October 27 6:31 P.M.
Watch DJ Hero videos
Don't have enough plastic instruments cluttering your living room? No worries -- DJ Hero is on the case.
Packing a groovy turntable peripheral -- complete with a rotating record for simulating scratches and a crossfader for changing tracks -- the latest music game from Guitar Hero maestro Activision hits stores Tuesday. With the likes of Jay Z and Eminem working overtime to help promote it, DJ Hero is certainly not short on star power. But with so many other music games on offer, is this just another broken record?
Not remotely, say game critics. Currently averaging a commendable 87% on metacritic.com, DJ Hero is scoring on par with recent sales leader, The Beatles: Rock Band. Looks like Activision has another platinum artist on their hands.
IGN isn't just impressed with it as a music outing, however. In a glowing 9/10 review, the site insists it's "one of the best games" released this year. "In an overcrowded genre of music games, DJ Hero resides at the very top with the best of 'em," they continue. Gamedaily wholeheartedly agrees, giving it an identical score while claiming it's "without question Activision's coolest rhythm game."
Why, exactly? Apparently, it begins and ends with the game's varied soundtrack, which lets players blend two different tracks to create fresh new mixes. IGN calls it "superb," while GamePro says they would "gladly purchase the soundtrack" in their 4/5 review. Print publication Game Informer (9/10, surprise, surprise) praises the soundtrack for bravely smashing expectations. "Finally," they write, "a music game that’s not simply regurgitating the past, but transforming it."
Not enough hyperbole? Try Gamedaily's take.
"Soundtracks define music games," the site says, "and DJ Hero has the best (no offense to The Beatles)."
Daring quotes aside, is DJ Hero perfectly in tune? Not so much. GamePro thinks "it isnt nearly as accessible nor as polished as its current bread and butter, Guitar Hero" while lamenting the high price tag. "At $119, it's a rather large investment for yet another specialized piece of plastic." Game Informer also gripes about the graphics; specifically, the "horrible character designs." And while there are multiplayer options, most reviewers agree that it’s a better game to play solo.
Still, you've got to hand it to Activision for finding a way to make a music video game feel new. If you've been itching for a fresh way to play, DJ Hero will handle the scratching.
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Posted: 27 Oct 2009
