PixlBit

Last year when I first went hands-on with DJ Hero, I walked away impressed with what I had experienced. While there were still some small issues, overall the game was an enjoyable, fresh experience that did a great job differentiating itself from its brethren series, Guitar Hero. Apparently the series was successful enough for Activision because it is back for a second round, and this time it has fixed a number of issues and incorporated a more impressive soundtrack along with some brand new moves.

Nearly every aspect of the first DJ Hero is improved here, from the quality of the soundtrack to the note structure of the songs. The improvements to the game are evident even in something as simple as the menu. Rather than the flashy, media-based presentation, the game has adopted a simple text based menu that looks clean and navigable. This rolls over into the brand new Empire Mode, the replacement for the Career Mode of the last title. No longer is progression within the game confusing or hidden to the player. Each area in the world offers up a number of themed song sets, and once a set number of stars are earned, players can take on the boss battle and move on to the next location.

Once I started actually scratching away, some other improvements to the game became evident to me. First of all, the game has fixed one of my biggest complaints from the first title. When performing a scratch move with the innermost platter button, my finger often slipped off, due to the centripetal force. Obviously, the controller hasn't changed, but the solution didn't require this to fix the problem; instead, the game is just better at detecting smaller movements, thus making it easier to execute the scratch. My other complaint, the crossfader, still remains somewhat problematic because it's so tough to move with complete accuracy, but it still functions as a manageable control mechanism regardless.

Outside of this, the note highways have also seen some refinement. First of all, the middle red button has been given some better purpose, as now it isn't used almost solely for adding a chosen effect when pushed at a given time. Instead, it is tightly integrated as another button during tracks, and only at special times are players given the option to push it at will. To complement this function, players can now freestyle with the crossfader at a given time. This does change the way the track sounds, as players can switch between either the left or the right track. Finally, the game also now allows for some custom scratching at given points throughout the track. It's clear that developer FreeStyleGames wanted to give players the abilities to bring the experience even closer to true DJing. Outside of these new dynamic notes, the note structure found in the last title persists here.

While I'm by no means a connoisseur of House, Rap, R&B, and Electronica, the soundtrack this time around seems significantly better. From what I can tell, the genres of music mixed up this time are a bit less disparate, which does make for a smaller appeal in terms of the base tracks used, but the completed mixes are far and away more interesting and dynamic. There's a certain coherency this time around that wasn't quite there on a number of the tracks featured in the last game. Though a small touch, during sets, the game seamlessly transfers from one track to the next without missing a beat. This more closely mimics what a real DJ would do, and it plays nicely into that sense of coherency that seems apparent throughout the entire package.

As mentioned earlier, each location in the Empire Mode concludes with a DJ Battle. These battles are a completely new addition to the series and they are quite well-done. The battles are essentially Dueling Banjos, except through the use of DJ equipment. One player scratches away, and the next tries to match, if not top, the last over and over until the end of the song. Of course the notes played are already pre-determined, but the spirit and concept of the mode make it feel as if you are truly battling your opponent. Freestyle sections help bring the experience even closer to reality, and even have an impact on your overall score in the segment they appear. Each segment is scored in terms of a percentage of one hundred, and if a player wins, they are awarded one point. At the end of the song, the player with the most points wins.

My only issue with the mode was in single player on the game's harder difficulty settings. All draws seemed to go to the computer, and often the computer player would score 100%, making it almost impossible for me to keep up, even if I was doing extremely well. Of course, bring in another human player in the game's party mode, and the story is completely different. Here, the battles are inspired and ingenious, with nothing hampering the experience.

In addition to two DJs being able to square off, a third player can grab the microphone and sing-along with the tracks as the two DJs play. The problem here is very similar to the problem with the guitar integration in the last title. When playing across two tracks at the same time, the typical cues and rhythm used to make the game more manageable is gone, leaving the player feeling like they are playing completely random notes on the track. The same applies to singing this time around, as switching between the two is confusing, and often the player's voice is not adequate to sing both of the mashed up tracks.

There's not much more to be said for DJ Hero 2 - at the end of the day, it's just fun. While it's the second game in the series, the concept still feels fresh and new, and thanks to the various improvements, the game is that much more enjoyable to play. Pair that with a winning soundtrack and a solid party mode, and you have a hell of a rhythm game that anyone can enjoy regardless of musical preference.