In a world full of bland rhythm-based music games, last year’s DJ Hero sought to change things up a bit by injecting a little funk and flare in to the mix. It succeeded, in large part, because it provided a fresh approach to the genre, an interesting peripheral and a music mix not seen in previous titles. With DJ Hero 2 out in time to vie for the holiday shopping blitz, Activision has given the market a worthy follow up to a terrific game, refining what was already a fun experience and offering some new glitter to keep things even more polished.
DJ Hero 2 is all about player’s approach to the music. Instead of just tapping away at buttons on a plastic guitar, you are given options like crossfading tracks, adding different effects, and – new to this latest installment – freestyle scratching. Sure, the gameplay is essentially the same as the original, but it’s a bit more refined. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a game that should compete for your party game needs.
The game throws at you the ability to go one-on-one against an opponent, and also chucks in a vocal track for good measure. Vocals in DJ Hero 2 are, well, pretty useless. We liked a lot about the game, but we could just never wrap our heads (or voice around) the vocals. It’s hard enough listening to two songs mashed together, but singing along is even harder. There are some exceptions, but overall the vocal tracks could have been left out.
In writing this review, I would be remised not to explain that the music packed in DJ Hero 2 isn’t exactly to my ideal tastes. This is a game I played with my girlfriend, who surprisingly enjoyed it immensely, and it actually suited us quite well. Unlike myself she happens to be quite a fan of this type of music, and I’ll concede that in the end even I was actually turned on to some tracks. Maybe I’m getting too old for the club or dance scene (then again, I never was really into it in the first place), but I couldn’t help but to throw my hands up when the music really started kicking— and boy, did that make me feel old.
As mentioned, DJ Hero 2 doesn’t change all that much in the gameplay department. It focuses on a plastic turntable, and puts at your fingers a crossfade and track manipulator. Just like other music games, you have to tap colored buttons carefully placed on the turntable side of the peripheral. Pressing the buttons corresponds to the two outside tracks, while the middle button activates the DJ’s effects. Progressing in difficultly, players must use the crossfade to move tracks from left to right. This can get tricky especially when the song is rolling by fast and you are in the midst of tapping on your turntable.
Where DJ Hero 2 really starts to shine is in the freestyle abilities. Unlike other music games that have you play along in a karaoke-style button tapping experience, DJ Hero 2 allows you to be truly immersed in the music by throwing your personal flare into every track. Freestyle scratch sections show up frequently and they allow you to scratch at will—this sounds terrific and unique to each player. This is in contrast to the pre-recorded scratches that sound fine, but not overly unique. You can also put your spin on the song through freestyle crossfading, which allows you to highlight and balance the mix of two tracks by sliding the crossfader back and forth. It can take a while to get some good sounding mixes during these freestyle sections, so you’ll have to play around it to figure out what sounds good and what sounds odd. You’ll find some other new tweaks to the gameplay that should keep it fresh for DJ Hero fans looking for an upgrade. Held notes work just as they sound: You have to hold notes longer to get the perfect mix.
The career mode, known as Empire Mode, allows you to customize an aspiring DJ, and take him or her through a set of different venues. This is where you’ll unlock tons of goodies for your character, in addition to new venues and mixes. Some of the venues during Empire Mode give you megamixes, mashing up two to four songs for one long 10-15 minute track. During Empire Mode you’ll also get to battle other DJs, including some real DJs. Empire Mode is a bit too typical for an otherwise fun and unique take on a music game, so if anything it’s a bit of a disappointment.
Outside of Empire Mode, and the diverse multiplayer components really shine. Party Play and Quickplay are, as they sound, quick party sessions intended for small groups of people. You can select songs/mixes for your setlist, jump in and out of sessions, and generally have a more relaxed approach to the otherwise fast-paced gameplay. Online competitive modes bring back the competition. You can fight friends or strangers in modes that include DJ Battles, which functions exactly as you’d imagine. Multiplayer certainly outshines the single-player mode, but then again that shouldn’t come as a surprise given this type of game is tailored specifically for enjoying with a group of buddies.
Graphically, there is nothing earth shattering to speak of here. At times, we found the game seemed to have a hard time keeping up with the music. Character profiles and accessories are limited, so we would have liked to see more options in customizing our DJ. Overall, however, DJ Hero 2 provides fun for those looking for a party game with different music, some difficulty, and the ability to sound truly unique. With 83 mixes, there are plenty of different songs to spike your interest. Even if you are like me and would rather hear loud guitars than synthesized tracks, you’ll probably find something here that’ll have you bopping in your seat in no time at all.