Activision Expects DJ Hero to be a Slow Starter

[Valiance]

I think it will slowly catch on the way DDR did and Guitar Hero did.

People will think it's ridiculous and then not want to play it, and then more extroverted people will eventually get involved.

I for one would like to try it but neither have the means nor desire to purchase it at its list price.

 

[GamingAwesome1]

This is coming from the same company who is already planning a sequel for the damn game! I read it somewhere........

I hope this game bombs majorly, the music is about as much fun as grating my bollocks into thin slices.

 

[leonhart126]

The game looks really good in my opinion and I believe there is alot of interest in it. However I believe the reason it will be a slow starter is A) due to the fact its coming out in a season that is already flooded with many must buy games.
B) Due to it's cost, it's more likely to be something people aren't willing to part money with themselves and would rather ask for as a christmas present moving the peak fo sales to december time.

 

[Jeronus]

I have seen a demo at Best Buy and from what I saw it looks a pretty solid experience. The controls are better than what you would expect. The music is awesome. I wouldn't be surprised if DJ Hero didn't end up being as popular or even more popular than the Guitar hero franchise.

 

[orangeapples]

At my local Gamecrazy, the guy said they have 10 pre-orders for DJ Hero. Compared to Halo or Madden, 10 is weak. Even Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days had more pre-orders (14). The nearby Gamestop told me they got 7. but their like half a mile away from the mall, and the mall has it's own Gamestop. The in-mall Gamestop probably has about 15 pre-orders for DJ Hero..

DJ Hero seems to be more of the "Hero" brand followers only game. You would play it at a buddy's house, but you would never have it.

I've played the demo (as many of you have), and some of you will agree when I say, "it's fun, but the whole guitar hero/rock band thing is getting a little old."

 

[Polarix]

I also think that DJ Hero is going to be a slow starter in terms of sales. It isn't going to sell well at first because of skepticism and it being released during a time of big game releases but like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution it will slowly catch on.

Even though I won't be buying it because I'm already broke as it is, I hope it succeeds because this is at the very least an innovation for Activision instead of another sequel of the already worn out Guitar Hero franchise.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

Guitar games have already stolen the market. While it would have encouraged segregation between "Hero" brands, it would have been a better move to release this earlier on in the Guitar Hero franchise.

 

[Crunchy English]

The best we can do is HOPE it fails. I know I won't be buying it, but I was never the intended market anyway. Hopefully the targeted demographic isn't interested and we can start to see music game publishers tone down their aggressiveness a bit. Annual releases should be more than enough w/ all the DLC money the games make. Slow down and stop bashing us over the head with your plastic instruments.

 

[Raven's Nest]

The whole premise for this game is frankly weird...

Now you can pretend to play someone who presses the play button on a stereo to play music?

It's a bit like playing a person, playing guitar hero...

 

[UnravThreads]

To those who said "people who like this music are less likely to be game-oriented".

Ahem.... What does the soundtrack to the Need for Speed series tend to consist of?

 

[Teh_Doomage]

I think it will be a flop because of it's slow sales. It looks like a great concept game it will sell reasonably well but since it is so niche it's just going to fizzle out.

 

[Chesterfield Snapdragon McFisticuffs]

The hippity-hop is real hot with the kids nowadays, isn't it?
I suspect it'll sell relatively well, and then we'll have ten more sequels to deal with, all of which will be shit (not to say the original won't be shit, because chances are, it will be.)

Max you can't really act like you've been around for ages, you're only sixteen. You pretty much are the 'hippity-hop' demographic.

 

[Ophiuchus]

I was really impressed at some of the music I heard. Normally that'd be enough to sell it to me, but I can't afford to spend either the money or the time involved in learning a new gameplay mechanic and wasting my life on perfecting it, so I'm pretty sure I'll pass.

 

[Flunk]

Of course all club music is shit, you're not supposed to be listening to the music. If you're listening to the music you are obviously not having a good enough time.

 

[laserwulf]

I've been playing Guitar Hero since it first came out on PS2, and music-based games since Dance Dance Revolution 3rd Mix came out in Japan (2000).

After playing the demo for DJ Hero at Best Buy, I am definitely buying it, with the case/stand. The gameplay has a higher learning curve than GH/RB, but once you get into the rhythm, it's a lot of fun. One of the features is putting it in 'party mode' like GH5, and these tracks seem more party-conducive. Probably from sheer novelty, I attracted quite a few onlookers who didn't give Beatles Rock Band or the latest Madden a second glance.

Some of you might recall that the first Guitar Hero came out in a void, and was a sleeper hit for quite a while. The Guitar Freaks series had been well established in Japan at that point, and right now there are MANY games in the Beatmania series (but only one was released in the U.S.). With proper promotion of the release, I won't be at all surprised if in five years, we have too many DJ Hero games being released per quarter.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

I don't really see the appeal of any examples of the music/rhythm game genres, but club music? *shudder*

Okay technically I do like some music that gets arbitrarily classified into the Dance/DJ category, but there's a world of difference between what I consider fit for my ears and the remix nonsense they play at clubs.

Reading the track list for this game also leaves me somewhat baffled as I don't think I have a handle on the "vs" concept - what the hell does that even mean? Are they playing both songs at the same time (why would you do that), back to back, or mixing the two together into some bizarre musical hybrid (this strikes me as a terrible idea as well).

There are very few remixes I've liked as well as the original, never mind liking it more, so what do you get when you start with source material I bloody hate and then remix it?

I sincerely hope nobody I know buys this and subjects me to it.

 

[laserwulf]

I've now bought the game, played it for a few hours, and have a whole new appreciation for skilled DJs. The concept behind the game, and this style of DJing, is that you start out with two songs that you think would work well together; similar tempo, sound, or just an interesting juxtaposition. Yes, you have them playing at the same time, and you switch between the two in such a way that they blend together like an audio Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

The musical style is a taste like any other, but the technique for combining two songs into one is very unique and special when done right.

...Now you can pretend to play someone who presses the play button on a stereo to play music?

You obviously have no idea what a DJ is capable of. Thank you sir, and good day.

Of course all club music is shit, you're not supposed to be listening to the music. If you're listening to the music you are obviously not having a good enough time.

So... all the folks dancing at a club aren't having a good time? What are you supposed to be doing at a club with a large dance floor and energetic music, then?