Fans of the criminally underrated music title, DJ Hero, will be pleased to know some more tricks will be bolstering the game’s repertoire. The ultra mix back features tracks such as:

·         “House Music” by Benny Benassi (Remix by FSG)

·         “Sofi Needs a Ladder” by Deadmau5 (Remix by FSG)

·         “’We No Speak Americano” by Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP (Remix by FSG)

The Ultra Mix Pack is available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 640 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation Store for £6.29.  All tracks are also available as downloadable  singles for Wii for 300 Wii Points each.

Time to get your beat on people.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has hinted that the Guitar Hero and DJ Hero franchises could well be revived in the future. Speaking to CNBC the Activision boss said “we had three fantastic products in the marketplace in the [music] genre this year, our two games, DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, and then Rock Band did a terrific game, but it’s just not a category that’s getting consumers enthusiastic right now, and so I think you need to focus your resources on the things that really gets consumers excited. If something’s not working, we’ll take it off the table, maybe reinvent it in the future, but our focus is really on figuring out what are the things that are going to excite audiences the most.”

When asked about the chance of a series revival, Kotick said “we can never say never, but over the past two years we have seen rapid declines in the music genre, and unfortunately, based on current demand, we simply cannot continue to profitably make these games given the considerable licensing and manufacturing costs.”

Thanks to CNBC for the info.

Activision have announced that three new downloadable Mix Packs will be available for their game, DJ Hero 2, starting today.

Here is some info on these Mix Packs:

Hard Edge Mix Pack (available starting today, 30^th November):

• Pixies – “Debaser” Mixed With The Prodigy – “Invaders Must Die”
• Beastie Boys – “Body Movin’” Mixed With Lenny Kravitz “Rock And Roll Is Dead”

Taking it back to the old school, for all the old fools, who are so cool; if you want to get down, the Old Skool Mix Pack will show you the way.  Available on 14^th December, 2010 the Old Skool Mix Pack will include:

Old Skool Mix Pack (available 14^th December):

• Fat Boys – “Human Beat Box” Mixed With Mantronix – “King of the Beats”
• Tag Team – “Whoomp! (There It Is)” Mixed With 45 King– “The 900 Number”
• Beastie Boys – “Triple Trouble” Mixed With Tone-Lōc – “Funky Cold Medina”

No strangers to the remix realm, having collaborated on crossover tracks with everyone from hip-hop icon JAY-Z to world-renowned DJ Hero remixer and consultant Z-Trip, three Linkin Park hits will receive the exclusive DJ Hero remix treatment as downloadable content for DJ Hero 2, including a mashup of “When They Come For Me” by legendary turntablist, producer and DJ Hero alumni, Diplo.

Linkin Park Mix Pack (available 21^st December):

• Linkin Park – “The Catalyst (Does It Offend You, Yeah? Remix)” (Remix by FSG)
• Linkin Park – “When They Come For Me” (Diplo Remix)
• Linkin Park – “Pts.of.Athrty”(Remix by FSG)

All Mix Packs will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Hard Edge Mix Pack for 480 Microsoft Points and the Old Skool and Linkin Park Mix Packs for 640 Microsoft Points; and on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, the Hard Edge Mix Pack for £4.79 and the Old Skool and Linkin Park Mix Packs for £6.29.  All mixes will be released as downloadable singles for Wii for 300 Wii Points.

Tiesto will be providing interesting remixes to the game, adding to an already robust list. He is also the latest of some of the world’s most famous DJ’s to be confirmed to be in the game.

You can check out the trailer below, where he talks about his appearance in the game.

Thanks CVG!

Activision today confirmed their plan to release various sequels in 2010 including Tony Hawk Ride and DJ hero follow-ups.

“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,” Kotick further added, “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.”

Also it was mentioned that the new Call of Duty game isn’t expected to do better than Modern Warfare 2 but will be approached in a bullish manner. Further the release of DJ Hero 2 and new Guitar Hero game was mentioned.

DJ Hero combines over 100 songs into 93 original mixes from famous artists like Jay-Z, Eminem, Daft Punk, The Killers, Gwen Stefani, Beastie Boys, Queen, 2Pac, and dozens more. The number of songs is larger than any Guitar Hero game has had to date by comparison and offers something for everyone. The game also uses its own turntable peripheral for play. The turntable is very well built and has a variety of functions.

Forget the guitar, this is the only peripheral you need this year.

Unlike the guitars, the turntable has only three buttons for playing the music. The green and blue buttons are used to play the songs in the mix while the red middle button is used to add sound effects during certain portions of the song. Instead of a note chart down the middle of the screen the notes come at an angle on a spinning record. You can see just as far ahead as you could on Guitar Hero but this style is more fitting of the instrument. You tap the corresponding button to play individual notes or hold it down for scratches while moving the turntable. Connected to the turntable is a portion with all of your effects. You have you crossfader which is a slider used during play to focus on one song and quiet the other. The crossfader feels a little too loose; at least from the perspective of someone who isn’t a DJ, but once you get the hang of it there won’t be a problem. You also have you effects dial which acts as the whammy bar and the Euphoria button which is your star power. Another notable effect is the rewind feature. When you hit a certain number of notes correctly in succession you gain the ability to rewind a small portion of the song and play it again with a double multiplyer which can be a huge boost to your score.

The effects allow the player to interact with the songs more than just pushing buttons. As you progress through the difficulty levels you will be introduced to more effects during songs until finally you are scratching and sliding like a real DJ. DJ Hero also offers an excellent tutorial section that not only helps you nail the basics but introduces you to all of the games many effects in an easy to learn manner. DJ Hero is a game that’s easy to pick up and play for the first time, but will continue to keep experienced players coming back to try and master their techniques.

The presentation is fantastic with flashing lights and crowds of dancers. The game has a variety of venues and offers a very cinematic presentation. The camera is always moving and manages to get the best angles on the action. The crowd acts similarly generic to the Guitar Hero crowds, but with everything going on they won’t be the focus of your attention. Characters all have their own unique actions as you play and it is worth trying them all at least once to see how they all act. There is no character creation but the characters already in the game are good enough that you probably wouldn’t want to make your own.

DJ Hero is much more stylish and much flashier than Guitar Hero.

Just like in Guitar Hero you get stars based on your performance. These stars go toward unlocking new sets, new clothes for your characters, new turntables, and many other unlockables. By then end of your play through you should have almost everything if not everything available to you.

One of DJ Hero’s cooler features is the ability on some songs to add another player with a guitar controller. On these songs a Guitar Hero note chart appears next to the DJ chart and that player jams to the same song. It adds a nice touch to some of the more guitar heavy mixes in the game.

Thats right, Daft Punk…nuff said.

DJ Hero only has two minor flaws. The lack of integration with the Guitar Hero music studio seems like a huge missed opportunity, but at the same time the franchise wants to establish itself separately so it is forgivable. Also as of this review I was not able to connect to any online games. This is most likely due to lacking initial sales but as the game grows in popularity this shouldn’t be a problem.

DJ Hero is a great game that stands on its own in a world of the same old music games. With its stylish presentation, tight controls, and easy to learn gameplay there is no excuse not to try your hand at being a DJ. DJ Hero is the best music game you will play this year, hands down.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.