So I mentioned that I bought DJ Hero, it arrived in days and Canada Post left the big ass box (3 feet high) in front of my apartment door….Yikes!
Luckily the building is full of old people so it was safe and I unpacked it. I got the renegade edition which comes with a case that turns into a stand, a 2 disc Jay-Z/Eminem mix and the turntable has metal faders and is reportedly better constructed.
A few thoughts about the package in general:
- The case is amazing, custom cut foam inserts and it clasps closed on both sides very securely. Plus it has a handle and the legs can fit inside the case for great portability
- The turntable is amazing, the fader feels really solid and click nicely when in the middle. The tuner for effects is smooth and spins well and the euphoria button lights up when active which is a great touch.
- The platter itself spins really easily and the buttons are a good distance from each other and grooved for your fingers. Button presses are easy as are green spins, blues are a little trickier as they are on the inside row and the platter feels heavy when you scratch blue sections. I am adjusting and trying different grip techniques to compensate.
- The 2 disc mix is really quite amazing and a bit surprising. The liner notes are censored, the game is censored but the music is most definitely not, I lost track trying to count the f and n-bombs being dropped. It is appreciated as the music needs to be raw when not re-mixed DJ Hero style…these are pure Eminem and Ja-z tracks, any bleeps or fades when swearing occurs would be noticeable and jarring.
A few thoughts on the game:
- People are right about the game being minimal as far as modes go but no one could fault the music at all. The mixes are truly great so far, my favorite being the Queen/Daft Punk mixes I have heard.
- Gameplay is really cool and at times requires fast hands and eyes, when you hit the cues and nail the crossfades it is very satisfying, when you miss and music stops you know you have messed up. The nice thing about the great mixes is I don’t mind replaying songs to get the 5 stars.
- There are really jarring ads in the game, in a Block Party setting there was a crazy bright green TD ad on the wall and I kept looking at it, I don’t mind ingame ads if they are there and subtle, but make it fit the subject matter. How about clothes? Music? Movies?
- I really do feel like a DJ standing above my stand mixing music, the effects knob and ability to insert freestlye effects is really cool as is the scratching and crossfades.
Verdict? Love this game, I love the culture of DJing, I like the music and the scenarios and I really enjoy playing this.
Serious/Gamer 