DJ Hero is ready to drop on the world and start a new craze all of its own. DJ Hero might share part of the same name with Guitar Hero but DJ Hero has a feel and style all of its own. I had about five hours with the game in a San Francisco club surrounded by the developers and can tell you first hand that you need to start practicing your "wicky-wickies" because this is going to be the new "it" music game.

Let's start at the beginning, the controller. The total unit is light enough that you can put it on a table or in your lap, whatever is most comfortable. The DJ turntable is a deceptively simple instrument. You have the mixing board which is comprised of a few things. First the boring d-pad and standard controller buttons, second is the audio sample knob, third is the Euphoria button and, lastly, the cross fader. The most important input on that side is the cross fader because you'll need your thumb and forefinger on it at all times to play through a set. The other part of the board is the turntable. It rotates smoothly and the buttons on the face of the wheel, that is a fairly good replica of a record, are easy to grip even if you slip your hand a bit from scratching. The equipment is solid and once you start feeling like a DJ, you won't have to worry about breaking the table.

The gameplay is like you imagine, sort of. There are the buttons you need to press in time with the beat according to the on-screen action but when you get your hands on the game for the first time, you'll know this isn't just a new form factor of a guitar, this is a new beast all together. That is mostly thanks to the cross fader that provides a new challenge in addition to properly timed button taps. Other games have attempted the DJ thing, like Konami's Beatmania, but the gameplay doesn't feel nearly as interactive as DJ Hero. Much of it has to do with the controller being more than just a funny looking input device, it is something you interact with that translates well on the screen and in your hands.



The leap between difficulty settings is a much steeper than you might think. Each step has a new twist (literally) or trick you need to nail to successfully mash-up two different songs. The higher difficulties feel more like you are a DJ putting your own spin on the songs whereas the lower difficulty levels are more used to get used to the new way of playing. There are around 90 tracks to test your DJ skills on so there will be plenty of music to practice to.

So far, DJ Hero has been all sunshine and roses but there were a few areas that raise caution flags. The first is that fact that there are 90 tracks is a tiny bit misleading. They are all different tracks but that doesn't meant the songs included are new songs. Some songs get recycled a few times. In most cases, that is fine and you won't notice while you are having a rocking good time but when you look at the song list, it won't add up. The one major red flag in the build available at the event was the fact that you can't fail a track. Ever. No matter what. There isn't an option to turn on a fail mode so you are never taken out of a track and forced to start over. You just have to deal with a poor sounding mix. There should be an option to turn on a fail state so that there is a real risk to playing at harder difficulties other than looking and sounding like a fool but at this stage in development, it seems unlikely.

There is a heavy smattering of personality that goes into the game. There are lots of DJs to pick from and many strobe heavy virtual clubs to bring the party to your living room. You can also pick sound samples that range from whistles and sirens to Flavor Flav. Yes, that Flavor Flav, boyeeeeeeeeeee. The effects seem marginal at the time, and they are, until you get into a really good track that you go all out on. The most important thing these options do is set the tone of the game and helps the theme be carried through to the core.



What is most remarkable about DJ Hero is that this music game has balls. Compare DJ Hero to Guitar Hero for a second and ask a question. Does it take more guts to take a song everyone knows and loves and play it back verbatim or does it take more guts to mash-up two different songs, sometimes of different genres, and try to create something new? That is the unique and powerfully compelling reason to play a game that takes a dare and tries something new. Granted, the mash-ups are of popular songs to begin with but interacting with music in this new way is more refreshing than playing Freebird from beginning to end. The Renegade version was available to play where you get exclusive tracks from Eminem and Jay-Z. Those tracks were some of the best on the list and with the carrying case, it can justify the added cost to the bundle.

Don't count the guitar out of the equation, however. There are specific tracks designed for the turntable and the guitar to play together. One example is Rhianna's Disturbia vs. The Killers' Somebody Told Me. One person plays the DJ and the other person plays the guitar. It is an interesting dynamic to get people to try DJ Hero if all they are familiar with is Guitar Hero. With as many guitars in people's homes as there are, it is a surefire way to get them to eventually attempt the turntable. It's the music game equivalent of saying the first one is free.

Using my highly scientific methods of research, I figure there are about an infinity number of plastic instruments in homes across the world, thanks to the huge phenomena that is Guitar Hero. I personally contribute five to that number but we all have to make room for a new instrument, the turntable. By all accounts, there is no reason why DJ Hero isn't going to be well received across the board when it releases October 27. Like the moment you first picked up the (plastic) guitar, something inside just clicks and you know the game is a hit, DJ Hero certainly has that broad appeal. Look for Kombo's continued coverage of DJ Hero as the release date nears.