DJ Hero 2
© 2010 Activision, Inc.
Fun but pricey, our testers loved DJ Hero 2, with 83 mashups to explore and a two player mode, providing, of course, you can afford the second turntable. One player can lay down a beat, while the other uses the Mic (also sold separately) and sings along to the lyrics while being scored on pitch and range detection. The game mechanic is very similar to Guitar Hero, requiring timing, matching and beat awareness. Modes include Freestyle (mix, scratch and sample during set points), Play (start and stop spinning on the fly, drop-in or drop-out of lyrical gameplay, and switch difficulty level without interrupting the party), Competitive (includes DJ Battle, Star Battle, Accumulator, Checkpoint and Streak) and Empire (start as an up-and-coming DJ and become head of a major entertainment empire). Developed by FreeStyleGames for Activision. Prices are $60 for the standalone game, $100 bundled with one turntable controller, and $150 bundled with two turntable controllers and a microphone. Note the game is compatible with other microphones. For example, we were able to successfully hook up a bluetooth microphone for the PS3 version.
$100, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
Teaches: timing, music, rhythm, fine motor coordination, temporal relations
CTR Rating: 88%