DJ Hero, the newest addition to the family of peripheral-based video games, makes its debut on Oct.27, 2009. If it looks like Guitar Hero but with turntables – that’s because it essentially is. DJ Hero is a single-player mixology simulator which in itself already sounds very, very cool. While Guitar Hero is focused on performing music, DJ Hero allows players to perfect their mash-ups.

The usual guitar is substituted by the plastic likeness of a turntable – the necessary tool of any DJ. Created by RedOctane, this is not some cheap plastic box – it’s solid, functional and even pretty to look at. The turntable platter has three buttons and spins freely, which allows the player to scratch and rewind tracks just like pro DJs. It spins and clicks where it’s supposed to and includes a mixer on the side that houses the fader switch and euphoria button among other features.

Whereas Guitar Hero focuses on rock songs, the heart of DJ Hero is the mash-up. These are songs that have been mixed and mashed to an almost indistinguishable track, but that’s part of its allure as a very challenging peripheral-based rhythm game.

The game’s original soundtrack is definitely one of the highlights. You get to play and listen to the work of skilled DJs like Grandmaster Flash, DJ Shadow, Daft Punk, and the late DJ AM. The tracks they will be mixing up are numerous and from artists like Gwen Stefani, Beastie Boys and Public Enemies just to name a few. The game gives the player access to more than 100 licensed songs in 93 tracks. Players get to really experience the creative mind behind the world’s top DJs. (And on a more sentimental note, DJ Hero has made their game a tribute to DJ AM’s passing since his visionary work is a good chunk of the mash-ups.)

The goal of this game should be familiar: Notes come at you on the “note highway” and the objective is to rack up as many points as possible.

The main aspect of this game that is sure to frustrate players is the ease of play here is  harder than what they’re accustomed to with other rhythm games. “Up-mashing” techniques are numerous and intimidating. At various points in the track, players will be required to tap, scratch up/down, crossfade, crossfade spike, modify effects, trigger freestyle and rewind. Luckily all these skills are slowly introduced as you progress on the difficulty ladder, but once you reach the expert level – rest assured you’ll be expected to spin like the pros. Though there’s no failing out in this game, it’s embarrassing to miss notes since your track is deactivated for the moment and the musical flow expected from DJs is interrupted.

DJ Hero is sure to satisfy real turntablists and hopefuls alike. Just keep in mind that unlike Rock Band, this is not a group game and is really the most fun on your own.

Watch this mash-up trailer from Daft Punk that’s included in the game:

DJ Hero is available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, and Wii platforms. The game and turntable are on sale together for $199.99 . Buy DJ HERO game by itself here for $99.99 and try it!

Related posts:

1. Go beyond Groupie with The Beatles: Rock Band The Beatles: Rock Band is your Fab Four experience...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.