DJ Hero (Renegade Edition) Review
Get ready to add another plastic peripheral to your collection; the turntable has made its mark in gaming. DJ Hero, the latest addition to the Guitar Hero series from Activision and FreeStyleGames, will please the current lovers of Guitar Hero and the late adopters of the series. Although it might seem intimidating and complicated to a person who has never touched a vinyl record, DJ Hero is a perfect start for the series as it’s easy to pick up and learn. This is a very new concept to the series, so it’ll require me to do a bit of explaining first.
There are 2 versions of the game: the regular edition coming in at $119.99 and the Renegade Edition coming in at $199.99. “What’s the difference?” You ask. The regular edition comes with a copy of the game and the silver and black turntable peripheral. The Renegade Edition includes: a copy of the game, a carrying case that can be transformed into a DJ table, a double-disc album of Jay-Z vs. Eminem, and a gold and black turntable peripheral. There’s no difference between the two versions in terms of gameplay, but the turntable peripheral in the special edition has actual metal gold-painted knobs that makes the peripheral have a better build quality. With 102 tracks and 93 total mixes, DJ Hero will keep you entertained for hours. DJ Hero caters to many audiences. Genres range from Hip-Hop, old school R&B, Techno, Rock, etc.
Turntable Peripheral
The turntable has a vinyl-like wheel with 3 buttons that can be spun a full 360-degrees, a crossfader, Euphoria button (equivalent to Guitar Hero’s ‘Star Power’) and a knob that can be twisted to add effects to the music. There is plenty of room on the turntable to position your hands comfortably and can even be switched around for lefties and righties. If you’re going to pick up the Renegade Edition, the physical table included is very sturdy and keeps in place on rug and wood floors.
Renegade Edition of the turntable peripheral.
Gameplay
DJ Hero is very similar to the Guitar Hero in terms of there being a highway and gems you’ll have to hit going down the highway. However, there are some twists. You won’t just be hitting gems. You’ll also have to scratch which can be executed when the gems on the highway direct you to. In order to execute a scratch, you’ll have to hold down the respective button and scratch until the scratching gem on the highway ends. In addition to scratching, you’ll have to crossfade. Using the crossfader, you’ll have to switch from deck A to deck B. This is vital to making the mix sound good. There will be parts on the highway called perfect sections. The name implies exactly what you’ll be doing on those sections. If you hit every gem, scratch, and crossfade in the section, you’ll be rewarded with Euphoria. When you earn this, the Euphoria button will blink red on the turntable and you’ll be able to hit that button at any time during the mix to gain extra points and pump up your multiplier. In addition to rewarding you, if you get a 50 hit streak you’ll be rewarded with the rewind functionality, which can also be used at any time during the mix. All you’ll have to do is spin the wheel back at least 360-degrees to pull this off and gain extra points. If this sounds like too much to you, there will be a very clear tutorial by DJ Grand Master Flash who will teach you everything you need to know.
There are 4 difficulties: easy, medium, hard, and expert. If you play on easy, you only will have to hit gems and do minor scratching – there is no crossfading on this difficulty. On medium, you’ll get a taste of everything. On hard, you’ll have more precise scratching, crossfading, and quick crossfading spikes. On expert, you’ll get the full experience handed to you.
If you’re having trouble with a track, you will not fail. The game will not punish you for not hitting every gem, scratch, and crossfade. And when you do mess up, the audio will cut out for about 1 second – you hardly notice that you’ve messed up (this is helpful to make you focus on continuing on with the mix.) Your performance is rated out of 5 stars. Overall, the game is very rewarding and you’ll rack up a lot of trophies/achievements as you go on.
Music
If you look at the track list, you’ll mainly think that none of the tracks mix together; but surprisingly they do. Mixes are done by in-house DJs at Freestyle games and by major DJs like DJ Jazzy Jeff, the late-DJ AM, DJ Grand Master Flash, DJ Shadow, Daft Punk and more. You’ll get a taste of everything. Hip-Hop mixed with Rock, Dance mixed in with Techno, etc. At times, I found myself frustrated on the Hip-Hop and Rock mixes. These mixes include the guitar peripheral being used. This means that there will be two highways on the screen: one for the turntable and one for the guitar. The Rock music will distract you while you’re trying to mix on the turntable and you will have trouble viewing your highway. There are only 2 set lists you’ll have to work with the guitar. It will take you out of the experience and you’ll feel Activision’s saturation of the Guitar Hero series. Other than the Guitar bits, regular mixes sound very good and have you naturally mixing with the music.
You’ll love the mixes from these major DJs.
Multiplayer
This functionality is almost a must in the current generation of consoles. There are 2 ways to enjoy the multiplayer in DJ Hero. You can play online, of course, or have a friend come over with another turntable peripheral or a guitar peripheral. If you’re doing strictly mixing, you and your competitor will be playing the exact same notes (unless, of course, you’re both playing on different difficulties.) You can also have turntable and guitar mash-ups, there are only 9 of these mixes. The multiplayer is good, but can be improved in DJ Hero 2. A battle system is the most obvious mode that can be implemented into the multiplayer. This will give the gamer a little more insight on how things are done in the underground where 2 DJs battle it out to see who can produce the superior mix. Overall, you won’t be dissatisfied if you’re a multiplayer addict.
The Final Verdict
You might feel the oversaturation of Activision’s music rhythm games, but DJ Hero will give you that fresh feeling. It’ll give you a break from guitars, drums, and microphones. It’s a completely different experience and definitely warrants a sequel.
Gameplay – 9/10
It doesn’t emulate exactly how a DJ mixes, but it will give you the main idea. It’s fun and the music will keep you wanting more. The multiplayer calls for more, but won’t stop you from having a good time.
Sound – 9/10
Excellent music. Most of the mixes are perfect, but the Rock mashups will discourage you. If you can forgive the Rock bits, you’ll love all the other mixes.
Presentation – 8/10
Great graphics and menu system. For the most part, the art style is the same as Guitar Hero and doesn’t tell the story of innovation.
Overall Score
9/10 – Must Buy
Game on,
Paralex
Developer: FreeStyleGames
Publisher: Activision
Available on: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
7 Responses to “DJ Hero (Renegade Edition) Review”
Awesome review dawg 5*
Ace review Paralex!
Nice layout & pictures!
5/5!
Thanks. Appreciate it guys.
Really good review, Paralex. This has really helped on my decision on purchasing this game.
didn’t dj hero just come out?
just got it and its very fun
looks mad crisp, but looks aggravating though. It seems like it will take a lot of getting used to thats for sure.