POSTED 20/10/10


DJ HERO 2

Activision
PS3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii)

Face it, at retail the first DJ Hero went down like Nickelback at an indie disco. Was it too out there for mass appeal? Most normal kids dream at some stage of becoming rock stars, but how many yearn to become superstar DJs?

Still, ultimately oodles of battery-operated turntables ended up in homes thanks to crazed clearance discounting – playing right into the hands of Activision for their launch of DJ Hero 2 (insert appropriately wicked BWAHAHA). The hardware’s now out there, they just have to get the people to ‘get’ the game – as in gel with it, not just procure it. But you likely, erm, got that.

DJ Hero 2 spills glow stick innards on its pioneering forerunner. It now has its own look instead of a recycled Guitar Hero-esque cartoon vibe. Speaking of which, guitar bits have been ditched, but more appropriate SingStar-cum-RapStar elements added. You can sing, rap and freestyle along, but save for the last one you’s gotsta hit that perfect pitch. One feature the GH series has really nailed since GH5 is the drop-in party play mode – it features in DJ Hero 2, along with several other new multiplayer modes, including full-on battles.

Single players get a properly-formed career, whereby you plod the circuit from n00b spinner of teh vinylz to DJ god or goddess, with increasingly more difficult mixes to contend with along the way.

General play’s familiar, but bolstered. Freestyle fader, scratching and sample triggering (relevant to the songs playing this time, not just random cliches) are new and fun additions that add realism, whilst the soundtrack’s more eclectic – and features New Order’s majestic ‘Blue Monday’ (yay!). It's still not really DJing, but it’s entertaining.

Respect to Activision for persevering with DJ Hero. We reckon 2.0 gets it ‘righter’, but will the crowds say “yo”?

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