MAN THE DECKS
18th October 2009
By Paul Vale
IT was 4am during David Guetta’s set when I decided to miss my 10am flight. It was a costly mistake... but that’s Ibiza.
I was on the White Isle for the Pacha closing party and, more importantly, to get my shaky little fingers on DJ Hero.
The title, the latest in the rhythm beat genre, is set to take its
place alongside Guitar Hero, SingStar and Rock Band as a staple of
post- pub gaming.
Features include a wireless deck and a raft of awe-some mash ups,
allowing you to hit the ones and twos either solo or as part a group.
Similar to Guitar Hero, you push one of three buttons according to the colour-coded stream on the screen.
There’s also a cross fader and a turntable for scratching Add it all
together and you’ve got a pretty realistic simulation of being a DJ –
well, as realistic as Guitar Hero is to playing a real guitar. It’s the
music that provides the stand-out moments.
The developers haven’t just thrown in any old mixes from whichever
ageing DJ they could sweeten with a bag of cash – the track list
includes original material from such grandees as Grandmaster Flash,
Jazzy Jeff and Daft Punk. Even Guetta, probably the hottest DJ in
Europe right now, has three tracks in the game.
What’s more, you can also plug your Guitar Hero guitar into DJ Hero to
play along. I stuck in a good half an hour on the decks – headphones
jammed between shoulder and ear – and can report the gameplay is spot
on.
Of course, its success will depend on punters’ willingness to part with around a hundred notes for yet another peripheral.
Still, this one will have hit written all over it when it’s released at the end of the month.
The success of The Beatles Rock Band has given music games a sudden
credibility and they’re dominating the casual market. EA’s version,
which includes guitars, drums and microphones is riding high but don’t
discount Sing- Star, which is about to make a big return with a
follow-up to SingStar ABBA and SingStar Queen.
Next week Gary, Jason, Howard and Mark host a charity bash in West
London in tandem with the launch of SingStar Take That for the
PlayStation3. It’s a clever move from Sony and the track list is
everything TT fans could want, including Relight My Fire, It Only Takes
A Minute, Back for Good and Shine.
There’s no release date yet but my mole inside Sony HQ suggests it
should be on the shelves in the next month or so, priced £19.99. Could
it be magic? Absolutely.
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