DJ Hero: Wii :: Game Review, Videos & Discussion
Platform(s): Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: October 27, 2009
ESRB Rating: T For Teen
With so many music/rhythm-based games on the market these days, how do you sort the awesome ones from the ho-hum ones? Well, you can log in to Kidzworld and check out our Games Reviews, to start! Like this one, for the much-anticipated DJ Hero game from Freestyle Games and Activision.
Hey Mr. DJ
You’ve heard about the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games franchises. It’s time for something new. DJ Hero is a DJ rhythm-based game (rather than an instruments-based game) that comes with its own plastic turntable and mixer so you can perform 93 brand-new mixes, some by well-known DJs like Daft Punk, DJ Shadow, Grandmaster Flash and many more, plus music from across all genres and styles.
Turn, Turn, Turn
Like we said, DJ Hero comes with something new to musically themed video games: a plastic turntable and mixer. The turntable is fully rotatable for scratching and rewinds and includes three stream buttons. It’s up to you whether you want to place the buttons to the left or the right, but putting them on the right actually makes it that much harder to play the game. Either way, the more you play, the more you’ll get used to using the equipment, the more you’ll improve your DJ-ing skills. Next is the mixer – the other half of the hardware that comes with DJ Hero. This piece of equipment comes with a crossfader tab, effects dial and Euphoria (star power) button. Everything is sturdy, well-built and pretty light to carry.
Spin Doctor
The point of the game is to earn stars for each song you complete – the more stars you earn the more awards – setlist, characters, turntables – you get. Just play, do your best and earn as many stars as you possibly can. By “doing your best” we mean getting the hang of using DJ Hero’s various spinning functionalities, like scratching and cross-fading. Scratching is easy enough to do. Just hold the button, check for it to show up on your screen and scratch on the turntable. Cross-fading is a bit harder to master, but it’s pretty easy to learn how to do, as well. The game’s challenge-factor depends on what difficulty you choose to set. The higher the difficulty the more the game is going to ask you to do.
Probably the best thing about DJ Hero is the soundtrack. The 93 mixes in DJ Hero are made up of two songs ranging from several genres of music like hip-hop, dance, pop, R&B, rock, etc. There’s so much musical variety that it’s really easy to find something you like. Check out mixes by Z-trip, Cut Chemist, DJ AM, etc., as well as pop songs like Disturbia by Rihanna and Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani.
Video: Cinematic Trailer
Video: Daft Punk Trailer
Video: Jay-Z & Eminem Ad
DJ Hero: Game Rating:
Discuss It!
What YOUR favorite rhythm-based video game? TELL US NOW on the Kidzworld Game News and Reviews Board!
Related Stories:
So you want to learn to mix records, but the only thing you know is you need two turntables... (and a microphone). Where do you start? Well, first you need the proper mixing equipment to learn with. [see The first thing you gotta do is hit the vinyl shop. Get two copies of the same record. It's a good idea to buy a record you're familiar with when starting. Maybe someone you've heard on the radio like Moby, The Chemical Brothers, Fat Boy Slim or Asian Dub Foundation. This should be a standard 12 inch record not a 45 inch. Another tip is to use a record with a strong bass line because it's easier to hear when you're matching one beat with the other. Ok, now you're ready to get down to some serious scratchin' - lookout Fat Boy!
So now you're ready to roll - with the urge to mix and two records in hand. Now what? You need to determine what deck will be doing what. If you're right handed then your right turn table will be deck A and the left one B. (If you're left handed do the reverse for everything). Now look at your mixer (the digital controls between your turn tables) and find the switch/knob for pitch control. Leave it at the center or so it's on the zero mark. It should show a green light (or similar) when it is in this position. Now put your record on deck A (turntable A) and turn it on. Then place the turn table arm at the beginning of the record. (Note: the needle should be playing the record now some turn tables do this automatically, but most require you to manually do this step). Once deck A is running you don't have to worry about it until the record ends.
Now you're ready to SCRATCH that mixin' itch. Scratchin' is the reverse motion of the record rotating against the needle. It makes the scratching noize that coined the term. Using your finger (or fingers) pull and push the record around the plate until you find the introductory bass drum. This is the first heavy drum beat you can hear. It's usually a few bars into the song. Once you've found the bass drum use your finger or fingers to push and pull the record across the needle back and forth. If the record you're using is pretty worn it may cause problems for you 'cuz the needle can skip out of the groove. It's annoying if you're needle is jumping all over the place, especially when learning. WARNING: don't try this on your parents record player because you'll fry it! So play around with scratchin' for awhile to get a feel for it. Try using one finger then a couple fingers to find your preferred technique. Congratulations... you've learned the first step to mixing records. Check back soon for Introduction to Mixing II and we'll continue where we left off. Till then happy scratchin'!
Related Stories:
Alive Sleeping Cuties are the latest addition to the Alive Animal Kingdom, and these cute little babies are not only soft and cuddly, but will really respond to you, their new owner!
Ever wonder what happened to the winners of past seasons of American Idol?