Spinning on DJ Hero

Activision’s DJ Hero puts a brand-new spin on the music genre thanks to its turntable peripheral and a dedication to music genres (e.g. hip-hop and techno) that don’t usually get a lot of love from the instrument-based games.

Xbox.com’s own Tom Wiggin (Gamertag: W1gg1n) spent a little quality time with the game, and here’s what he had to say.

“DJ Hero? I love it! Why? I’ll give you three reasons.

1. The Turntable controller: The concept of turntable will be foreign to most. Cross-fading, scratching and blending is quite a leap from belting out Ozzy in Guitar Hero games, but when you find the rhythm, seamlessly blending tracks and hitting scratches, the satisfaction is pure. The learning curve may be steep, but it’s well worth it. Just remember, keep your Euphoria up and rewinds spinnin’.
2. The Music: There are more than 100 songs making up 93 original mixes for you to scratch away to. Industry giants like Jay-Z, Eminem and MC Hammer are masterfully produced by well known talents including DJ Shadow, Grandmaster Flash and DJ AM (RIP). The Daft Punk mixes have been my favorite experience with a music game to date. It even encouraged me to add a Daft Punk station to Last.FM.
3. The Party: There’s a rumor going around that some wannabe DJ was advertising his services using just tracks from the game. I don’t doubt it. The multiple songs set lists and party inspired music are perfect for large gatherings. No matter how badly you blow a song there’s no failing in DJ Hero either, so even newcomers can grab a turntable without fear of frustration. Better yet, DJ Hero sports little in the way of music cut-outs when you mess up, so the mix still sounds good.