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HMV slashes price for DJ Hero, PSP Go in the UK

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 30th 2009 at 12:30PM }

Lucky Brits. Not only do they get to be in closer geographic proximity to the dreamy David Tennant than we do, they're also extended some amazing post-Thanksgiving deals on typically pricey gaming equipment. Electronics retailer HMV is currently running two such offers in the UK -- the company has dropped the price of the PSP Go to £148.99, down significantly from the handheld's MSRP of £224.99. In addition, it's reduced the cost for DJ Hero, normally £107.99, down to just £69.99.

We're not sure how long these prices will stay this low, so if you live in the United Kingdom and have any interest in turntabling or digital distribution revolutions, we suggest you get while the getting is good.

Spend your scratch on New DJ Hero DLC

by Randy Nelson { Nov 24th 2009 at 5:20PM }

A DLC three-pack of tracks by French DJ David Guetta is available today for DJ Hero across PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The original works "When Love Takes Over" featuring Kelly Rowland, "Sexy Chick" featuring Akon, and "On The Dancefloor" featuring will.i.am and apl.de.ap make up the mash-up pack, which goes for 640

($8) and $7.99 on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store, respectively (the tracks are not offered for purchase separately). Each track is sold separately for Wii at 300 Wii Points ($3) apiece.

Also out today for Wii are the two tracks from last month's Extended Mix Pack 01: "All Of Me" by 50 Cent featuring Mary J. Blige vs. "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen, and "DARE" by Gorillaz vs. "Can't Truss It" performed by Public Enemy. Those will set living room DJs back 300 Wii Points, as well.

The knowledge that your DJ Hero controller is a million times cooler than the Tony Hawk Ride board is, as always, priceless.

Amazon deal: DJ Hero Renegade Edition for $150

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 24th 2009 at 11:00AM }

With the season of bargain hunting upon us, Amazon has a special today on DJ Hero "Renegade Edition" for $150. The set, regularly priced at $200, includes a turntable featuring gaudy gold nobs, a case that converts into a stand and a two-disc CD set featuring Jay-Z and Eminem's block rockin' beats.

The deal is for today only and supplies are limited, so if you're looking to grab the game for the holidays the $30 difference between the "Renegade" version and the standard edition seems much more tolerable.

Gallery: DJ Hero Renegade Edition

Oct. NPD: Brutal Legend sold 216k; DJ Hero sold 123k

by JC Fletcher { Nov 13th 2009 at 9:57AM }

Both Brütal Legend and DJ Hero were conspicuously absent from October's NPD top ten. According to data given to GameSpot by NPD, DJ Hero, which was released at the end of the month, on October 27, managed 123,000 units in sales across four platforms, with the Xbox 360 version accounting for the highest number of sales (62,000 units) and, predictably, the PS2 version, the lowest (3,300 units).

Double Fine's rocking, semi-strategy game, Brütal Legend, which debuted on Rocktober 13, totaled 216,000 units in sales across two platforms during October: 150,000 on Xbox 360 (almost enough to launch it into the monthly top ten) and 66,000 on PS3. This total fails to hit analyst Jesse Divnich's prediction for the month. However, Divnich suggested that Brütal Legend would go on to be an attractive holiday item -- something that may also be true for the bulky box with the cool turntable thingy in it.

Update: Removed reference to Brütal Legend as an Activision-published title. We know better!

DJ Hero and Assassin's Creed 2 Avatar items added to Marketplace

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 12th 2009 at 11:15AM }

You know what would make becoming the "chosen one" in your late night 1 vs. 100 bouts a whole lot easier? Just imagine: The camera pans up to your seat -- but you're nowhere to be found. You're a white-garbed shadow, slipping through the crowd, silently executing other would-be contestants. It's a beautiful dream that could be realized if you pick up one of the new Assassin's Creed 2 Avatar costumes -- a set which includes Ezio and Altair's respective get-ups (400

), Da Vinci's Flying Machine (240

) and a whole mess of other items that no hitman (or hitwoman) should go without.

Also, there's a whole slew of DJ Hero content, including a few turntables (240

), a "Ghetto Blaster" (160

) and some virtual vinyl (160

). While the DJ lifestyle isn't nearly as attractive as that of an assassin, we suppose these accouterments are still pretty sharp.

DJ Hero sales 'modest,' analyst says; Activision refuses to comment

by Xav de Matos { Nov 3rd 2009 at 5:00PM }

Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian told Gamasutra that, while the gaming industry is currently "stable," sales figures of Activision's critically-lauded DJ Hero look to be only "modest" in the US -- an understatement in the UK. Continuing the pricing trend of peripheral-based titles, DJ Hero retails for $120 for its standard edition and $200 for its premium, "Renegade" edition. According to Sebastian, consumers are "showing price sensitivity" toward games with price points greater than $100.

In recent history, the trend of peripheral-based releases has fallen short of sales expectations. Internet-famous Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter -- along with others in the field of "professional guessing" -- recently halved holiday sales predictions for Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles: Rock Band; after both fell short of initial sales predictions.

According to Cowen Group analyst Doug Creutz, the falling projections of peripheral games reflect both the casual consumer's decision to reduce spending on games, as well as the possibility that gamers are losing interest in the played-out rhythm genre.

When contacted by Joystiq, Activision refused to comment on the matter. With no less than three new rhythm titles on the horizon, we presume publishers hope the trend of sluggish peripheral-based game sales comes to a screeching halt; like the days of disco music and, apparently, outlining the objectives of major marketing campaigns.

Soccer reigns supreme once again in UK sales chart; DJ Hero breaks in at 20

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 2nd 2009 at 1:00PM }

Another football game came out in the UK last week and, once again, it came in first place in the region's weekly software sales charts. This time around, the game was Football Manager 2010, in which soccer isn't played, but rather, managed. That's far too boring a concept to discuss further, so instead, let's move to the other big debuts: Wii Fit Plus, for instance, came in second place for the week, which is -- wait a minute. Doesn't Wii Fit Plus have a "Soccer Heading" minigame? Oh, Nintendo. You know exactly what you're doing.

Episodes From Liberty City and Tekken 6 also made a splash during their launch week, garnering sixth and eighth place finishes, respectively. However, DJ Hero seems to be following its expected, slow-starting sales trajectory, debuting at twentieth place in last week's chart. We've got a small suggestion for FreeStyle Games to improve the rhythm title's performance in the UK: Needs moar Dizzee Rascal.

Source -- Sega's FM 2010 Kicks Off at No1 [Chart Track]
Source -- All formats chart [Chart Track]

First DJ Hero DLC mix pack today; David Guetta pack dated Nov. 24

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 29th 2009 at 1:20PM }

Activision and FreeStyleGames aren't wasting any time in expanding DJ Hero's already fairly expansive 93-mix-long track list. The "Extended Mix Pack 01" DLC will be added to the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store today and includes the following two mixes for 480

and $5.99, respectively (and not sold separately):

"All Of Me" by 50 Cent featuring Mary J. Blige vs. "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen
"DARE" by Gorillaz vs. "Can't Truss It" Performed by Public Enemy

In a recent interview with IGN, FreeStyleGames' Chris Lee explained that the $3-per-track price can be attributed to the extra work and licensing required to synthesize the two songs in each mix. The Extended Mix mash-ups will be making their way to Wii sometime in late November -- around the same time the game's second DLC bundle, the "David Guetta Mix Pack," is scheduled for release on PSN and XBLM. That pack, which is slated for November 24, incorporates three of Guetta's songs: "When Love Takes Over," "On The Dance Floor," and "Sexy Bitch," which was presumably written about us. Rawr.

European PSN releases for October 29

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 29th 2009 at 11:47AM }

Don't call it a comeback! Well, okay, call it a comeback if you must -- after last week's sorry showing, the European PSN releases from this week are fairly phenomenal. There's a pair of demos for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, new content for DJ Hero, EyePet and PAIN, as well as the full version of LocoRoco Midnight Carnival. Check after the jump for the full list!

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:

(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

Continued →

Jay-Z is a gamer; likes Madden and, uh, you know, stuff like Madden

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 29th 2009 at 5:00AM }

When celebrities get on board for a game, the inevitable pitfall is the dreaded interview where said celebrity awkwardly tries relating to the "gamer" crowd (trust us, we know all about it.) With DJ Hero dropping this week, celebrity sponsor Jay-Z sat down with MTV News to talk about how much of a gamer he is (hint: not so much) and his support for the cultural awareness opportunities inherent in the recently released turntable title.

"Immediately, of course, with the success of Guitar Hero, you know, [DJ Hero] piqued my interest, and then on top of that it was something from the hip-hop culture. So, anytime you can, you know, I can expand the genre and introduce it to new audiences and widen it -- you know, the reach of what hip-hop can do -- you know, I'm interested in that," Jay-Z explains in the video interview (embedded after the break).

As far as Jay-Z's gaming roots, that's another story altogether. "I was really a gamer," Jay-Z urges. "Like, ask any of the guys. Like, I used to -- Madden and all these type of games," Jay-Z awkwardly cobbles together, "I was, like, really a problem. Like, those were my things -- for awhile." Presumably, until, you know, he got all that other stuff that impresses us, right? It's okay, Mr. Z -- you don't have to impress us with your gaming prowess, too. It's not like we have the numbers of "the guys" to fact check your claims anyway.

Continued →

Review: DJ Hero

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 27th 2009 at 6:27PM }

DJ Hero could end up being the most divisive video game ever created. It flies proudly in the face of certain qualities I've come to expect of the casual-aimed rhythm genre -- qualities such as accessibility, recognizability and general ease of play. Activision's latest possesses none of these characteristics: It's got a sheer learning curve, it exclusively features music that has been mashed into an indistinguishable pulp, and it's easily the most difficult peripheral-based rhythm game I've ever played. (Dance Dance Revolution notwithstanding, of course. These legs just weren't made to flail.)

Everyone who plays DJ Hero will either hate it to its core, eject the disc and toss in a more familiar musical standby, or, if they possess a certain collection of odd inclinations, they'll fall wildly in love with it. I fall into the latter group, though the small assembly of friends I recently had try their hands at the game fell firmly into the former. Yes, those people aren't writing this review, but I thought it important to note their existence.

For my part, I found DJ Hero to be fresh by every conceivable definition of the word.

Gallery: DJ Hero

Continued →

Guitar Hero co-founder expects DJ Hero to have slower initial sales

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 25th 2009 at 3:30PM }

It's rare that we hear anything but doe-eyed optimism from publishers of yet-to-be-released games -- however, Activision's Kai Huang, co-creator of the Guitar Hero franchise, recently voiced some fairly realistic expectations for the upcoming disc-spinning rhythm title, DJ Hero. "We're expecting this to be the type of game that may come out of the gate a little bit slower, but continue to grow over time," Huang explained during a speech at the PLAY Digital Media Conference in Berkeley.

Huang mentioned that while overall sales will be bolstered by the Hero part of the game's moniker, the DJ portion may scare potential players off -- causing Activision to focus on in-store demos to push the product on passersby. If we were unenlightened of DJ Hero's existence, we'd probably be snared by the siren call of the demo unit's mash-up of "Hollaback Girl" and "Give it to Me." Curse you, Stefani/James!

[Via VG247]

Activision wisely promotes DJ Hero with Daft Punk

by JC Fletcher { Oct 15th 2009 at 11:45AM }

If Activision really wants to reach the widest possible audience with DJ Hero, TV commercials are probably the best way to expedite that process. If said TV commercials happen to feature Daft Punk's wonderfully catchy "Around the World," even better.

After the break, see one TV ad starring a digital version of Daft Punk (though, since the band is ostensibly robotic, what's the difference?) and another featuring both a clip of Justice vs. Public Enemy, and an improbably shiny DJ Hero controller. And if you like those, Activision continues to upload preview clips of in-game songs to its YouTube channel.

Continued →

Activision: DJ Hero's 'diversity' key in attracting 'Hero' newcomers

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 14th 2009 at 2:44PM }

While the Guitar Hero franchise has ensnared many a casual passerby with its infectious mix of rock tunes, Activision senior brand manager Ian McClellan believes that the publisher's next rhythm release, DJ Hero, will draw in people who have yet to become acquainted with musical protagonists. "With the kind of diversity DJ Hero offers, we expect it to appeal to people who may not have yet discovered the Hero franchise," he told MCV. "The key is that the music – which comprises of over 90 mashups that are unique to DJ Hero – is still very accessible."

Of course, they're only accessible through a large turntable peripheral, which doesn't seem to offer the same warm reception that a guitar and a Bon Jovi number might. The game's sales performance later this month should be a good indicator of how music lovers -- some of whom have yet to purchase a music game, McClellan believes -- respond to this Hero's cultural shift.

In other news: Nepalese GameStops have begun surveying all customers claiming to be unfamiliar with Guitar Hero games. Their responses are to be documented and shared in November's nationwide educational seminar, "How To Avoid an Avalanche."

DJ Hero intro video destroys the world with beats

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 12th 2009 at 7:30PM }

Activision has sent out the intro cinematic for DJ Hero, and we can't help but think of Brütal Legend set in a hip-hop / club universe. A world filled with monstrous record needles and gigantic subwoofers. A place where DJs -- and truck drivers, apparently -- are kings, battling it out for rhythmic supremacy. We're not sure if the actual gameplay experience of twirling plastic records and tapping buttons will evoke the same feelings -- the signs are good so far -- but the intro video certainly has us pumped.

You'd best check it yourself, lest you wreck yourself.