Rock and roll is dead, long live dance! DJ Star is one of several dance- and DJ-inspired games due this year and it’s a pretty decent effort.
There are two main modes here: Career and Creation. The music-creation part is arguably the more engaging. You’re provided with a range of pre-set samples for numerous instruments from four musical styles (techno, hip-hop, funk and house) and there’s a simple drag-and-drop system that allows you to place the samples into a five-track mix. It’s not hard to make a decent-sounding track (hey, we can do it!) and once you’re used to things you can fiddle with the BPM, volume and so on.
The Career mode is a slightly odd affair. It’s story-driven, with you playing an aspiring lady DJ who starts out playing house parties before moving on to headlining at big club nights. Each ‘level’ has a set objective, usually getting a certain number of people to boogie for a set amount of time.
To keep them dancing, you need keep the mix working by using the stylus to manipulate the knobs, sliders, samples and turntables at your disposal. It’s actually pretty challenging, and fun too, with some top tunes. There’s not a lot to shout about when it comes to the graphics, unless you like pixelated rave ladies, but the music makes up for it.
Sep 18, 2009
