DJ Hero 2 Preview: Part 2

Now that we’re all here again, it’s time for part 2 of the DJ Hero 2 preview. Here we’ve got some news on the new multiplayer modes, singing to remixes, and more. If by chance you missed part 1 of the preview, you can find it here. We suggest you check it out first to get up to speed, and we’ll wait for your return.Â

There is no doubt that the multiplayer portion of DJ Hero 2 has received the most attention in the sequel, because it’s been expanded greatly. One of the things the fans wanted most in DJ Hero was a solid multiplayer game, but unfortunately the original title was a little lacking on this front. There were only a couple of options for multiple players, which consisted of a simple score battle or a cooperative turntable and guitar mode on a very small selection of the game’s songs. There wasn’t much to do, but DJ Hero 2 shakes it up with a few noticeable changes.

One of the biggest is actually two changes in one, but also allows for a third player to join in on the fun. In a move almost unheard of in terms video game sequels, the developers at Freestyle games have actually removed an instrument from the game. Rather then working on improving existing features as per usual, the guitar aspect of the title has been completely removed and replaced with a microphone. Now when playing multiplayer, two DJs can work together to create a great mix of their favourite song, while another friend tries to keep up with all the incomplete sentences and half words that remixes are famous for. It’s quite funny to listen to someone try to keep up with all of the changes in the song, especially if said person knows the full normal version of it already. Unfortunately, part of the reason it’s so hard to keep up is because of the way vocals are presented in the game though. It’s done karaoke style rather then scrolling, which works well enough for most music titles… but it doesn’t work very well for this one. Reason being, the lyrics sometimes don’t pop up until you’re already supposed to be singing them, or they’re so fast that there isn’t enough time to read them. It’s kind of surprising they went with this style when the just released Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock has a great mic display.

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Speaking of the songs you’ll be singing and remixing, this game is most definitely not short on awesome mixes. Freestyle games held nothing back when it comes to getting great and popular club songs from the past to the present. If you haven’t already done so, you can check out the full song list here http://kombo.com/articles/DJ_Hero_2_Set_List/ on Kombo to find out what you’re getting into. DJ Hero 2 will be sure to get anyone playing it to groove along with the beat, regardless of whether or not they’re a fan of the genre. I myself have already experienced this when I invited a metal head friend to play the demo, and watched as moved to the beat. Some personal favourites that I was able to play included: 2Pac ft. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman – “California Love Remix” Mixed With B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars – “Nothin’ On You” and “Deadmau5 & Kaskade – “I Remember” (Remix by FSG)” to name just a couple. Some of the remixes were so good that I even enjoyed songs I previously disliked, such as Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins – “Get Low” Mixed With 50 Cent – “In Da Club.” If this genre has the ability to change perspections on previously disliked songs, it’s pretty safe to say that it can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone. This is a great thing, because more often then not you’ll want to be playing this game with a friend thanks to the new modes available.

As far as multiplayer goes, there are a handful of new game types to play through either with or against your friends. The best and most basic mode is simply an endless stream of songs, where players can drop in and out at any point without worrying about high scores. It’s just fun to hammer out a few tracks with a friend when the only thing you have to worry about is how good the song sounds (and hit percentages if you’d like). Plus, nothing can interrupt the set in any way, as even if the first player pauses the game, it will keep playing itself until someone starts it up again. However, if cooperating isn’t your thing, there are plenty of ways to pit your skills against another player.

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DJ Hero 2 introduces an all new battle mode for the first time ever, where DJs go head to head on a single music track in alternating shifts. Each track is divided up into sections, and the goal of the battle is to win the most sections by out performing the opponent. Scoring is based on hit percentages, as well as button press timing and freestyle execution. While the song is playing, it will shift from one player to another in short bursts, wherein the active player tries to complete the section as best they can before the other player repeats it or goes on to another. On higher difficulties especially, it becomes a tense fast paced game where the slightest error could cost the checkpoint. Matches can be pretty close, but regardless of who wins the round, the song itself always ends up sounding even better as two heads collaborate to make the best sections they can. It’s the closest thing to an old school DJ Battle there is with it’s call and answer style of play. Heck, even if you have no friends or internet connection, it’s still possible to participate in a single player DJ battle against a computer opponent. The AI is quite good at the game though, so it may encourage you to improve greatly just to be able to hang with it… or get some real friends to play against instead.

Other then the DJ Battle mode, there are also a couple of others to fill out the multiplayer offerings. Accumulator mode plays like a normal song would, but instead of gaining Euphoria for doing well, you gain blocks that you can “bank.” The goal is to accumulate the most banked blocks by the end of the song, which will have to be done while playing by using the Euphoria button. Streak mode is similar to this, but rather then gaining blocks that add to each other this time, it’s entirely dependant on hitting the most notes possible without missing. Once the player is happy with how many notes they’ve got in a row, they can bank the chain, which will then be used as the benchmark for the opponent to beat. Checkpoint is similar to battle mode, but both players play the exact same thing in efforts to win the most sections rather then gain the highest score overall. In this mode the rewind ability is up for grabs, which can be used to lock the other player out of the song for a few moments while the activator plays it again for extra points. Along the same lines, whoever gets to the freestyle notes first is the one who activates it, while the other player is locked out and watching their opponent’s score increase. Finally, there is a straight head to head mode, which is the same mode from the first DJ Hero title, though now with the option of adding a vocalist join the fun.

Overall, DJ Hero 2 has received some much anticipated improvements that fans of the original will certainly be happy to see. From the inclusion of freestyle tracks to the highly improved multiplayer features, it’s definitely everything a hopeful DJ could ask for in a sequel. Hopefully it’ll get even more people interested in the DJ scene, or better yet get them to pick up a turntable for themselves to play with. It’s easily got the best soundtrack ever created for a video game, and with the planned DLC support continuing after the game releases, it can only get bigger and better. The game is being released with multiple bundle packages for those who have the original or those who are new to the series entirely. If you’re a fan of the music genre, or even just music in general, you owe it to yourself to give DJ Hero 2 a shot when it releases this October.