and tables with different skins

SET LIST
I'm going to be honest I have never really liked DJ mixes and house music all that stuff. It always seemed to me like they never get to the most memorable parts of song. Now I have a new understanding of the music genre. DJ's do this for a reason to get listeners to anticipate that classic part of the song that everybody knows. The set list is pretty massive well over a 100 songs. This seems like a lot of songs and they are all widely popular songs that most will know. Almost all of the songs are two song mixes which is what you would expect from a DJ game. You can't help but react to the music and neither can friends watching. Just like recent rhythm games you can make your own set list and either play or put the game into party play mode and jump in and out of the song if you want.
SET LIST
Pros- Huge Set list of very popular songs.
-Music that will get you moving

Cons- none really the music is what this game is about and you will enjoy it.


OVERALL
DJ hero is a game that I think will quickly gain popularity. Once people come to terms that this game is fun for solo players or with friends it will take off. The music is amazing and the first time you scratch through Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" vs. Shlomo - "Beats" or any of the other memorable songs you will think your ready for the club. This game is a buy for sure if you're on the fence don't base your experience off of a few minutes at your local best buy you wont get the full experience. It's best to set down through the tutorials and start from the beginning. If you have had dreams of DJ'ing or just like being the life of the party and appreciate some good music pick up DJ hero today.



This is my first review of the thousands of games I have played in the past 14 or 15 years of gaming so feel free to comment on my review. I plan on reviewing plenty more games in the future since I am a weekly gamestop visitor so im a pretty avid gamer I usually put in a good 20-25 hrs of gaming a week in all different genres.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy the JayZ Eminem Renegade Edition, November 6, 2009

By 

chocobabe0 (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: PS3 DJ Hero Bundle with Turntable (Video Game)

So we were very excited about this game coming out. We initially bought the renegade version, and realized a few hours later it wasn't worth the $80 difference. The added cd is just a musical cd, we thought it added some music to the game... but no! We already own all the music from these guys that we want. So in essence we got a stand for $80. My boyfriend is 6'4", so we thought it may be worth it. Once again wrong. I stood up playing it for all of 2 minutes, then decided to put my feet up on the ottoman and sit it in my lap. Much easier! Even if you don't do that, buy a $7 TV dinner tray from Walmart and put it on there. We now have the cheaper one, and the difference back. Overall besides that the game is fun. One annoying feature though. In some songs there is this really annoying high pitched ringing sound. I don't know how to make it stop. I guess it's part of the "party" noises... but it's really annoying. I initially thought it was our smoke detector going off. The noise goes in and out on some songs, and it's completely gone in others. All that said we enjoy the game. Nice alternative to all the boy shooting, sports, and fighting games.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Near endless fun for almost everyone, November 30, 2009

By 

Mark M (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PS3 DJ Hero Bundle with Turntable (Video Game)

This game was a gamble for me when I purchased. It was pretty expensive (for me at least) so I would have been pretty disappointed if it was not very fun.

Not only is DJ Hero very fun, but it is an excellent game for more than one person to enjoy. Whenever I have visitors they can't put the game down, sometimes for hours. The controls are very easy to learn and the different difficulty levels make it so that everyone can play without frustration. The easier levels are perfect for children and the harder levels are almost an endless challenge.

The music alone almost makes this game worth the purchase. The bulk of the songs are never before heard mixes. Even if hip-hop isn't your thing, the mix of genres is pretty awesome. From rap, rock, blues, techno, R&B, and so on, there is something that most people will enjoy.

I ended up getting the standard version that comes with just the game and turntable, however a friend of mines has the Renegade Edition that comes with a really nice case that also doubles as a turntable stand with telescoping legs so that it can be used while sitting or standing. It may or may not be worth the extra money to go for the Renegade Edition. I manage just fine with using the turntable on a tabletop or even on my lap. Also the Renegade Edition comes with two discs, both with 12 songs each picked by Jay-Z and Eminem.

Pros: Easy to learn. Quickly addictive. Tough to master. Downloadable content for virtually endless mixes and set possibilities. Sturdy controller (turntable). Online play. Some songs also playable with guitar from Guitar Hero.

Cons: The only con I can think of is that you cannot purchase a second controller as of right now. They only way to play against someone else is for that person to have the game on their own. I'm sure this will change soon though.

All things considered, DJ Hero gets five stars from me. It's hard to believe that anyone will not get some sort of enjoyment from this game.

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