The original DJ Hero was a rhythmical triumph - albeit one that leaned a little too heavily on hip-hop and track repetition - with its refreshing approach to a fatiguing genre, catering to both the casual gamer and the hardened players in search of turntable triumph in that all important Expert mode. DJ Hero 2 is essentially identical to its predecessor in its approach to an already winning formula stick to the beat by following the on-screen cues, scratch, cross-fade and spice each of the 80 plus mixes up with some swish sampling.
Rather than tinker with the mechanics, FreeStyleGames has instead built upon each one, refining, polishing and honing to the point of pure perfection. With the introduction of freestyling while sampling, scratching or cross-fading you can bank huge scores and, more importantly, actually feel like a DJ if manage to cut and chop each of the mixes together with panache. Career progression has been added to the fold in the form of Empire Mode, where you bounce between night clubs dotted throughout the globe, filling dance floors and battling superstar DJs such as Deadmau5, Tiesto and the RZA. Unfortunately, it lacks cohesion and comes off feeling like a meager version of earlier Guitar Hero career modes. Still, there some belting beats to master and a plethora of multiplayer modes to duke it out in, making DJ Hero this years must-have mechanical social musical maestro.