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DJ Hero 2 demos hit Best Buy and the web, new trailer hits our soul
If your lack of a turntable -- or a current-gen gaming console, for that matter -- kept you from enjoying the Xbox Live and PSN demo for DJ Hero 2, you've now got a few other options for channels through which to get a sample portion of the upcoming rhythm sequel. The first, and most accurate method for you to try out the game is to go to your local Best Buy, as DJ Hero 2 demo units have been placed in over 900 of the retailer's locations across the country. A slightly less authentic way to try the game out is to play the flash-based, online demo that was recently added to the game's official site. It boils down the controls to a fairly simple mouse-and-keyboard scheme, but you should get a good idea of what playing the full title is going to feel like. Finally, you can watch a new DJ Hero 2 trailer after the jump, which seems to indicate that playing the game allows you to kiss the braces right off of an attractive girl's mouth, which we don't really remember happening while playing the series' first installment.
DJ Hero 2 pre-order bonuses offer your choice of turntable totes
Activision has outlined the different incentives which retailers are offering to shore up DJ Hero 2 pre-orders -- however, the variation between these bonuses is about as wide as we've ever seen for a video game.
DJ Hero 2 dev diary teaches the art of the freestyle
Sometimes you've just gotta diverge from the game plan and just freestyle it, you know? Like, we were gonna write a post about DJ Hero 2's freestyle gameplay mechanics -- instead, we're talkin' about penny loafers! They're comfortable, fashionable, and ... just watch the video below.
Full DJ Hero 2 soundtrack, all 83 mixes revealed
Aided by the skillful hands of DJ Qbert, DJ Shadow, Tiësto, RZA and other cut chemists, FreeStyleGames has mixed and mashed another eclectic cocktail of beats, rhymes and -- Sam Cooke even! The DJ Hero 2 soundtrack boasts 83 original mixes and the actual words to Snow's "Informer." Peep the full soundtrack after the break -- and sample the new mixes on DJHero.com.
A-Trak and Diplo join DJ Hero 2, Jazzy Jeff and more come back for seconds
DJ Hero 2's already got more than a little turntablist cred with a roster that includes mixes from Tiesto, Deadmau5 and DJ Qbert -- earlier today, things went straight tazy with the addition of a few heavy hitters. Kanye West's touring DJ, A-Trak, and Major Lazer co-founder Diplo will also be contributing to the game's soundtrack, as will prolific DJ Hero 1 mixmasters DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip and The Scratch Perverts. Man, those guys are disgusting. You can check out a few of the mixes these august musicians are piecing together after the jump. We cannot wait to hear A-Trak mix up "O.P.P." and "ABC," in a mix we'll henceforth refer to as "The Freshest Song About Letters Ever"
RZA confirmed playable in DJ Hero 2, contributes pair of mixes
Activision today officially welcomed RZA to the cast of DJ Hero 2. The legendary Wu-Tang leader's inclusion as a playable character was first hinted at when RZA shared a few images of his mocap costume for an unnamed Activision game back in April. RZA, who often performs as alter-ego Bobby Digital, said of his digitization, "Now, I actually exist in a digital world, yo." Additionally, RZA mixed two tracks for the DJ Hero 2 soundtrack. The first blends LL Cool J's "I Can't Live Without My Radio" with Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's "The Message," and the second mixes Damian Marley's "Welcome To Jamrock" with Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven." (RZA is also featured in the "Dollaz & Sense" Blackroc track licensed for the game; see the complete track listing here.) Catch RZA wax poetic on his journey from paperboy to DJ Hero 2 in the video after the break. "Bong bong!" %Gallery-101145%
FreeStyleGames talks about the highs and lows behind DJ Hero
In a recent interview with Develop, FreeStyleGames creative director Jamie Jackson recounted the emotional rollercoaster ride the studio went through from the announcement to the release of their ambitious mixmastering sim, DJ Hero. Well, using that metaphor, said rollercoaster would be awfully boring -- everything leading up to the game's release only served to bring the studio down. Jackson explained, "when the first news of the game came out, and everyone slagged it off, the whole studio was depressed, because we'd given our life to it." (Yeah, sorry about that.) Jackson explained that morale was low in the following months -- that is, until the universally positive reviews started pouring in. "Everyone else's opinion on the game had just turned during the release," Jackson said. "When the review scores came in that just changed the mood of the studio dramatically." We're sure the 1.2 million sales over the following eight months didn't hurt either.
Full DJ Hero 2 tracklist revealed by an Informer, a licky boom boom down
It's going to be a good day, and you don't even know it yet. See, Activision just released the full list of songs that will be featured in some spliced manner in DJ Hero 2, meaning you're probably going to spend all day listening to the fresh, fresh songs you don't recognize, and then imagining the fresh, fresh manner in which they'll be blended. We've spent the past half hour envisioning a world where Snow's "Informer" could somehow be married to Major Lazer's "Pon De Floor," with a splash of Tiesto to boot. It's been a pretty great half hour. You can come on this journey with us by checking out the full list of songs posted after the break.
DJ Hero and Band Hero $50 off at Toys R Us
Some of you lucky jerks might be living near a Toys R Us that didn't immediately sell out of Band Hero and DJ Hero earlier today -- a side-effect of a two-day, $50 discount on the two titles. Not excited? Here, we'll help you out with a little equation: DJ Hero = $70 - $50 = $20 = TOTALLY INSANE.
DJ Hero 2's tables turn on October 19 in North America, October 22 in Europe
Ready to queue up a copy of DJ Hero 2 at your favorite retailer? An Activision rep at Gamescom informed Joystiq of the release dates for the music-mixing sequel: October 19 in North America and October 22 in Europe. That means that, in North America at least, DJ Hero will have one full week to shine (and sell) before Rock Band 3 appears and begins tempting shoppers with keytars. Turntable vs. keytar! It's the battle of the bizarro instruments!
DJ Hero 2 dev diary explains how to expand your Empire
A DJ's life isn't all about mixing phat beats and ill rhymes, you know. As the DJ Hero 2 trailer below shows, they've got other things to worry about, too. Things like branding, legacy, and running the hottest dance club within the Ibizan city limits. The kind of concerns we all share.
Eric Ruth's latest NES de-make: DJ Hero
Retro gaming enthusiast and part-time mad genius Eric Ruth recently pulled the dust cover off of his latest 8-bit de-make of a current-gen title. This time, it's FreeStyleGames' vinyl-scratching sim DJ Hero. "But how," you may ask, "how does he get DJ Hero, a game with its own, highly complex peripheral, to work using the eight-buttoned NES controller?" In response, we simply laugh. You obviously don't know how Eric Ruth rolls. Check out a video demo of the game posted after the jump, and join us in furiously wondering what an 8-bit Peter Gabriel/Kenny Loggins mash-up sounds like.
Video scratches the surface of DJ Hero 2 multiplayer
DJ Hero 2's multiplayer modes are detailed in this new video. There are six modes in all, with Party Play -- featuring drop-in/drop-out play for turntables and vocals -- looking like the best choice for your next musical soiree. Assuming your guests dig phat beats, of course.
DJ Tiesto joins the cast of DJ Hero 2
Well, Activision and FreeStyleGames have gone ahead and signed on some pretty big guns to craft mixes for their upcoming rhythm title, DJ Hero 2 -- it makes sense that they'd go after the biggest gun. We're talking about DJ Tiesto, a man who most leading scientists in the field agree is made of beats. Like, his physical structure is composed entirely of beats and high synth, and also glowsticks. Don't believe us? Check out the video after the jump to see some of Tiesto's in-game work. Just don't blame us if you're reading this post at your job, and then you get fired when you start uncontrollably full-on raving.
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.
DJ Hero 2's 108 mashed-up artists revealed
If your curiosity was piqued by last month's partial list of musicians whose work would appear in some conjoined fashion in the DJ Hero 2 soundtrack, then you're about to be extremely satisfied. Posted after the jump is the full list of all 108 artists who will have their work featured in the upcoming follow-up to FreeStyleGames' mix-mastering simulator. You know what? In the interest of simplicity, we think it might be best to just point out who's not in the game. Let's see ... well, Steely Dan's nowhere to be seen in the list. And any contributions from Fleetwood Mac are still unaccounted for. Also, where's Snow? We can't -- wait, Snow is in there? Well, then, pinch us, because we're clearly dreaming.
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).
Partial DJ Hero 2 artist list revealed at Activision event
Activision's presumably outrageously expensive E3 event was largely devoid of megatons, but rich with appearances from musical artists such as Usher, NERD, Chris Cornell, Tool's Maynard Keenan and Jane's Addiction. However, a brief gameplay trailer for DJ Hero 2 revealed a fairly lengthy list of contributors to the game's mashed-up soundtrack. You can check out the full list after the jump -- but we'll say right here, right now, that if they mix Justice with The Prodigy, we are going to lose our minds.
New DJ Hero 2 trailer features 2 turntables and a microphone
We know what you're thinking: "Two turntables and a microphone? Madness!" You're right, of course, but don't let it stop you from watching the debut trailer (after the br-break) for DJ Hero 2, which serves both as an advertisement for the game and gigantic living rooms.
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.
