All Entries Tagged With: "DJ Hero"

DJ Hero JAY-Z vs. Eminem DLC

Activision has announced new DLC for DJ Hero is coming soon. In about a week or two (depending on which console you own) gaming DJ’s will see the release of the JAY-Z vs. Eminem Mix Pack.

Activision | Blizzard 4th Quarter Earnings Call Highlights

For those of you unaware, Activision and Blizzard merged and became one company.  That company is called Activision | Blizzard.

With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 dubbed “the largest launch in entertainment history”, World of Warcraft maintaining its position as #1 subscription based MMORPG, and numerous franchises like Guitar Hero, Diablo, DJ Hero, and Starcraft all under one umbrella, it is no surprise that this company is sitting pretty.  In fact they are the top third-party publisher in the United States and EU.  What I really want to know, as a owner of Starcraft, Warcraft, Modern Warfare 2, Diablo 2, and perspective buyer of future Activision Blizzard titles, is what are their plans for the future?  What will they do the same as usual and what will they do different?

Prepare yourself to go deep into the corporate mind of Activision | Blizzard as we sit in on their Fourth Quarter ‘09 Conference that was held today where it was revealed that not only has ‘09 been a great year for the company but many of their specific plans for 2010 solidify their successful position going forward as well.  It should be noted that the statements made are not set in stone as they are referring to the future and may change at any time, however I still feel some perspective has been gained from this conference on the future of not only the Call of Duty and World of Warcraft franchises but also Guitar Hero, Starcraft, DJ Hero, and True Crime franchises.

It may seem a tad on the dry side at first glance.  We probe deeper beyond the large numbers showing tons of money earned.  We find more numbers breaking down 200 million estimated potential customers by December 31st 2010 in US and EU across PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and handhelds.  Then we begin to find the voice of the company which praises Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s success and credits the “excellent game quality, retail and marketing execution, and favorable competitive environment” for that success.  One thing gamers already know is that Activision plans to continue releasing 1 or 2 Call of Duty games a year.  The conference echoes this sentiment once further but furthermore states a planned “selling in” to the largest franchise audience to date.  Does this mean they will start putting Nazi zombies in every Call of Duty out there, and listen to many other fan recommendations soon?  It seems likely, or did they simply commit a typo and mean to say “selling out”.  Only time will tell.  With a arguably fair sized chunk of Call of Duty fans are steamed the next two games in the franchise are already in progress, this could also be an opportunity for Activision to give those same fans the innovation they’ve been demanding.

In the world of Guitar Hero and DJ Hero games, it must feel good up there at top of the music genre in gaming.  DJ Hero is the most successful new intellectual property of 2009, and it should be no surprise that there will be more Guitar Hero and DJ Hero games this year.  Activision is taking the hint from fans by reducing the number of different music games they put out and instead broadening the audience to each one.

World of Warcraft, with an estimated 11..5 million subscribers, is being innovated in many ways this year.  Innovations to the Battle.net communications capabilities that will allow cross-communications across World of Warcraft realms, as well as other current and future online games, will give Blizzard fans a way to get in touch even they don’t agree on which Blizzard game is the best!  World of Warcarft: Cataclysm expansion is planned to innovate the game in many ways that will benefit veteran and new players alike.  Activision | Blizzard is also planning to release the Wrath of Lich King expansion pack to World of Warcraft in China soon.

As far as StarCraft II goes, it’s coming!  It will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated PC exclusives of all time and deliver over head strategy junkies an everlasting fix as well as continue the religion that is StarCraft.  Blizzard is expecting massive growth from this game and are releasing it on disc as well as digitally distributing it via download on the Battle.net site.  There are a plethora of reasons this game will be immensely popular to gamers of all walks, but one of the unique features I’m personally interested in is the built-in capability to sell and buy user-created content.  This means that making your own content to StarCraft II will not only reward you with potentially infinite replay value, but also might make you a little video game cash on the side!  Definitely a title to look out for if you have any PC RTS (Real-Time Strategy) gaming skills whatsoever, or are a hardcore gamer interested in making some maps for cash with what will hoepfully be a legit, hassle-free system.

Last but not least Activision | Blizzard talks about its plans to release “new and exciting” downloadable content, especially for its popular Call of Duty franchise!  With such a forward looking company strategy and the idea of selling in to fans ideas a major possibility, could we be on the verge of a rebirth for the Call of Duty franchise via unexpected original DLC and installments?  Maybe we are in for something new from the top shooter on the market, instead of being fed more of the same old, same old.  While we watch World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion pack, StarCraft II, and most likely new Guitar Hero and DJ Hero games release this year we should keep our eye out on how much has changed and how much has stayed the same for these intellectual properties.  After all, we shouldn’t continue to buy the same games over and over with little innovation.  That is why they invented updates and DLC for games.  Hopefully this conference let us in on the idea that yes, they are thinking what you’re thinking.  Time to step it up!  Look out for this industry leader as this insanely packed year in gaming progresses.  It will be nothing short of enormous by the time Activision | Blizzard has made their contribution to gaming in 2010.

[Starfeeder]

DJ Hero Price Drop!

DJ Hero has been lowered from 119.99 to 99.99 (this includes the turntable and the disc copy of the game).  This is definitely something for music-game fans as well as possibly fans of music production/mixing to take note of.  For a hundred dollars you will get the hardware needed allowing you to scratch over 102 individual songs in over 93 exclusive mixes.  The styles of music you can expect to find are varied and include pop, hip-hop, rock, electronica, R&B, Motown, and did we mention hip-hop?  For anyone who ever dreamed of being a DJ but never really went through with it, now you can try it without people saying ‘You Suck!’!  DJ Hero also supports online or local battles for ramped fun factor and replay value!  For those of you still living in last-gen you can pick this up for 79.99!  You thrifty renegades!

Rumor: DJ Hero Is Going Mobile

Everyone knows just how “well” Activision’s DJ Hero did. When I say “well”, I don’t mean the reception it received from the gaming press, I mean in the sense of how much the game and the peripheral generated in terms of sales.. Let’s face it, it wasn’t that much of a success as Activision had hoped. Some of us here at DualShockers played it, enjoyed it, and moved on. However, it seems as though Activision is standing by it’s new franchise and taking it mobile. Hopefully, it does a tad better than what it did on consoles.

According to Kotaku, the game will be published by Glu Mobile, who is widely known for generating mobile ports, and an artist whom everyone thought would make an appearance in DJ Hero for the consoles, but never did – Tiesto. Yes, he will now, as per the rumors, be making his way onto the mobile version.

With regards to platform, everyone should already have some sort of idea as to which mobile devices will be getting this game, if the rumors prove true. It is likely that the game will receive the ported treatment to devices such as the iPhone, Android, and a couple of other nifty devices (maybe the newly overgrown iPod Touch, the iPad?).

As news pours in regarding this rumor, we’ll make sure to keep you posted. After all, I definitely want to see just what can be done to emulate a turntable on mobile devices.

Activision will have a new DJ Hero game

Activision has confirmed that there will be a future installment of the DJ Hero franchise. However, they did not get specific enough to mention a number. Recently, Activision took a trip to Cannes, France to ask musicians attending the MIDEM music show if they would be interested in having their song in the next DJ Hero.

Those that want to have their song mashed up will be entered in a listening session at MIDEM on the 27th of January where the winner will be crowned. Their song will be mixed, mastered and finally featured in an upcoming DJ Hero game.

[EuroGamer]

Rhythm Games Have Caused Soundtrack Confusion

In the world of entertainment, music is an integral part of the total experience. Music is there to complement the visual experience, mainly since it would be boring to only hear dialogue, sound effects, and silence. Also, music helps set the mood. Most times, you know what is going to happen next based on the music, although sometimes music can even be used to misguide us. However, when the music is the game, can you even call it the soundtrack?

Two weeks ago, at the VGAs, the award for Game Soundtrack of the Year went to DJ Hero; however, there was a category for Music Game as well — I think that the industry needs to better categorize these awards — I digress, back to the actual article (I will get to the VGAs later in the article). I think that these rhythm games are causing some confusion to what a soundtrack really is. The music in Guitar Hero/Rock Band/DJ Hero is the game itself, I would like to argue that there is no real soundtrack for these games.

As far as awards go, when you see best soundtracks for movies, you don’t ever see concert DVDs get nominated. That is because it is a concert, and not music for a feature film, so it cannot be considered for an award regardless of how amazing it may be. I feel that music games are live performance simulators, and since you are playing the songs in a simulated live setting, I don’t think that the music can be counted as the soundtrack.

Music games don’t set the mood for anything. Also, the music, as stated before, is an integral part of the experience. Without the music, there would be no music game because the music is the game. I feel that a soundtrack is something that adds to the experience, but it can be something that the game can still function without.

Another aspect is that the track listing of music games can evolve over time which leads to more confusion. The soundtrack is never DEFINITIVE until a new game in the series arrives, (Although yearly installments of music games seems a bit ridiculous to me) and the previous title stops being supported. DJ Hero won the award for best soundtrack, but since tracks will be added in 2010, what stops it from becoming a candidate for the title again? I know that they can just say the game has to be released in 2010, but it could always happen that the DLC could be counted since it would come out in 2010.

Going back to the VGAs, I feel that it is downright appalling to see that Guitar Hero 5, Beatles Rock Band, and DJ Hero were in BOTH the Soundtrack of the Year and Music Game of the Year categories. Off the top of my head, I can name 3 games that should have been in that category instead: Shatter, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, and the Street Fighter IV Theme Song, just kidding, but really, Flower. Those games all had soundtracks that really added to the overall experience. Shatter had a crazy electric soundtrack that had a consistent pulse which put you into a trancelike state, which prevented distraction while playing, it was varied and was something that I would actually listen to (I proudly own it). The consistent pulse is important because, like a metronome, it keeps you attentive. BlazBlue had a very Japanese soundtrack, because it was so guitar heavy. As a guitarist, I loved to hear the crazy solos. The soundtrack added to the high octane nature of the game. Lastly, Flower had a soundtrack that really took you on a journey. The way the music shifted with the story of the game was brilliant. The music is what made it so that no dialogue was needed to explain the story. The games sound effects also added to the music of the game, each flower acted as a tube in a wind chime as you would cause them to bloom. The speed at which you moved caused constant crescendos and decrescendos. I could go on for DAYS about this haha. Some people may ask why I did not say Uncharted 2 or Modern Warfare 2, and that is because those games have scores.

Just for a bit of clarification, I will provide a quick definition of a soundtrack and a score. A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded sound. Where  a score is essentially the background music of a game (which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a game). A score is written specifically to accompany a game, by the original game’s composer(s)^. Each individual piece of music, within a game’s score, is called a cue and is typically a composition for instruments (eg. orchestra) and/or non-individually featured voices. [Ed. I replaced the word film with game, it translates the same.]

As I was saying, I feel that music games should be kept out of soundtrack category because it leads to actual soundtracks not getting the recognition they deserve. I hope that community awareness of things like this can lead to a change. I, for one, would take the VGAs more seriously if they categorized the awards correctly (among other things that I won’t get in to). These rhythm games need to stay in the music game category, just like scores need to stay categorized separately than soundtracks.

Definitions for soundtrack and score via [Wikipedia.org]

Photo Copyright Luke Chueh [http://www.lukechueh.com/]

Standalone DJ Hero Turntable Now Available

Have you been scratching your heart away on DJ Hero in the comfort of your own home all lonely like? Yes?! I feel for you, well no more! We just got the official word that you can now buy yourself a second turntable over at GuitarHeroStore.com for $69.99 and be battling a buddy right in your living room. You do not need to rely on playing online but instead can have DJ battles at home.

Right now they are only offering the regular version, but I am inquiring if they plan on offering any other versions in the future. The DJ Hero Party just got real serious at my house! Long live DJ Delinquent!

STANDALONE DJ HERO™ TURNTABLE CONTROLLERS NOW AVAILABLE AT GUITARHEROSTORE.COM

Second Turntable Controller Lets Friends and Family Join the Party

SANTA MONICA, CA – December 1, 2009 – Clubgoers, music lovers and living room legends around the world have already started the party with DJ Hero™ and now beat chemists who have been clamoring to invite their friends to join the party can spin in harmony with a standalone turntable controller, available today from the Guitar Hero Store. With DJ competitions playing a large role in DJ culture, the inclusion of a DJ vs. DJ competitive mode in DJ Hero was a natural fit.

In the game’s multiplayer modes, two DJs can mix and scratch together on multiple turntable controllers; or using a Guitar Hero guitar controller along with a turntable controller, gamers can perform a series of infamous DJ-guitar exclusive mixes, just as many of the artists in DJ Hero have. Additionally, another player can join in at any time with a mic to emcee over any track in the game.

Guitar Hero Store / Standalone DJ Hero Turntable Controllers: http://www.guitarherostore.com/Game-Controllers/Turntable-Controllers

Expanding upon the revolutionary easy to pick up/challenging to master gameplay mechanics developed and refined in Guitar Hero®, DJ Hero delivers an all-new interactive music experience that allows players to start the party and not only experience, but to hear music in an all-new way. Featuring mixes created by DJ AM, Cut Chemist, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff, J. Period, DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip and more, spinning over 100 individual songs, highlighted in 93 unique never-before-released mixes that blend genres of music, including hip-hop, pop, rock and dance, DJ Hero delivers the most diverse and international collection of music ever assembled in a music game by incorporating anthems from legendary artists. Created exclusively for DJ Hero, the turntable controller immerses fans into DJ culture and a sea of music as they utilize and master various DJ techniques including scratching, crossfading and sampling, while leaving room for creative expression with a variety of effects and player chosen samples and scratches, transforming a face in the crowd into the life of the party.

The DJ Hero Renegade Edition includes a copy of the game, a premium Renegade turntable controller, hardshell turntable carrying case that converts to a performance-ready DJ stand, and an exclusive JAY-Z and EMINEM 2-CD pack featuring “best of” and new, unreleased material.

Available now, DJ Hero was developed by FreeStyleGames for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems and the Wii™ system from Nintendo. The game is rated “T” (Teen – Mild Suggestive Themes, Lyrics) by the ESRB. For more information about DJ Hero, please visit djhero.com,facebook.com/djhero and twitter.com/djhero.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

WCG Holiday Heroes Tournament

World Cyber Games will be hosting its second annual Holiday Heroes Tournament in New York City at the Samsung Experience; 3rd floor of the Time Warner Mall on 59th Street.  The tournament will host Modern Warfare 2, Street Fighter 4 and DJ Hero.  Registrations for the tournament is now open for those who wish to compete.  Modern Warfare 2 is limited to the first 16 full teams registered, paid, and confirmed (the $15 fee will be refunded once all teams are registered at the event).  Street Fighter 4 will host 100 players in its tournament and for those wanting to compete in DJ Hero, it is an open walk in tournament.  There will be players coming from around the states to compete so all teams bring your A game as this will be the most intense tournament WCG has ever had.  Modern Warfare 2 will be the one to watch for on that weekend.  Remember to register NOW as space is limited and Good Luck to all those who enter, I will also be competing in MW2.

For more information on Holiday Heroes and to register, Click the banner below.

DJ Hero 2, Band Hero 2 In the Works

Did you think Activision went a bit overboard with all their Hero games this year, releasing multiple games on almost every platform known to mankind?  Not only did they have half a dozen Guitar Hero titles (maybe more?  I lost count), they also introduced DJ Hero and Band Hero recently, which have met with lower-than-expected sales so far.  If you were thinking that, know that Activision was right there with you.

MCV spoke to one of the Hero franchise’s big-wigs who said that they were working on new incarnations of DJ Hero and Band Hero, but will not be introducing as many new SKUs in 2010 as they did in this calender year.  That being said, I still don’t think we’ll see any shortage of games in this genre anytime soon, and Activision is a big reason why, regardless of your feelings toward the company as a whole.

I still haven’t given DJ Hero a shot, but it looks like a lot of fun – it’s too bad I don’t feel the need to have yet another plastic peripheral cluttering up my apartment.  I could stand to see another Band Hero, though.  Just please, for the love of all that is good, don’t ever think about putting Miley Cyrus in the game.  I won’t buy it on principle alone.  Activision, you have been warned.

[Via Joystiq.]

DJ Hero Review

DJ Hero is Activison’s newest take on the music genre which looks to put the player in the role of the club DJ. DJ Hero follows a similar style of Guitar Hero but makes very quick departures as you actually use a turntable and only hit three notes instead of the traditional 5 from the all too familiar guitar titles. Does DJ Hero scratch its way to fame or go the way of the cassette tape?

DJ Hero is probably the most fun I have had with a game in a long time and that says a lot with the stacked lineup of titles that have come out this year. Is it perfect no, but it is fun and it really makes you feel like a DJ ruling the wheels of steel. The DJ Hero turntable is pretty realistic in feel and style while doing a great job of mimicking the different movements that a DJ must employ to make a crowd go crazy. You can cross fade from one song to the other with one lever, scratch using three notes, add in free style and sample effects via a dial and also trigger ‘Euphoria’, which is basically Star Power by pressing a flashing red button. Also expect to see the highway of notes stream down your screen but this time with a little bit of flare for mix notes and cross fades. The “science of DJing as Grandmaster Flash” said is in full affect for all gamers to take part in and learn.

The controller and style of the game are easy enough to pick up and learn but very difficult to master. You can choose between five difficulties: Beginner, Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert. Hard and Expert definitely live up to their names and anyone who thinks this game is simple needs to bump the difficulty up and unlock the later songs where techniques become much more challenging and speeds are ramped up drastically. DJ Hero can be played locally in coop, online in DJ battles and even in coop with a guitar, so get ready to DJ in all kinds of different ways. Once again each song can earn you up to 5 stars which will be your key to unlocking all DJs, decks and songs, so get ready to collect all 465 stars.

You gain Euphoria for playing certain sections perfectly and can employ it using a glowing red button on your deck. Not only does it give you double points until it runs out, it also allows you to ignore having to cross fade while it is active. This comes in handy during difficult parts where you have to cross fade and use the effects or in very complex cross fading sections so you don’t break your point streak. The Effects zone are denoted by orange bridges over a particular section and in these sections you need to tweak the Effects knob in order to crank up your multiplier, this usage of Effects could mean the difference between 4 and 5 stars on some sets. One major difference in gameplay from other rhythm games is that you will no longer have to worry about failing out of a song, you can play on Expert and stink it up but the song will go on, the only thing that will suffer is your score and your stars.

There are some drawbacks to the game like a limited selection of samples, you get a total of 10 sample styles to choose from and two of them are Flavor Flav. You are also limited to using one of the pre-made16 DJs in the game and cannot make your own avatar which would have been a great addition. There are some options for different outfits, some styles of headphones, different decks and skins for your decks, but this falls a bit short. In the not varied category also falls having only 9 venues to play at during your DJ travels, which isn’t that terrible since it makes you focus more on the music than the ambiance. My main gripe was with the Freestyle Sample Zones that don’t do much, other than hearing Flava Fav say “Yeah Boy” it does not do anything else and you can actually mash the buttons during this section ruining the song. It would have been nice to see them incorporate that a bit better since it is truly the only section where you can add your own style to the songs.

I hope I can rest easy and expect a DJ Hero 2 but if not you can download more songs to play with from the online store giving you even more tracks to play with other than the 90 plus that come pre-loaded with the game. There is a lot of replay value in this title to unlock all the stars which will give you different outfits and open up venues but more importantly this is a great party game where you and some friends can get together and enjoy some classic songs. I definitely recommend DJ Hero for any hip hop or DJ enthusiast who is looking for different music and a different experience than what is offered in Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

• Game: DJ Hero
• Developer: FreeStyleGames
• Publisher: Activision
• MSRP: $119.99 (Standard) $199.99 (Renegade Edition)
• Release Date: 10/27/2009
• Review Copy Info: This Review Copy was sent by/on the behalf of the game’s publisher/developer for reviewing purposes

DualShockers: DJ Grandmaster Flash Interview

Grandmaster Flash: Yes.  It was a great experience.

GF: I’m too new in the gaming community to know who would be the proper representation.

GF: N/a

GF: I’m now playing DJ Hero and looking forward to doing more gaming work in the future.

GF: I was approached by them and was told they wanted me to put my science into the game.  At first I didn’t understand  but once it became clear they wanted an authentic point of view, it made it easy tor me to become involved.

I have to say that I love Grandmaster Flash’ perspective on DJing as being a science and look forward to him and Activision further expanding on this game. DJ Hero really gives people a look into hip hop and what it can be aside from aggressive lyrics and the stereotypical gangster rapper. Dj Hero mixes and melds flows of all styles but infuses cuts of hip hop that are undeniable. The tracks in DJ Hero are far more recognizable for myself than say a Rock Band or Guitar Hero game, which makes it instantly enjoyable for me and many others.

We also tried to get an interview with Pete Wentz pictured above, but he unfortunately declined.

I take on the DJ Hero Leaderboards

Ok if you have not been following me on Twitter or the rest of the DualShockers team (@taz8080 or @DualShockers) you have been missing out on the chronicles of my current obsession, which is DJ Hero. I have been affectionately dubbed “DJ Delinquent” by Joel because of my constant playing of this title into the early mornings instead of sleeping, but things have taken a pleasant turn.

Last night I was cruising Twitter while playing DJ Hero and I came across a Tweet from Robert “Prodigy” Paz, you may know him better from WCG Ultimate Gamer fame, where he proclaimed “Currently in top 10 in DJHERO leader boards ”. I am not sure why this particular Tweet by Prodigy (or perhaps my lack of sleep) triggered an urge in me to attain leader boards status on DJ Hero but it did.

My quest began last night as I scratched out to the first song by Bobby “Blue” Bland/Connie Price & The Keystones, Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City/Fuzz and Them. As I jumped into Expert I got a hang of the song and ended the night at somewhere around 500 in the the ranks on the Xbox 360 before going to bed. For some reason I could not leave it be and my quest continued on as soon as I got home. Probably about twenty tries in it happened, I banged out 116,368 points and grabbed the tenth spot on the board. I was ecstatic and quickly Twittered my result out with Twitpics as proof, I felt like I had hit a huge game winning homer and was pumped beyond belief.

A normal person would have taken the rush and enjoyed the feeling, but instead I jumped right into it again and then on the very next try I out did myself again and ripped out 123,344 points to grab the number 3 spot! I should be siting at #3 as of 10/30 8PM EST and will continue to try Expert and take spots on the leader boards.

Special thanks to Prodigy for motivating me to kill it and sending me these kind words, “;) get yourself up there dude and ROCK IT!” and this was before he knew I was on the leader board.