A girls night in turned into a house party the other night when we decided to bust out a friend’s brand new copy of DJ Hero.  It turned into an awesome night of gaming, dancing and kickin’ it like DJs. The system was easy to learn, the graphics creative and, most importantly, the mixes were FANTASTIC!

Just to give a little perspective, I am not much of a gamer and neither are any of my friends.  Though I have a Nintendo DS, I am by no means any good at all.  The game interface was very easy to manage and learn. This system comes with a mock turntable.  I was surprised to find out how many DJ effects it actually featured including: scratching, fading, rewinds, crossfading and a “Euphoria” button, the DJ Hero equivalent to Guitar Hero’s “Star Power”.  You can also attach your Guitar Hero guitar to the system on certain songs to play along.  We had a great time learning to be DJs with the system.  According to most of the professional DJs who collaborated to make some of the mixes featured in the game such as DJ Jazzy Jeff and Daft Punk, they think it’s a great game and tool.  In a YouTube interview about DJ Hero, Jeff said prior to its release, “Me, as a DJ, I can’t wait for this game to come out so I can play it.”

I also appreciated the visual aspect of the game. The graphics were visually interesting and there were lots of character and venue options to choose from.  You can also choose avatars made to look like some of your favorite DJs including Grandmaster Flash, Daft Punk, and the late DJ AM.

It’s a really fun game to play by yourself or with friends.  We all agreed that it would definitely be something that we would bring to a party.  If you’re feeling competitive and have more than one turntable, you and your friends can get a battle going, while the rest of the party enjoys the music and heckles or praises your DJ “skills.” If you don’t feel like playing but still want to enjoy the music, just hit and hold the “Euphoria” button for a few seconds and you can just play the mixes.  You will basically have professionals DJing your party without the extra cost and your guests will love it.

The coolest part of the whole game is the amazing music it features.  I can’t stress enough how great these tracks sounded.  These mixes are definitely something you will dance to.  In fact, as I was playing, I found myself dancing as I was scratching.  I found that it actually helped me DJ better.  Even if you’re not into gaming, you’ll definitely want to pick up the soundtrack if they come out with one.  The mixes include artists and songs from diverse genres.  Any music lover would appreciate these beats.  Personally, a few of my favorite mixes on the game included those featuring: Vanilla Ice/Paula Abdul, MIA/Wale, Beastie Boys/Blondie, and 50 Cent/David Bowie.

My final word on it: no matter what your gaming level or music that you enjoy, DJ Hero is fantastic.  It would be perfect in any college dorm, to keep your kids busy or at a party with a bunch of your friends.  I know I want one for Christmas! So if Activision gets to read this, call me.

“If music is the universal language understood by all, DJ’ing is the method by which one—is able to move many.”—DJHero.com

Author: Crissy Zamarron