IT WAS the old English author, Samuel Johnson, who said: “Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those who we cannot resemble.”
Of course, they didn’t have DJ Hero in the 18th century, but his quote just about hits the nail on the head. For the 99.9 per cent of us who aren’t rock stars, DJ’s, professional footballers or Hollywood A-listers, the closest we can come to emulating our heroes comes in the shape of Sunday league, AmDram or video games like this, Activision’s latest peripheral-based music jaunt. And yes, sitting on the sofa doing my best Grandmaster Flash impressions while poking and prodding a plastic turntable may be absurd, but it is also the most sincere form of flattery. And, above all else, it is great fun.
The game is sold with a record deck contraption, roughly the same size as the paper you’re reading now. It has a section to the left with a crossfader, ‘euphoria’ button and effects knob, and a turntable to the right which feels nicely weighted and well built. Gameplay itself travels the well-worn road of its guitar based predecessor, whereby you press buttons, scratch and crossfade in line with prompts from the screen. It differs from Guitar Hero in that you’re required to use both hands to do seperate things, rather than fretting with one hand and merely strumming with the other. At times, on harder levels, it is akin to rubbing your belly and patting your head. Only more fun and with fatter basslines. Multiplayer comes in the form of either two players using decks, or interestingly one player on decks and another using their Guitar Hero peripheral to throw down some of the rockier elements. Thankfully, Limp Bizkit are notable by their absence at this point.
I used to DJ at a rock club in Liverpool, and I learnt quickly that mixing Ms Dynamite with Slayer did not go down well with the headbanging public. The trick is to know your audience and give them what they want, not to enforce your experimental obscurities on to them while they look on in disdain. Thankfully, the Nathan Barley-types hired by Activision to choose, dissect and mix the game’s frankly awesome soundtrack have done a brilliant job. All of the mixes on here have been made exclusively for the game, and what a selection it is. From DJ Shadow mixed with Dizzee Rascal, to Tears for Fears mashed with David Guetta, if you have any interest in music you’ll find something to like in the 100-plus mixes included here. It’s all done in a suitably edgy way, and the songs are strong enough that you would happily use them at any party you cared to attend. There is repetition; Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl is used on a number of mash-ups, but each time it works well.
We are, it must be said, a month or two late with this review. The paucity of the new year release calender means that much like a diced worm we are trying only to make ends meet. But for the purpose of this review, hindsight is a valuable thing. Was it a wise decision to launch a £100 (RRP on release) game in the middle of a recession? Warehouses reportedly full of unsold stock would suggest not. Do people who see DJ Hero automatically assume it will be a quick cash-in, designed on the cheap to swell the already burgeoning Activision coffers? Probably, but they’d be wrong. After playing it for a while I can tell you nothing about this game is cheap, contrived or ill thought out. It’s a hugely polished, highly enjoyable affair that will unfortunately go unplayed by many due its high price point.
If, in the sales, you see a copy going cheaper than the RRP I’d implore you to get a copy. 5/5