Let me start by saying that I've never been a big fan of this current generation of peripheral-based music games, such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band, etc. Sure I own a copy of GH2 and 3 (3 given to me as a gift from the bargain bin). I have a couple of GH controllers. But after the first few weeks with those games the thrill was gone. I could only play on easy mode. I'd got booed off the stage in defeat. Things in the game I wanted to try or see remained forever locked because I was neither good at it, didn't have the time to get good at it, and even a small session would cramp my hands bad enough to wonder if I might actually develop arthritis from simply trying to play this game that I already paid a mint for. While GH has had great success, and is actually a pretty cool game, I found it rather discouraging and inaccessible.
I was therefore very skeptical about the new "spin" on this latest entry of the genre and brand, DJ Hero. I hardly kept it on my gaming forecast radar for all the bad memories of GH past and the fact that I figured it'd just be more of the same and slanted to rake the pockets of hip hop fans. Well, brothers and sisters, I am happy to report how wrong I was. I LOVE THIS GAME!
I saw it on display at a retail store. Everyone was crowded around and I became bold enough to start an inquiry. Is it hard? How much like GH is it? How are the songs? Is it fun? Well, long story short, somehow I dared myself to buy it for the entry level price, $120. I had a friend coming over that night and so I thought we might both give it a try and, if I didn't like it, maybe I'd trade it to him for half the price and cut my losses.
Well, I got it home, hooked it up rather easily, started the in-game tutorials and never looked back. DJ Hero takes what was right with GH and practically fixed all of the aforementioned flaws. This game has improved on so many aspects that GH laid out in the past. It's a very fresh take on this new music-based peripheral genre. It's very accessible to ALL player skills. The gentle tutorial will lead your way to hours of great fun and music. Players will also feel a sense of accomplishment as the learning curve is very low. The game play is not as unforgiving as GH where you have to practice all the time and/or be a freak and end up with arthritis to get good at it and not get booed off the stage or be unable to unlock other parts of the game.
The peripheral it comes with is easy to learn and will get you playing in no time. Everything makes sense with this game. After the quick tutorials, you'll be dying to try everything this game has to throw at you and you never feel like it's a chore. It plays like GH in that you react to the oncoming rhythm indicators but, instead of the guitar, you have a DJ turntable with only three buttons you need to push accordingly, along with just a few other knobs to turn. Players should find this set up very intuitive. The peripheral it comes with is very capable, sturdy, and wireless. It's also customizable for R-L hands, and it's a LOT of fun playing around with that thing.
The best thing about this game is simply that it's a lot of fun without a lot of work. There are enough songs to suit anybody's taste, and almost every song has been remixed anyway so that most songs will sound new to anyone. There are plenty of goodies to unlock and the best part is you don't have to master the game to unlock them. Just playing the game enough and doing well will have you unlocking items all the time, and like I said, it's not hard to play well. You can make it as hard as you want though. The game is fun and will reward you for as easy or as hard as you want to play it. There's even a bonus to the gameplay where you can plug in your old GH guitar into the second port and, for certain mixes, play dual turntable/guitar sessions with a friend.
The only drawbacks to this game is that if you play it for a really long time the novelty and fun might not be as appealing as it was when you first started. Like I said, you won't be booed off the stage so you probably won't put down the turntable until the thrill is gone. You'll come back to it time after time, most likely, but the game will potentially lose its shine. The only other drawback that I can see is the price. $120 is pretty steep even at the entry level and there is a premium $200 "Renegade" edition where you get a more fortified turntable, a stand, a solid DJ like case, and an exclusive Jay-Z/Eminem CD. Most people should be happy with the $120 edition though. You get the same songs either way and the turntable is just fine with the entry level purchase.
In closing, if you already like these peripheral-based music games, DJ Hero is something you probably want to check out. If you're new to these types of games or have given up on them, as I have done in the past, DJ Hero is a very fresh and inviting new entry into the genre. Fun for you, for friends, for family, for parties, for anything to do with music gaming. DJ Hero should be a GREAT time and product for just about anybody.