In an industry seemingly in love with zombies, it’s not hard to believe a game could rise from the dead. Hell, just look at Duke Nukem Forever. But could we be seeing a Guitar Hero resurrection down the road?

Maybe.

Speaking with CNBC about the decision to discontinue the Guitar Hero franchise, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick left the door open to the series returning in some way. “”We can never say never, but over the past two years we have seen rapid declines in the music genre, and unfortunately, based on current demand, we simply cannot continue to profitably make these games given the considerable licensing and manufacturing costs.”

Kotick also talked about the company’s decision to scrap a long running, but albeit thinning fan favorite. “We had three fantastic products in the marketplace in the [music] genre this year, our two games, DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, and then Rock Band did a terrific game, but it’s just not a category that’s getting consumers enthusiastic right now, and so I think you need to focus your resources on the things that really gets consumers excited.”

“”If something’s not working, we’ll take it off the table, maybe reinvent it in the future, but our focus is really on figuring out what are the things that are going to excite audiences the most.”

Ladies and gentelmen, Guitar Hero is no more.

The announcement came via the release of Activision’s fourth quarter earnings late last night. “Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing’s Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011,” Activision said in its report.

The move shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, following a less than stellar release rapidly dropping sales in the rhythm genre and Viacom selling Boston based Harmonix, developers of rival franchise Band Hero.

Also facing the axe is the relatively new DJ Hero franchise. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg, elaborated on the  cancellation of both series.

“Despite a remarkable 92 rating on DJ Hero 2, a widely well-regarded Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, as well as a 90-plus rated release from our most direct competitor [Rock Band 3], demand for peripheral-based music games declined at a dramatic pace. Given the considerable licensing and manufacturing costs associated with this genre, we simply cannot make these games profitably based on current economics and demand. Instead, what we’ll do is focus our time and energies on marketing and supporting our strong catalog of titles and downloadable content, especially to new consumers as the installed base for hardware continues to grow.”

In a surprise move (heck the game just got a cover on the latest issue of EGMI), Activision also canceled True Crime: Hong Kong, saying that the long running franchise “just wouldn’t have been good enough.”

Just in time for her concerts at the Fake Boston Garden this week, and for the holiday weekend, Lady Gaga will be part of some new downloadable content for Guitar Hero and DJ Hero.

Available as of today, the DJ Hero Dance Party Mix Pack delivers a trio of new mixes- Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” mixed with “Girls On Film” by Duran Duran, Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons” beat juggle and Rihanna’s “S.O.S.” beat juggle- that will have all of you plastic turntablists spinning, scratching and battling throughout the 4th of July weekend.

Ms. Gaga will also be featured in the Pop 1 Track Pack for Guitar Hero (which is also available today) with her club anthem “Just Dance”, as will Maroon 5′s hit “This Love” and arguably the worst song of the last five years, “Fireflies” by that dork who calls himself Owl City.

All of this DLC is available for the XBOX 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

Activision cuddled up close and whispered in our ear today that standalone turntables for DJ Hero are now being sold separately, so you and your beat-ripping friends can scratch phat beats alongside eachother, yeah.

"Adding a second DJ Hero turntable controller to the mix puts a new spin on the game’s social experience," said Jamie Jackson, Creative Director at FreeStyleGames.  "Now living room DJs can go play with their friends and family and enjoy our exclusive mixes in another all-new way."

What’s more, the first 100,000 turntables will come bundled with an exclusive Shepard Fairey poster (embedded below), depicting the artists renderings of the game’s DJs.

The standalone turntable retails for $59.99 at places like GameStop and other fine retailers.

Activision today announced, and subsequently released, standalone controllers turntables for the newly released, and very well received music-rhythm game DJ Hero.

Available today in the Guitar Hero Store are the $70 standalone pieces of plastic for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii, perfectly fit to scratch alongside friends who already purchased the title.

$70 for an instrument seems steep to me, but that’s where Guitar Hero controllers were back in that franchise’s infancy.

Pick up your turntables at the Music Store.

Amazon, every day, without fail, hacks and slashes the price of some video game related content as its “Deal of the Day” promotion.

Often the deals are hardly deals, but today smells a little different.

Amazon is offering, today only, or until supply evaporates, DJ Hero: Renegade Edition for Xbox 360 only, at $50 off, or, the still hefty, yet somewhat more bearable, $149.99.

Is that you?

Exclusive to the Renegade Edition are two items; a sturdy DJ stand, so you won’t have to set up shop on your coffee table, an upper-tier turntable decorated in flashy gold, and a 2-disc CD set of Eminem/Jay-Z tunes, some of which have never released elsewhere.

For that aspiring DJ on your Christmahanukwanza list, you might consider this deal, but otherwise, maybe not.

DJ Hero $50 off @ Amazon Deal of the Day

Activision is steadily making an industry out of their music Hero line, which have officially moved well beyond mere guitar rock emulation. Thanks to Band Hero and DJ Hero, fans of more than just rock can get their fake music fix. While Band Hero is catering to pop-loving casual gamers, DJ Hero boldly walks the musical line toward the hardcore.

That’s not to say anyone can’t play and enjoy being a virtual DJ here. The game caters to all skill levels, but to really get the most out of the mix table peripheral, you’ll need to master the higher skill settings. Regardless of which difficulty level, DJ Hero is amazingly fun.  Almost 100 mix tracks come with the game and it’s the first music game since Dance Dance Revolution to especially appeal to the techno crowd. The mixes cover the musical spectrum though—plenty of rap, hip hop, Motown, and pop from the last 30 years. But the magic is how the game mixes two tracks together to create something new.

Nowhere else could you hear Marvin Gaye crossed with the Gorillaz, the Beastie Boys and Queen, the Killers vs. Rihanna, David Bowie and 50 Cent, and an impressive and entertaining number of other great mixes. It’s not a stretch to say that this eclectic, dance-centric line-up is the best yet for a Hero game and it makes the color-coded button pressing gameplay feel more distinctive than ever.

The mix table controller is a cool new addition to any gamer’s stash. The main focus is on the turntable, which both spins and has three colored buttons. On the medium difficulty level and below, this is all you’ll really need, and the game plays just like any of the Hero/Rock Band games. Color-coded circles stream down three trails on the screen and the object is to hit the appropriate button at exactly the right time. At times, you’ll have to spin the turntable up or down based on the onscreen cues. The concept is simple, the execution is fun, and the presentation is bright, colorful, and quirky.

Once you get comfortable with the basic gameplay and switch to a higher level, the crossfader becomes a major part of the game. This slider bar is at home in the center, but at times, you’ll have to slide it right and left in time with the music trail, while keeping pace with the button presses and spins. The crossfade bar adds an interesting level of challenge in general, and adds some great variation to the music. On the downside, it can be a bit unruly. Despite have a bit of feedback, when the game is in high gear, paying attention to the current position of the bar without having to actually look at it can be frustrating.

There’s little in the way of onscreen prompts to keep track of the slider’s position as well, making the learning curve a bit steeper than it could have been. Another feature that is great in concept, but still in need of some work is the overlap with Guitar Hero. Some of the tracks allow for a guitarist, yet few of them felt particularly optimized for this feature. Usually the guitar tracks end up being painfully repetitive. Still, it’s a nice bonus feature that could use improvement in the sequel.

The overall presentation is much like other music game, with the moving gameplay tracks taking up most of the screen acreage, and stylized graphics of your on-stage DJ, the crowd, dancers—all reacting to how well you’re doing. The pumping soundtrack is especially awesome for home theater-equipped systems, but as expected, it sounds great in general.

Blast Factor: Without a doubt, DJ Hero is the most distinctive and original music game on the market. While the game is enjoyable for all skill levels, it takes on a whole new level coordination for the hardcore crowd. The packed soundtrack is phenomenal and mix table controller is responsive and fun to use. The  main problem for DJ Hero is the steep asking price. $119 is a lot to spend on one game with only a single controller. If you don’t mind the cover charge though, this is the coolest virtual rave in town.

Another Take — Bradley Ouellette

Activision’s latest Music game is an interesting new twist. They have taken the well-known style of the Guitar Hero franchise, and instead of playing a guitar, the player spins a record, and acts like a DJ mixing tunes. The Music in the game always consists of two pieces that the player has to mix together, fading between the two pieces and adding other effects including scratching, freestyling, and cross fading.

The game plays similar to any other Guitar Hero style game, moving the cross fader to select the track, scratching, or pressing the buttons to cause different effects to the music. When the player gets all of a lit up section correct the game gives a charge to the Euphoria button–this is the same as star power.

The scoring in DJ Hero feels different than the scoring in Guitar Hero also. The multipliers earned from rows of correct notes is very important since if you don’t hit 4x multiplier for a while in the game, you pretty much can’t score more than 3 stars. So hitting an extra note that isn’t there can kill your rating. Also if the player gets enough notes correct in a row, there is a rewind button that will show up in the display. This looks like the regular rewind button on a remote. When that’s on the screen, spinning the turntable back one full turn will rewind the song, and let the player replay a section to increase their score. This can be especially fun, if in Emode, when there is a bunch of cross fading back and forth, since it will allow the player to get a huge score with little effort. That being said, the rewind mode can also kill the score, since while it rewinds it’s easy to mess up a note and lose the multiplier.

Over all, I loved the game. I thought it was a neat new twist in the music genre; whereas the guitar band games haven’t had as much innovation lately, this was completely new. I found that game played smoothly, except for the cross fader. Even with the issues of the cross fader, loved the game, and will highly
recommend it if you generally like music games.

DJ Hero is available on the Wii, Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, and retails for $119.99. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

The last week of October brings about a slew of new releases for us video game lovers, but you’re likely only interested in a few of them.

DJ Hero, Activision’s latest foray into the music-game genre, releases Tuesday on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2.

But if you’re not into channeling your inner DJ, Forza Motorsport 3 comes to Xbox 360, Ghostbusters to PSP, Tekken to PS3 and 360, Drawn To Life: The Next Chapter pencils itself in for a Tuesday release for DS, and Rockstar Games release GTA: IV’s latest expansion “Ballad of Gay Tony,” all this week! Busy, busy, busy.

But hey, those are just the games we’re looking at. Here’s the full list. What’re you interested in?

Monday (Oct. 26)

Are you Smarter Than A 5th Grader?: Game Time (Wii, DS, 360)
The Backyardigans (DS)
Borderlands (PC)
Hasbro Family Game Night (DS)
Hasbro Family Game Night 2 (Wii)
Mytran Wars (PSP)
Nerf N-Strike Elite (Wii)
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day (Wii, PS2)
Spongebob: Truth or Square (Wii, PSP, DS, 360, )
World of Zoo (Wii, DS, PC)

Tuesday (Oct. 27)

100 All-Time Favorites (DS)
Adventures To Go! (Gamestop Exclusive, PSP)
All Star Cheer Squad 2 (Wii)
Atelier Annie Alchemists of Sera Island (DS)
Barbie and the Three Muskateers (Wii, DS)
Ben 10: Alien Force Vilgax Attacks (360, Wii, PS2, DS, PSP)
Chronicles of Mystery:Curse of the Ancient Temple (DS)
CSI Deadly Intent (360, Wii, PC)
CSI Deadly Intent: The Hidden Cases (DS)
Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 3 (Wii)
Dance Dance Revolution X2 (PS2)
Diner Dash: Flo on the Go (DS)
DJ Hero (360, PS3, PS2, Wii)
Drawn to Life: Next Chapter (Wii, DS)
Dream Salon (DS)
Fairytale Fights (360, PS3)
Forza Motorsport 3 (360)
Hidden Mysteries Titanic (Wii, DS)
Jewel Quest Mysteries (Wii)
Jurassic the Hunted (360, PS3, Wii, PS2)
League of Legends: Clash of Fates (PC)
Sim Animals: Africa (Wii, DS)
Tekken 6 (360, PS3)
Petz Dogz Family (PSP)
Petz Dolphinz Encounter (DS)
Petz Hamsterz Bunch (PSP)
Petz Saddle Club (PSP)
Press Your Luck 2010 Edition (Wii, DS, PC)
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (PS3)
The Stronghold Collection (PC)
Sushi Academy (DS)
Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure (DS)

Wednesday (Oct. 28)

Inferno Pool (360)

Thursday (Oct. 29)

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (360)

Friday (Oct. 30)

Ghostbusters (PSP)
Remington North American Bord Hunter (Wii)

Source: Kotaku

GameStop, your best buddy, is offering you a chance to play DJ Hero weeks before it releases and to possibly score some serious prizes including a trip to see EMINEM and lots of free copies of the game.

This Sunday, from 10-6 at GameStops nationwide, store-goers can try their hand (literally) at the game on Xbox 360 and see if they have what it takes to scratch like a pro.

According to the press release, there won’t be a contest during the Demo Day, rather shoppers can simply drop their name in a hat and hope for the best!

Here’s what you’ll win if you’re graced with the luck of the Irish Blarney Store Leprechaun.

Grand Prize (1 Winner)

o VIP trip for you and a friend to EMINEM’s concert at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans on October 30, 2009

o Exclusive invitation to EMINEM’s sound check

o VIP meet and greet with EMINEM

o 2 Xbox 360 DJ Hero Renegade Editions signed by EMINEM

o 2 Xbox 360 consoles

o 2 Xbox LIVE Messenger Gold Packs

o 2 DJ Hero exclusive prize packs

1^st Runner Up (10 Winners)

o Xbox 360 DJ Hero Renegade Edition signed by EMINEM

o Xbox 360 console

o Xbox LIVE Messenger Gold Pack

2^nd Runner Up (1,000 Winners)

o DJ Hero exclusive prize pack including: DJ Hero hat, keychain, pen and sticker

Activision released the entire catalogue of tunes in the upcoming DJ Hero music game today confirming songs and acts we already knew and introducing the rest.

Unlike Activision’s breadwinner franchise, Guitar Hero, the playable songs in DJ Hero are exclusive to the game, meaning you’ll need to buy the game to experience the songs.

The list is extremely varied and includes mixes of tunes from popular artists ranging from Gwen Stefani to JAY-Z and Eminem, to even The Killers, Foreigner, Queen, and Motorhead. Have a look at the full list detailed alphabetically below. And look for the game, and its Renegade Edition, October 27.

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  2Pac – “All Eyez On Me” vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra – “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  50 Cent – “Disco Inferno” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  50 Cent – “Disco Inferno” vs. InDeep – “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Afrika Bambaataa – “Zulu Nation Throwdown” vs. Freedom Express – “Get Down”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Beastie Boys – “Here’s A Little Somethin’ For Ya” vs. DJ Shadow – “The Number Song (2009 Version)” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” vs. Blondie – “Rapture”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Beastie Boys – “Lee Majors Come Again” vs. Daft Punk – “Da Funk” (Produced and mixed by Cut Chemist)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Beck – “Where It’s At” vs. DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” Beat Juggle

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” vs. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic”‚  (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” vs. Cameo – “Word Up!”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction” vs. Tiƒ«sto – “Elements Of Life”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Billy Squier – “The Big Beat” vs. N.E.R.D. – “Lapdance” (DJ-Guitar mix)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow” vs. Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Bobby “Blue” Bland – “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. 2Pac – “How Do You Want It”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Bobby “Blue” Bland – “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. Connie Price & The Keystones – “Fuzz And Them”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Boogie Down Productions – “Jack Of Spades” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – “Bustin’ Loose” vs. The Zombies – “Time Of The Season” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – “Bustin’ Loose” vs. Young MC – “Bust A Move”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Common – “Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)” vs. Masta Ace – “Jeep A** Gutter (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir RMX)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Cypress Hill – “Insane In The Brain” vs. Classics IV – “Spooky”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Cypress Hill – “Insane In The Brain” vs. David Axelrod – “The Edge”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Around The World” vs. Young MC – “Bust A Move”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Da Funk” vs. N.A.S.A. – “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Megamix 1″

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Megamix 2″

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” vs. Hashim – “Al Naafyish (The Soul)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” vs. Queen – “We Will Rock You”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Short Circuit” vs. Boogie Down Productions – “Jack Of Spades”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Technologic” vs. Gary Numan – “Cars”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Daft Punk – “Television Rules the Nation” vs. No Doubt – “Hella Good”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  David Axelrod – “The Edge” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. DJ Shadow – “Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. Justice – “Genesis”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)” vs. D-Code – “Annie’s Horn”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Eminem – “My Name Is” vs. Beck – “Loser”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Fedde Le Grand – “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn – “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Foo Fighters – “Monkey Wrench” vs. Beastie Boys – “Sabotage” (DJ-Guitar mix)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Foreigner – “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs – “DJ Hero” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Foreigner – “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs – “DJ Hero” (DJ-Guitar mix, produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” vs. Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones, Pt 2″ (Produced and mixed by J. Period)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.” vs. Blondie – “Atomic”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Grandmaster Flash’s – “Boom” vs. “Tap” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, DJ Demo – “Here Comes My DJ” vs. Gary Numan – “Cars” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. InDeep “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. Rick James – “Give It To Me”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” Beat Juggle

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” vs. N.E.R.D. – “Lapdance” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  InDeep – “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” vs. Cameo – “Word Up!”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life” (DJ-Guitar mix)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  JAY-Z feat. Pharrell – “Change Clothes” vs. 2Pac – “All Eyez on Me”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  JAY-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Eminem – “My Name Is”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  JAY-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  JAY-Z – “Excuse Me Miss” vs. Rick James – “Give It To Me”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Jean Knight – “Mr. Big Stuff” vs. Masta Ace – “Born To Roll”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Jurassic 5 – “Jayou” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Jurassic 5 – “Jayou” vs. Herbie Hancock – “Rockit”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Kid Cudi – “Day “ËœN’ Nite” vs. Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Kool Moe Dee‚  – “How Ya Like Me Now” vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman – “I Like To Move It”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Little Richard – “Tutti Frutti” vs. Shlomo – “Beats” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” vs. Wale – “Lookin’ At Me”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Motƒ¶rhead – “Ace Of Spades” vs. Noisia – “Groundhog” (DJ-Guitar mix)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  N.A.S.A. – “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip” vs. Isaac Hayes – “Theme From Shaft”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Noisia – “Groundhog” Beat Juggle (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Paul van Dyk – “Nothing But You” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn – “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Public Enemy – “Shut “ËœEm Down” vs. Beck – “Where It’s At”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Public Enemy ft. Zakk Wylde – “Bring The Noise 20XX” vs. Justice – “Genesis” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde – “Bring The Noise 20XX” (DJ-Guitar mix)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Q-Tip – “Good Thang” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Beastie Boys – “Brass Monkey” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Daft Punk – “Da Funk”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. Kid Sister – “Control”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. The Killers – “Somebody Told Me” (DJ-Guitar mix)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. The Trammps – “Disco Inferno”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Shlomo‚  – “Beats” vs. Billy Squier‚  – “The Big Beat”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Street Sweeper Social Club – “Fight! Smash! Win!” vs. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” (DJ-Guitar mix)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. Eric Prydz – “Pjanoo”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  The Aranbee Pop Orchestra – “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)” vs. LL Cool J – “Rock The Bells” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  The Scratch Perverts Beats and Pieces (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  The Killers – “Somebody Told Me” vs. Eric Prydz – “Pjanoo”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” vs. MC Hammer – “U Can’t Touch This”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” vs. Paula Abdul – “Straight Up”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Wale – “Lookin’ At Me” vs. Black Eyed Peas ft. Tippa Irie – “Hey Mama”

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Weezer – “Beverly Hills” vs. Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys – “Fresh Rhymes And Videotape” (DJ-Guitar mix)

‚·‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” (DJ-Guitar mix)

Activision, one of the largest publishers in the business and owners of the Guitar and DJ Hero brands, today teased a DJ Hero 2 sequel, weeks before DJ Hero 1 releases.

DJ Hero is due out later this month but Activision already sees money in the series and according to GamesIndustryBiz, FreeStyleGames, makers of DJ Hero, are currently speaking with “at least one independent UK games developer” for work on DJ Hero 2.

Additionally, Qbert, a popular DJ (apparently) is already being approached for the sequel.

DJ Hero might fail, no one might buy it, and perhaps a sequel won’t happen. Or maybe it will. What do you think?

DJ Hero’s growing list of exclusive mixes continues to balloon today as selections from turntable legends the Scratch Perverts and DJ Yoda were announced by publisher Activision as playable songs in-game.

The Scratch Perverts hail from the glorious United Kingdom and are comprised of Tony Vegas, DJ Primecuts, and Plus One, and lend the following mixes to the game.

• Common “" “Universal Mind Control (UMC)” vs. Masta Ace “" “Jeep A** Gutter”
• Eric B. & Rakim “" “Eric B. Is President” vs. M.I.A. “" “Paper Planes”
• Noisia “" “Groundhog” (Beat Juggle)

DJ Yoda on the other hand, a “hip-hop turntablist” graces the game with these two cuts.

• The Jackson 5 “" “I Want You Back” vs. Gang Starr “" “Just to Get a Rep”
• Little Richard “" “Tutti Frutti” vs. Shlomo “" “Beats”

DJ Hero scratches onto home consoles this October for Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii. And if you’ve got a burning desire and a fat wallet you may want to check out the $200 “Renegade Edition” of the game, it’s got a whole lot of perks.

Activision today announced the Renegade Edition version of the impending DJ Hero video game due out this fall, and with it comes a number of limited items.

First off, in addition to the DJ Hero software, you’ll receive a “premium renegade turntable controller,” a sturdy looking hardshell case that transforms into a stand to scratch until your fingers bleed with, and a 2 CD pack featuring unreleased tracks from Jay-Z and Eminem.

The buffed turntable looks pretty stylish with its metal controls and gold finish, and the stand does look “performance ready,” but I believe I’m going to have to build another room in my place for all my faux-instruments.

Activision made no mention of an upper-tier price point, which is likely the case, and as the game currently retails for $119, you can expect something north of that figure and likely below $200.

Grandmaster Flash, the dude who made the turntable an instrument, will appear as an in-game character in Activision’s upcoming DJ Hero music-game, the publisher revealed today.

When you fire up DJ Hero the first scratcher you’ll meet is the Flash, and he’ll serve as the game’s tutorial level teacher, and through his recognizable voice, and madd skills yo, you’ll be tearing up the club in no time.

However, the man is not simply lending his likeness to the game, rather two original and never-before released mixes from the Grandmaster will grace the final build of the game, which are assuredly awesome.

Enjoy these screens of the man below and hit up the game’s website for further details on the project.

GameTrailers TV airs in the wee hours of Friday each week on Spike, and within the confines of the show this week, the first trailer for DJ Hero came about.

You guys absolutely blew up the DJ Hero story we ran yesterday, so we expect you to also comment like crazy in reaction to this trailer and accompanying screens.

Mirroring my sentiment from yesterday, what began as laughable in my eyes has truly morphed into a seemingly worthwhile title given my admiration for mash-ups and remixes.

In a related note and in case you missed it, but you really shouldn’t have, the Ocarina of Rhyme from Team Teamwork came out earlier this year and still has me frozen with its awesomeness.

DJ Hero, the newest take on the music/rhythm genre from publisher Activision, is a ground-breaking endeavor no matter how you slice it, and only gets more intriguing with today’s announcement of the inclusion of world-renowned DJ’s Shadow, Z-Trip and AM.

That’s right, tunes from The Black Eyed Peas, 50 Cent, Justice, Marvin Gaye, Beck, Beastie Boys, and N.E.R.D, and many more have been transformed into original mixes by the aforesaid legends of the turntable. Every mix is original and exclusive to the DJ Hero experience and will challenge you to scratch your way to club music excellence.

I must say, DJ Hero has transformed itself from a totally preposterous idea, at least in my perception, to a very intriguing, and dare I say it, worthy investment, and on grounds of ingenuity alone? Well, we’ll see.

Activision detailed plans for 2009 today assuring fans that three new music titles will hit shelves before year’s end-DJ Hero, Guitar Hero 5, and Band Hero.

Of the three, DJ Hero looks very, very interesting.‚  The publisher describes it as expanding the normative userbase by including diverse music genres including hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance.‚  The game will come bundled with a turntable controller (image below) and will allow for DJs to “rule the club scene” by creating original mixes of already popular songs.‚  Interesting.

wow

the new peripheral

Guitar Hero 5 will be the expected, run of the mill yearly iteration but this time with the added ability to drop in and out of song, change band members, and difficulty in the heat of rock performance.‚  I’m not sure why we need this, but as details surface it may become more apparent.

Band Hero is where things get downright scary.‚  The title will be the first to be rated E10+ and will feature top 40 hits in a more approachable family endeavor from the publisher.‚  Get ready to hear Hannah Montana and various other teeny bopper tunes now in the living room.‚  We knew this day was coming, but now that it is soon to be here, I fear for the genre.‚  Granted it’ll sell like hotcakes, but really?

All three titles are due out this Fall. Be afraid, be very afraid.‚  Activision’s next step is asking for a vote in Congress.

For those about to rock — we salute you. And for those who aren’t, Activision is cool with that too.

Tradmork reported that Activision, makers of the highly successful Guitar Hero series have recently filed a trademark for the term “DJ Hero.”

The official documents, filed February 8, state that Activision is looking to use the term in conjunction with “computer game software and related instruction manual sold together as a unit. Interactive video game programs; computer game discs; downloadable software for use in connection with computer games; video game controllers; interactive video game comprised of a CD or DVD sold as a unit with a video game controller.”

While there’s no official word from Activision about the possible turntable simulator, it should be noted that gamers have been clamoring for a title similar to what is being hinted at for quite some time. Check out the custom Guitar Hero turntable Gizmodo reported on at CES this year.

This is far from a confirmed game announcement. In fact, Activision has filed multiple trademarks dealing with the Guitar Hero franchise merely to protect the name. Ever hear of Guitar Villain? What about Drum Hero? They may not be games, but Activision holds the rights to these names just like they now hold the rights to DJ Hero.

You know we’re gonna be following this one closely.