By Derek Opina
Daily Titan Assistant Multimedia Editor

Remember all those times during your lunch break in high school when you were beat boxing with your friends and someone would always add a “wicka wicka” while turning his imaginary turntables?

Time to get yourself some real turn tables. After much anticipation, DJ Hero, a music video game, is finally out. Just like its predecessors Guitar Hero and Rock Band, DJ Hero offers a unique way to play music. While Guitar Hero and Rock Band previously focused on rock and metal music, DJ Hero is heavily flavored with hip-hop songs.

The main way to play this new video game is to use its unique turntable controller. The controller setup is comprised of a single turntable on the right side with a green, red and blue button on it, a crossfade slider on the left side, an effects dial above that and a “Euphoria” button. Just like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, DJ Hero is a rhythm-based game where you need to manipulate the controller in certain patterns and sequences to score points and complete mixes on set lists.

It is easy to become intimidated when you first lay your eyes on the controller. Even the rhythm sequences on the TV screen can scare most casual gamers away. But DJ Hero is a rhythm game where turning the turntables comes to the player just as naturally as playing the guitar for Guitar Hero or banging the drums in Rock Band. Before players know it, they will feel like a real DJ as they rack up their scores.

The more points you score, or “stars” you earn, the more “unlockables” you earn. Unlockables range from new mixes to add to your set list, to new characters to choose from, to new venues to play at and so on. Mixes can be played at different difficulty levels which allow you to unlock rewards faster by playing at higher levels. Eventually you can unlock mixes that allow a guitar to be used. Two players can play cooperatively using two turntables or a turntable and a guitar. This game is addicting. You can easily find yourself up still up at 2 a.m. playing.

DJ Hero features 93 original mixes by Grandmaster Flash, DJ Shadow, DJ Yoda and other famous DJs. The mixes are from 102 different hits from artists such as Eminem, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Third Eye Blind, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, Foo Fighters, Daft Punk, 2PAC and MC Hammer. The list of artists goes on and on. Fans of Guitar Hero and Rock Band will have no problem jumping right in.