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DJ Hero and other Activision peripheral bundles discounted at Kmart
Kmart continues to prove how serious it is about awesome game deals, with temporary price drops on some of Activision's big-box games. If you've been waiting for the right time to buy DJ Hero, we can now confidently tell you exactly when that right time is: August 8 through 14, when Kmart will be selling it for $40 on PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. In addition, you'll be able to get the Guitar Hero 5 guitar bundle on the same three systems for $50, the full Band Hero bundle for $80, and, for whatever reason, Tony Hawk Ride for $40. These deals will be available both in-store and online, so you don't have to live anywhere near a Kmart to take advantage.
DJ Hero Renegade edition $65 on Amazon for Xbox 360
You may think you're the master disc jockey supreme, what with your basic edition of DJ Hero -- or, as we like to call it, the baby edition for babies -- but it's really high time you upgrade to Renegade. Thanks to a deal on Amazon, you can now do so at the significantly reduced price of $64.90.
Activision's Amrich: DJ Hero sales now up to 1.2 million units
Activision's DJ Hero may not have had the strong start the company would have hoped for, but it's apparently gained significant momentum since its October launch. In an editorial piece defending the performance of Bizarre's recent racer, Blur, Activision social media guy Dan Amrich talked up DJ Hero's longterm success -- which has now yielded sales of 1.2 million units. As you might recall, it was also the best-selling IP of 2009 by revenue. Amrich posited that DJ Hero needed "time for its audience to find it, a price break, and positive word from both friends and reviews to circulate" before it could really pick up steam. With DJ Hero 2 just around the corner, we're anxious to see how Activision will apply what it's learned from the first game.
Bag a nice pre-order bonus with DJ Hero 2 at Gamestop
Copies of the DJ Hero 2 turntable bundle or "Party Bundle" from Gamestop will include the Puma turntable bag seen above. As far as pre-order bonuses go, this is basically a win-win for Activision, Gamestop, and you (probably Puma as well).
Guitar Hero Pop Pack, DJ Hero Party Mix DLC available today
Lady Gaga! Wait -- it's a trap dude! Can't you see? Today's Guitar Hero "Pop 1 Track Pack" is actually the Beast in disguise, casting a Top 40 enchantment. Never forget: the Demigod of Rock still awaits, imprisoned in stone, his most awesome axe lost in the void. We must unite, man -- transform! Become Warriors of Rock. And we must appeal to our DJ Hero kinsmen -- we need their street cred in tact. They, too, are scratching and clawing to keep it real, as the urge to go Gaga grows ever stronger today. Are you with us? Resist the bestial cry to "Just Dance." No, don't do it -- don't you dare click past the break for this week's Guitar Hero and DJ Hero DLC details.
Preview: The 3DS lineup
Of all the demos Nintendo showed for the 3DS, most were non-interactive video displays with "Please enjoy the 3D video" on the bottom screen. This group includes Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Dead or Alive, Resident Evil, and more. But a few were games. I played most of the games available at Nintendo's E3 booth -- find brief impressions of each below.%Gallery-95389%
DJ Hero 2 brings two turntables and a microphone this Fall (update: now available to pre-order)
Prefer a turntable to a keytar? Then it looks like Activision has you covered -- it's just officially announced DJ Hero 2, which will be available sometime this Fall, and presumably be on hand at E3 next week. Unfortunately, it's not yet clear if there will actually be a new version of the turntable controller or not, but Activison has added a microphone to the equation, and it'll also be releasing the game in a bundle that has (you guessed it) two turntables and a microphone. Of course, the game itself will also see quite a few changes, including new multiplayer modes, a new career mode and, most notably, a new freestyle mode that promises a "heightened level of creative input." Head on past the break for the complete press release, and keep an eye on this post -- Activision is still promising to reveal a bit more today. Update: As promised, Activision has now delivered a few more details, and some pictures. As you can see, the turntable controller appears to be mostly unchanged, but you will get a white model if you opt for the bundle with two decks, and the microphone is, well, a microphone. What's more, it looks like pre-orders are starting immediately -- the two-deck "party bundle" runs $149.99, while the game with a single turntable will set you back $99.99 (the standalone game itself is $59.99).
DJ Hero 2 out this fall, free DJ Hero DLC out today
Activision has just formally announced DJ Hero 2, the sequel to what the NPD identified as the best-selling new IP of 2009 in revenue (thanks to its high price). DJ Hero 2 features the ability to play using two turntables and a microphone, a functionality that almost guarantees the inclusion of Beck's "Where It's At." That's two points in its favor! New multiplayer modes include "DJ Battles" with songs mixed specifically for that purpose, and the adoption of Guitar Hero 5's brilliant "Party Play" feature, which allows players to jump in and out at any time, even mid-song. To encourage use of these new features (and to encourage purchases from DJ Hero non-owners) the game will be available in a "Party Bundle" with two turntables and a microphone packed in. DJ Hero 2 will be out this fall, but you can experience a bit of it today, if you have the original. In celebration of the announcement, a mix featuring Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" and Deadmau5's "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" will be available for free on Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN.
DJ Hero Renegade Edition half off or more at Amazon
Amazon has the DJ Hero "Renegade Edition" at a deep discount for the moment. The set, regularly priced at $200, has had its price scratched and dropped like a beat to something slightly more reasonable. The bundle is available on all the major consoles at various discounts: Wii -- $75.49 PS3 -- $77.88 Xbox 360 -- $101.45 The Wii Renegade Edition is even cheaper than the regular version! The sale has no specified end date, but don't dawdle if you're interested. Of course, if this discount doesn't sell the units, they'll probably be offered when DJ Hero 2 launches in gumball machines for a quarter -- like, a really giant gumball machines. [Via GamerDeals] %Gallery-68978%
Guitar Hero 6, another DJ Hero coming this fall
Activision has confirmed on an earnings call today that Guitar Hero 6 will be on store shelves sometime this fall, with a new DJ Hero game coming soon after. The music game market is a changing place, admitted CEO Bobby Kotick -- it will "continue to compress," with fewer titles and brands finding success. Activision has "moved from the sell-through of higher-priced peripherals," and its new plan is for "improved economics on a higher percentage of software sales." Kotick said that Guitar Hero "remains the leader in the category with more than 44 million games sold to date," and that both releases this year would be followed with "a full lineup of exciting downloadable content."
DJ Hero getting challenging track pack next week
Wanna know the most stylish, funkiest manner in which a person can simultaneously dislocate both of their wrists? We wager it's by playing the three mixes which will be added to DJ Hero on April 29 as part of the "Domination Pack." The three punishing tunes included in the DLC are: Darude's "Sandstorm" mixed with Josh Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness" Wolfgang Gartner's "Wolfgang's Fifth Symphony" (Beat Juggle) Danny Byrd's "Red Mist VIP" (Beat Juggle) A video of the Wolfgang track is posted after the jump. Just watching it makes our brains, hands and fingers hurt. Update: The Domination Mix Pack will be available for $8 via Xbox Live Marketplace (640) and PSN; mixes not sold separately. Additionally, each individual mix will be available for download on Wii for $3; not available as a pack. [Thanks DirtyBeefz!]
DJ Shadow says he's a DJ Hero 2 DJ, too
Anyone that invested in last year's mix-master sim, DJ Hero, is already familiar with DJ Shadow. Not only did he provide some of the game's freshest cuts, he was featured as a playable character. With creepy glowing eyes. And a hood. And a hat, which we found to be a tad redundant. In a recent interview with Radio One, Mr. Shadow commented on his work on DJ Hero, saying, "It was interesting, I'm actually working on the next one as well. But yeah, it was a trip." That's the second artist to confirm his contributions to the follow-up, which is schedueld for release later this year. Activision has still to name the sequel and provide any official list of mixers. May we suggest you get some DJ Tanner in the house? [Via VG247]
DJ Hero price scratched down to $50 at Toys 'R Us
If you skipped out on last year's crossfading, record-scratching simulator DJ Hero due to its once-outlandish price, you're running out of excuses to not pick it up. Toys 'R Us recently knocked the price of the 360, Wii and PS3 (but puzzlingly, not the PS2) versions of the game down to a scant $49.99 -- a significant decrease from its launch price of $120. Still wondering whether the game's worth your hard-earned Grantpaper? That's a decision you have to make on your own -- though, wait! Dizzee Rascal is here to help! Oh, and so's Chuck Brown! And look, it's Daft Punk! How nice of them to aid you with your soul-searching.
Standalone DJ Hero turntables w/ poster now available
DJ Hero turntable controllers are now available in standalone versions to scratch on all major consoles... wait, that sounds wrong. The peripheral is currently listed on retailer Amazon for $60, which is $20 off the Wii game bundle, and $40 off the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. The second peripheral can be used for several different modes the game supports. The first 100,000 standalone units also include a Shepard Fairey poster (pictured), featuring the game's cast of DJs. If you're a hardcore fan of the turntable series, chances are you've already picked up a second controller by now and traded the extra copy into Gamestop. For the rest of us, with DJ Hero 2 somewhere out there, we'd be more apt to wait and see if there's an updated controller with the sequel.
Eminem & Jay-Z all mixed up in new DJ Hero DLC pack
Scr-scr-scratched through all of DJ Hero's tracks? Activision has announced a new DLC mix pack featuring Renegade Edition headliners Eminem and Jay-Z. The collection is scheduled to drop on Xbox Live, PSN and Wii this month and includes: "Shake That" by Eminem mixed with "Show Me What You Got" by Jay-Z "Without Me" by Eminem mixed with "Encore" by Jay-Z "Can I Get A..." by Jay-Z mixed with "Lose Yourself" by Eminem The new tracks will be available on March 18 on Xbox Live for 640 ($8) and March 25 on PSN for $7.99. The tracks will not be sold separately for Xbox 360 or PS3. Each track, however, will be available for the Wii version on March 25 as a downloadable single for 300 Wii Points ($3); $9 for all three.
Activision severely cutting music game releases in 2010
Activision plans to cut down on the number of Hero games in 2010. According to Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith in a conference call, the company expects the music game business to decline further as "the casual consumer proves less robust" and people are saturated enough with instrument controllers that they start buying only new discs. "Fewer SKUs will service a broader audience," Griffith said. "In 2009 we released 25 music SKUs, and in 2010 we plan to release less than 10." The cuts will come in the form of PS2 versions and Band Hero bundles (leaving only standalone discs for that game), as the company focuses on Guitar Hero and DJ Hero releases in the "back half of the year." That 25 SKU number, by the way, is a pretty conservative estimate. We added up just each console version of Guitar Hero Metallica, Guitar Hero Smash Hits, Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero Van Halen, Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits, DJ Hero, and Band Hero -- not counting various instrument bundles or special editions, and not counting cell phone versions -- and came up with 26. If you were to add things like the Renegade Edition of DJ Hero and add standalone disc releases to instrument bundles, that number would go up significantly.
Activision reports $113m in profits for 2009; 2010 game plan is predictable
Today Activision Blizzard reported the financial results of its December quarter and the entire 2009 calendar year. For the year, Activision recorded a net income of $113 million, a modest turnaround from the $107 million in net losses for the company in 2008. Led by sales of Modern Warfare 2, all signs -- at least, this one -- pointed to an outstanding Q4 for the publisher. However, figures released today indicate that Activision actually posted a $286 million net loss during the period. "Despite these challenging times, in 2010 we remain focused on expanding operating margins by growing our high-margin digital/online revenues, directing our resources to the largest and most profitable opportunities and realizing operational efficiencies globally," CEO Bobby Kotick said. "In calendar year 2010, we expect our net earnings and operating margin growth will be driven by our product slate that includes Blizzard Entertainment's Starcraft II and the World of Warcraft expansion pack, Cataclysm, as well as a diversified lineup based on Activision Publishing's best-selling franchises including Call of Duty, Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk, together with other well-known titles such as True Crime, Spider-Man and Bakugan." While few details were give about Activision's pending slate of sequels, spinoffs and possible reboots, Mike Griffith, President and CEO of Activision Publishing, did share a few words about the next True Crime game. "We'll be releasing a game in the $4 billion action genre, based on our True Crime franchise," Griffith said. "The game blends intense Hollywood-style driving with martial arts combat and shootouts to deliver an Asian cinema-inspired action thriller. This is a big open-world action game that looks especially strong." Griffith also confirmed that a new 007 game is still in the works for 2010. Additionally, Activision noted that two new IPs are in development for its 2010 lineup and assured that additional DLC will continue to be released for Guitar Hero 5 (and presumably Band Hero), as well as for DJ Hero. The next installments in both music game franchises, Guitar Hero and DJ Hero, are due in "the back half of the year," according Griffith. Activision also announced that it has ceased developing new Guitar Hero games for the PlayStation 2 platform. Aw, shucks.
NPD: DJ Hero best-selling new IP of '09, by revenue only
Activision has announced that DJ Hero was "the #1 new intellectual property by revenue in the U.S. and Europe for calendar 2009, according to the NPD Group." Lest you sped through that proclamation, take note of the two key words: "by revenue" -- in other words, the total amount of money spent by consumers. Considering DJ Hero debuted at $120 for the standard turntable bundle and $200 for the Renegade Edition, it's no wonder that it managed to bring in the most money (though not necessarily the most profit, and certainly not the most units sold for a new franchise). NPD representative Anita Frazier clarified for Joystiq the performance of last year's new IPs in terms of actual unit sales. As you might have guessed, DJ Hero wasn't quite #1 in that category, but managed a respectable 789,000 units in U.S. sales. Still, it was soundly outsold by other new IPs, including Borderlands and Dragon Age: Origins, which sold 1.11 million and 1.14 million units, respectively. Besting them all, however, was EA Sports Active, which amassed 1.2 million units sold. And get this, if we consider new IPs that launched before 2009, then Wii Play and Wii Fit were technically the best-selling new IPs in 2009 in terms of unit sales and revenue, according to the NPD. Finally, we should point out -- as did Frazier -- that NPD data only covers the U.S., despite Activision's claim that the group provided European sales data regarding DJ Hero.
Kotick: Activision 'sticking with' DJ Hero franchise
We know that Activision is planning a second DJ Hero game -- thanks to David Guetta and word that Activision is looking for some new talent. Now we've heard confirmation of the game from the same source that semi-officially revealed the first game: Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. Kotick justified the development of a sequel to the less-than-hit music game in an interview with Game Informer. "I think DJ Hero is a really innovative product," he said. "I can't wait for you to see next year's. That's the thing; we're sticking with it. We'll stick with it and get it right. But it's going to be less games, better games. That's our strategy." That's right -- somehow, Kotick managed to use an annual DJ Hero sequel as proof of a "less games, better games" strategy. We suppose it is noteworthy that Activision's only doing one DJ Hero this year, given that 2009 saw six Guitar Hero games.
Activision scouting for future DJ Heroes
[Image] Dear Activision's Bobby Kotick, So, I heard through the DJ grapevine that you're looking for new talent for the next DJ Hero game. I'd like to submit my own name into the running: That is to say, the name of Willups "Mellow Jam" Dupree. See, the corporate bigwigs who designed the last game said they tried to incorporate every type of disc-jockeying around. Tell me, then -- how did they manage to completely overlook my area of expertise, and arguably the type of DJ that people are most commonly exposed to: Wedding Entertainers? Sure, we don't do -- what do the kids call them? -- mash-ups. Still, it's just as hard to play the right songs in the right order. You think you can just play "YMCA," then hit 'em with an "Electric Slide," then tie the whole thing together with an "(I've Had) The Time of My Life?" That's bush league, man. With Mellow Jam's experienced hand on the rudder, you'd know to never chase an interactive dance song with another interactive dance song -- especially not before busting out the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Give me a ring if you don't want to miss out on this important facet of the DJ lifestyle. Or if anyone you know is getting married soon. -- Willups "Mellow Jam" Dupree
