DJ Hero gets a bad rap for being another tendril of Uncle Bobby Kotick’s profit machine. While I won’t argue the shamelessness of charging $149.99 for a game with plastic peripheral, the actual gameplay of DJ Hero harkened back to the halcyon days of music gaming before expensive plastic peripherals entered the picture. I’m talking about games like Frequency or Amplitude which were more about good music and good hand-eye coordination skills, rather than cramming in motion captured artists or non-fail gameplay modes so Grandma can strum a plastic guitar with the family.
Activision announced the sequel a couple of days ago, and it’s looking like they’re trying to make it a “party” game. Microphone support and “battle” gameplay modes are the big additions. I’m not too excited about pretending to “outscratch” my friends at social gatherings, but I am excited for some awesome new mixes. The mash-ups in DJ Hero were by and large very cool and stuff I wouldn’t be embarrassed to listen to away from the game.
Case in point: They’re giving away a free Lady GaGa – Let’s Dance vs. Deadmau5 – Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff DLC for owners of the original game until June 14th. I’ve played it and it’s good times. It’s worth dusting off the old plastic turntable for.
Download the GaGa/Deadmau5 mix for free on Xbox Live Marketplace.