Former CEO of Activision, Bobby Kotick, once said in an interview that DJ Hero was a major contributor to the decline of the rhythm games market in the late 2000s, and the massive decline of Guitar Hero. He cites the fact that resources that would go to Guitar Hero games went to DJ Hero instead, which he called a passion project that few wanted to ultimately play.
Of all the rhythm games that came out at the end of the 2000's, DJ Hero is probably the biggest anomaly. Mostly conceived early on into the 'Hero' brand trademarking done by Activision, the earliest known information about DJ Hero was that it was trademarked in 2008, with development beginning sometime in 2007. Activision always saw the 'Hero' name as a pillar for their rhythm game formula, and a title like DJ Hero was a logical step in that direction.
It is clear Kotick has regrets releasing DJ Hero, but is the game really bad in any way? Development was done by a small rhythm-game studio, FreeStyleGames, the fourth developer to work in Activision's stable after Neversoft, Beenox and Vicarious Visions. FreeStyleGames had some experience with some really obscure titles, B-Boy for the PS2, a breakdancing game, and two Buzz Jr! Party games. They also worked on developing DLC for the Guitar Hero franchise, which led to Activision purchasing the developers in 2008.
By that point, they were already working on DJ Hero, showcasing the idea for a peripheral and sound mixes to real-life DJ's for feedback. The response was very positive, with some of the DJ's, most notably DJ Shadow, joining the team in improving the sound, feel and mix of the song setlist. Song mixing was easier than Guitar Hero, mainly by design as the mixes and mashups could be altered easily for gameplay reasons.
Through that, FreeStyleGames was able to develop a peripheral DJ controller. The controller is wholly unique, with three colored buttons on a turntable, and a few nobs on the left-hand side of the machine, representing a crossfader and effects dial. The three buttons, known as stream buttons, act similarly to what you see in Guitar Hero, and are pressed in time with the beats of the music track. The new changes are the use of the crossfader and the use of scratching. The outer most tracks often have their line moved left or right, meaning the player must match it with the crossfader. Some sections also feature a lane with directional arrows, indicating the player can move the turntable to scratch the record for added effect while holding down the colored button, similar to a sustained note in Guitar Hero.
It does take some getting used to, but DJ Hero is surprisingly intuitive and simple to pick up. Since notes are on a scrolling side track that resembles a vinyl record, your perspective on them is mostly limited to the three lanes for beat control with crossfading in and out to match note timing. The challenge is adjusting your hand movements to get through a song, being able to scratch the right direction, and using your bonus powers correctly. Instead of star power, DJ Hero has euphoria, which doubles your score. You also have a rewind meter that can allow you to go back to a recent song section to try it again.
DJ Hero is very forgiving with how it plays, which makes sense. It is a new IP, with an unfamiliar peripheral being tested and marketed for players who may just be familiar with Guitar Hero. Speaking of, ten of the songs in the game even support a Guitar Hero guitar peripheral, with a special multiplayer mode titled DJ vs Guitar mode, a nice touch that adds a bit of continuity with the series.
The gameplay is mostly standard from there. You have your typical career mode, quickplay, and online modes that are both local and remote. Party Play also returns, allowing the game to automatically play a song with the ability to jump in and out at any time, a feature that tries hard to emphasize the party-game nature of DJ Hero. There is nothing that is really a standout from it, which may be disappointing for some looking for extra features, but DJ Hero puts the focus where it should be for a rhythm game; the music.
DJ Hero is a big game, with 24 setlists and a massive 93 song roster built into it, though 93 songs is kind of a misnomer. See, DJ Hero's entire library is made up of mixes of various songs from two separate artists, and some of those songs show up in multiple mixes. Songs like Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" are heard a few times, mixed in with the Beastie Boys "Brass Monkey" or Daft Punks "Da Funk". You have a ton of artists here who are used as a garnish for their mixes, making a wholly unique soundtrack. Artists like Rhianna, Daft Punk, Jurassic 5, Grandmaster Flash, and MC Hammer showing up, all of which contribute to make a memorable soundtrack.
If DJ Hero has one strength, it is that soundtrack. Some of the mixes found in the game are fantastic mashups that you don't expect to work, but find a way to make it happen. Foo Fighters "Monkey Wrench" with the Beastie Boys "Sabotage" is a really good mix that incorporates great guitar sound with the raw beat switches. Any of the eleven songs that includes Daft Punk in the soundtrack is on a whole new level of unique as well. My personal favorite was a fantastic mash up of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye and "Feel Good Inc." by the Gorillaz. Whoever came up with that one deserves all the praise in the world.
Daft Punk, DJ Shadow, and DJ AM, who tragically died of an overdose during the games production, also appear as playable characters, continuing the tradition of celebrity cameos from the Guitar Hero series. There was no controversy surrounding their likenesses in-game, though DJ Hero did suffer a lawsuit regarding their peripheral development due to an unreleased game, titled Scratch: The Ultimate DJ. This lawsuit, which was filed by produced Genius Products and Numark, alleged that Activision purchased the developer of Scratch, 7 Studios to gain access to their proprietary technology and to delay production on the game. It should be noted that 7 Studios counter-sued Genius Products for "unlawful and unsavoury business practices", and that all of the players involved, save Activision, are now defunct.
Much like Guitar Hero, there is a lot to like with DJ Hero, even if you are more of a casual outsider to the genre of music that is available. Unlike Guitar Hero, DJ Hero is always trapped in a very specific niche. Rock and roll is not universal but it does cover multiple genres of music, and is widely more recognizable for a lot of the casual party game audience. DJ Hero, with its unique mix and new controller scheme, does well enough, eventually selling over a million copies of the game and warranting a sequel title, but those numbers are mostly original Guitar Hero numbers from 2005. For Activision, it was ultimately deemed a flop.
Which is unfair to DJ Hero. It is clear that FreeStyleGames put a lot of passion and effort into making the game feel not only unique from Guitar Hero, but provide an identity all to its own that can allow it to stand alone from the series. DJ Hero is a very good, if a bit bare-bones, game that is ultimately a victim of bad timing; being the 5th of seven releases in the same series in one year certainly did it no favors. Perhaps due to being a different genre of music, DJ Hero captures some of the old magic that Guitar Hero seems to have lost, and carves out an identity for itself, albeit one that will always serve a smaller niche of the rhythm game market.
Authors Note: Screenshots of online play were captured from the following Youtube Channels: