DJ Hero 2 Party Bundle PS3
The DJ Hero 2 Party Bundle for the PlayStation 3 includes the DJ Hero 2 game, 2 wireless turntable controllers and a wired microphone for the music rhythm game from Activision.
Ratings:
Graphics & Audio: 23/25,
Gameplay: 18/25,
Creativity 15/25,
Fun 18/25
Total: 74/100
Let me first say that I am not musically inclined and I do not enjoy music games all that much but I have reviewed few in my time. I could take or leave DJ Hero without a care and my idea of a good DJ is one that gets the songs to play on the CD player in the order specified at the wedding dance.
Music games fall into the category of wishful dreaming in my opinion and they really do a disservice to real musicians, and DJ's for that matter, as they take the reality out of playing music. A musician spends years learning how to play but a DJ really doesn't have to practice all that much, he more so has an ear for the songs as well as being able to appropriately mix songs to get the right feel and sound.
I am only reviewing this game bundle because I received but I do have to say it does play alright and if you like music games this would make a great game and bundle, especially for a party. You are stuck however in the songs and the mixes they, FreeStyleGames or whoever, has chosen for you so the game starts off with a minus in my book.
If they had allowed you to mix any two songs to try to make your own DJ experience I think the game would have been better, even just a single gameplay mode to allow this. Instead you have a Quickplay, Empire and Battle to choose from with tutorials being your start to the DJ Hero 2 world if needed.
In Quickplay you simply add songs to a mix list and play them according to the generic music method that DJ Hero uses, simply hit the appropriate colored button on the turntable when the corresponding button on screen passes the indicated spot. When playing this is about all it amounts to, hand eye coordination and getting that button or slider movement just right for the game to register the appropriate movement.
Of course this is much more complicated when you have a turntable and slider, with a button to change samples for extra sounds and a knob for selecting the different samples. The game in concept is simple but in reality, just like being a real musician or DJ is complex and can be quite frustrating.
The Empire mode allows you to travel the world to top clubs and when you earn stars playing mixes you unlock new venues to play at and using more complex effects earns more stars. The Empire mode is your classic career or unlock gameplay that is a main section but this game has several main modes.
Party Play allows you to set up your PS3 at a party and allow the game to play over 80 mixes from DJ's and you don't have to do a thing except sit back and enjoy. You can also leap into the fun during Party Play and try your hand at the current mix for a score instead of just listening.
You have a Battle mode to compete against others as well as an online component but I really can't see the online as being nearly as fun as live people sitting next to each other. The game would have been a lot better had you been able to pick your own sings but the freestyle gets you as close as you can get with this.
The games PlayStation Network downloadable content has not been setup yet but banners across the bottom of the game promise downloadable content in the near future for those interested. DJ Hero 2 is really a music game for club goers who want to try their hand at scratching and the general music gaming of hitting notes or controller buttons at the appropriate time from the onscreen music highways.
The game really misses out on a great potential mode with being able to actually mix your own songs together and what would have been even better was to record those hits during the play. As it is you get to follow along with a wide variety of popular club music, hip hop and rap that today's musical talents have brought.
The DJ Hero 2 Bundle is a great value for the game and is really the way to play this if you're going to bother trying your hand at it. If you already have a turntable the bundle may not be for you but it does include two full turntables with a detachable controller that is wireless.
Both turntable/controllers are wireless and have a dongle that plugs into the PS3 with the usual USB connection and short six inch cables. The bottom of both controllers has a small door for the two AA batteries that power the controller and the batteries, good ones from Duracell, come in the Party Bundle.
The turntable itself with the three buttons comes as a detachable piece and can be attached to either side of the controller section. You have to plug it into one side or the other for the turntable to work and the controller section has the full set of PS3 controls near the top under a closable door.
The controller has the button and knob that corresponds to the X and up/down D pad control of the regular controller and all the buttons and knobs seem to be pretty well made but are all plastic. The entire controller is made from plastic with one painted white and the other silver so you have two controller turntable sets to play with in battle mode.
The Party Bundle also comes with a microphone that plugs into the PS3 directly and has a plastic body with a metal screen around the foam microphone end. The microphone has some heft to it and feels well made but is much like other microphones I have seen from other music games.
The Party Bundle for DJ Hero 2 is a great set and has all you need to play the entire game with a friend or at a party that is your typical high end set for a music game. Activision has done a great job of getting this set together and making sure you had a good pack as well as the game.
I really did have a decently good time checking out all the features but again this is just not my cup of tea, the game works just great but I did feel you should expect more from a DJ game. Not being able to mix the songs of your choosing seems like a big drawback and recording those mixes would have made this a fantastic buy.
DJ Hero 2 and the Party Bundle from FreeStyleGames and Activision is a fun DJ music rhythm game that will give you hours of fun with some of the top names in club music.