In the past, Activision’s made no secret of the fact that they’re making a sequel to DJ Hero. Today they formally announced DJ Hero 2 for a Fall 2010 release.
DJ Hero 2 will feature tracks from Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and 85 others. New game modes include DJ Battles, jump-in/jump-out Party Play, and a career-style Empire Mode that lets players work their way to the top of the entertainment world. Producer Deadmau5 will appear in the game as a playable character. To celebrate that bit of news, Activision is releasing a mix of Deadmau5’s “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” and Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” through Xbox Live and PSN today. It will be free to download until June 14th.
“With new social game modes, the inclusion of full microphone support, all-new levels of creative freedom and an amazing soundtrack, DJ Hero 2 is the ultimate mixer of music and friends,” says David Haddad, Chief Operating Office, Guitar Hero.
If you played the first DJ Hero you’ll remember that head-to-head battles consisted of two players scratching the exact same notes. In the sequel, the multiplayer mixes have been specially tuned for a DJ battle call-and-response experience, so each player has something unique to add to the mix. Emcees can join in by plugging in a microphone and following along with onscreen lyrics.
Another major new feature appears to be freestyle scratching, so you can manipulate the mixes the way you want, rather than triggering pre-recorded scratches.
The game will be available as part of a $149.99 Party Bundle, which also includes two turntable controllers and a microphone. The microphone can be used to sing or rap along with lyrics on-screen during the aforementioned Party Play mode. You’ll also be able to buy the game by itself or with a single turntable.
DJ Hero 2 is set to launch this fall.