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The music gaming world just got another addition to its field of peripherals: turntable mania arrives with DJ Hero for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Players get a chance to play with exclusive mixes across a wide range of genres, mixing hip-hop with pop and soul thanks to famous DJs specializing in so many eras; all kinds of players should be brought in with the ability to mix-up Guitar and Turntable tracks in a fusion of melody all while keeping existing music game norms in place. Players stepping into DJ Hero should bring in a blank perspective; the controller is unlike what gamers might expect, offering cross fader action, stream buttons, scratching and effects control.

DJ Hero delivers a long tutorial series on mastering the turntable controller, covering basics such as scratching, cross fading and effects use. The basics are easy to grasp but the advanced sections take practice to work in game. Those coming in with an expectation of something close to Beatmania will find themselves having to start over. Three active keys cover the turntable with more control on the side. The layout is simple and friendly but it is mastering comfort that is the key -- once players feel safe enough the game is open to play with dedicated settings to pick from, each requiring a specific star count to unlock. Players are able to enjoy the game in any order they wish using this approach, cycling through the pages like Vinyl records to find the set list they wish to tackle.

The challenges come in testing endurance and execution; those with the skill to score five stars will take on more mixes and challenges. Given a long enough play session on medium and hard difficulties, fatigue plays a factor in gameplay. Having to push down on the table and scratch fast enough to pull enough points without letting go, consecutive streaks of scratching often appear among other gameplay challenges. For those aiming to unlock the later stages, accuracy is a must as many of them need over 200 stars before they will be playable.

As we put ourselves through the paces of DJ Hero, everything took on a challenge of its own, differing from the endless paces of Guitar Hero in the involvement needed from the player: we found ourselves fighting to scratch right on target and shift our effects timing instead of just spamming the keys hoping to get a higher score multiplier. DJ Hero is a slight shift for a genre full of basic chart gaming that often produces little deviation in play and we hope companies take note of that. Gamers love to follow charts and score attack for the top spot in the world but they also like to feel they can get something else out of their titles.