Activision's DJ Hero is the newest innovative entry in the music videogame genre having just released a few weeks ago. With over 100 different songs remixed across numerous genres likes hip-hop, rock, pop and electronica, DJ Hero's selection of music is clearly amongst the best in any music game period. But one question remains, which we haven't seen too many people tackle. Just how does the game stack up against a real DJ?

We wanted to find out, so we invited over some of the hottest DJs in the bay area for an all night play session. Alcohol, mixed with BBQ, mixed with DJs, and mad beats is one great way to spend a Thursday night. Much to the dismay by downstairs neighbors.

The Set Up

We set up two DJ Hero games at once on two TVs. To capture a more accurate feel for the game, we offered up headphones, and the game was set up on a table, so you couldn't lounge back on the couch. If you actually want to see the whole setup, you can still view our session on Justin.tv. The event was broadcasted live, the first time we tried something like that ever. 

The Candid Comments from DJs

As the first game developed by FreeStyleGames (known for working on the Buzz! series of games), DJ Hero adds a new spin on such established gameplay mechanics found in Guitar Hero, Beat Mania and Frequency. All in all, gamers with good hand to eye coordination should find the game easy to learn, but it'll take an octopus with eight arms to master. It was interesting to see if an expert DJ could pick it up like second nature.

DJ "5qr47ch" (Scratch - facebook.com/5qr47ch), was one of the first to jump on the game. An electronica/hard house DJ with 10 years of experience, Scratch was surprised to find the music selection to be refreshing. He had tried the game once before, but it seemed like he was already playing way up to the medium setting on the second try, and doing quite well at it.

"When I first heard the game playing Jackson 5 and Third Eye Blind, I thought that it was a really weird mash-up. It's really random but cool how they made it work," he explained. The game does have some of the freshest, and weirdest mixes you will ever hear.

Panic-City, is also one of California's finest DJs having worked with popular local radio station Wild 94.9. Panic-City also loves the soundtrack, but loves how you can customize so many aspects of the game. You can even take the peripheral apart and change the setup. "I like how you're able to switch hands for the turntable and the placement of the buttons as well."

The game's ability to pull in new interest in the whole DJ scene was probably the most noteworthy thing for each of the professional DJs in attendance. 

"This game will bring the DJ forefront to the masses. People will see that this a fun experience and that DJ'ing as a whole is exciting," according to Will Silva, DJ Willy Will, a Latin and Hip-Hop veteran who's also represented by Wild 94.9 (djwillywill.blogspot.com). 

Is It Really DJing?

So the big question of the night: Can Joe Gamer master this game, and start working gigs as a DJ? We had heard about the Craigslist posting of some gamer who said he'll DJ your event using the game... Will this game really turn you into an instant party hit?

While the DJs were convinced that the game's overall entertainment value is definitely its strong point, it's clear that the game itself would never replace an actual DJ. "DJ Hero works great for house parties, but using it in a real club, people would probably leave in the first 20 minutes or so!" The Les remarked.

For some, the game was not intuitive to jump into. The Les (www.TheLesIsMore.com), a hip-hop and soul/R&B DJ, felt that the game was missing some of the more important aspects absence of real DJ elements. DJ Hero really does appeal to the gamer sensibilities. For The Les, who isn't a typical gamer, he found it hard just to jump in without going through the whole tutorial to change his thinking so that he was playing the game, and not trying to do his DJ thing.

The Les also notes that one of the most important DJing skills is being able to work the crossfader. In DJ Hero, that function has been simplified to be easier to handle. "The crossfader was the biggest thing. When you use the crossfader, you use it to mix two different beats. For this game, everything is already mixed for you. Unfortunately, that element is one of the main importances of being a good DJ."

DJs vs Gamers: Who Will Win?

At the end of the night, we conducted a DJ vs DJ competition with two turntables being played on the same game at once. After several rounds of elimination, DJ Scratch ended up being the standout player among the DJs. I jumped into the competition, fully realizing that I had no real DJ experience, but had played the game for the last few days. When all was said and done, the gamers seemed to be dominating the scene. In many ways, the results do seem to reflect the opinion that DJ Hero is really designed for gamers first and foremost, as opposed to being a fully accurate DJ experience.

DJ Hero is Hella Fun

In the end, there's no denying that the game struck a chord with everyone. By the end of the night, bottles of Grey Goose were dry, and the subwoofer was kicking so loud that my neighbors called me twice, and then came knocking on my door to turn it down. This game has a way of making you sway to the beats, and you definitely want the beats loud enough to feel it.

Hip-Hop DJ Miles Medina, known as hellaMiles (myspace.com/hellamiles and podomatic.com/profile/djerock) understood that the game's intentions was to simply turn people on to DJing and introduce its magic to everyone.

"It's really fun. It's not easy to just jump into, but I got it pretty quickly. Personally, I would love to see a DJ Hero specific album. The mashups are good, and it has some unique mixes, not just mainstream songs, which makes this game fun to play." A couple of DJs were hoping such names like Q-Bert would be featured in a follow up game.

Les was also impressed that you could get such a fun game experience for an acceptable price. Professional DJs often times spend more than a few thousand for all the turntables, mixer and speakers. Naturally, these pros invest in the best. Suddenly it seems like DJ Hero's price of $119 seems rather reasonable.

It also seems that Activision's DJ Hero is well positioned to elevate the art of DJing. It will interesting to see if the game has a profound impact like Guitar Hero did a few years ago.

Click here to see more photos of the event.

Special thanks to The Les, DJ 5qr47ch, hellaMiles, Panic-City, DJ Willy Will, Matt Phillips, Nicolo Leonio, Camille Espiritu, Mike Samachisa, Gene Miguel, Alex Simon and Master Lee for making the event possible. Look for more events like this come soon on The Kartel!