Scratching Your Way to the Top: A DJ Hero Strategy Guide
Company: GameVortex.com Product: DJ Hero
First things first. No matter how good you think you might be, if you haven't played the tutorials, play them. Even if you've done really well so far and you're just finding a couple of mixes to be tough, play the tutorials. Already played them both? Play them again. I know they can be slow and boring, but they isolate specific game mechanics and give you a way to practice those specific elements of the game without having to play through a whole mix. I'm not going to explain the basics - not when Grandmaster Flash already does so in the game with the interactive tutorials. Familiarize yourself with these basics, then proceed with the rest of the strategy guide. We're actually going to talk about strategies to improve scores, not how to push the Euphoria button. The thing to remember here is that you're always trying to increase your score. In the end, its the score that you're judged on.
Score Multiplier The biggest factor in achieving a high score is the score multiplier. The score multiplier increases in value based on playing without making a mistake. If you make a mistake, your multiplier resets to zero. (Well, actually, one, mathematically speaking. Sadly, one times your score is still just your plain score.) The Score Multiplier increases each time you fill the meter on the right, going from 1x (not displayed) to 2x, then 3x and, finally, 4x. The highest your score multiplier can be without some additional game mechanic temporarily boosting it is 4x. The special effects that boost your score multiplier all double it from its normal value and are all limited in time duration. Very limited, actually. As a general rule, it is better to keep your 4x than to activate a special effect. Avoiding (any) mistakes is your bread-and-butter. Using these special features to boost your Score Multiplier is icing on the cake.
Euphoria The easiest way to double your Score Multiplier for a reasonable little while is the Euphoria button. Euphoria can be used once you've built up your Euphoria bar (located on the left side of the note highway). You earn Euphoria by completing an entire Euphoria section on the note highway (indicated by everything glowing white) without any mistakes. If you make a single mistake, you've killed your chance to power up your Euphoria with that section... UNLESS you also have a rewind. If you have a rewind available, you can rewind when you mess up and you'll have a second stab at getting some Euphoria, but more on that below. It can be exciting to earn Euphoria, what with the meter filling up on the left and the button flashing on the controller and such, but just because you have Euphoria available doesn't mean you should activate it immediately. Euphoria does two things for you: it doubles your Score Multiplier (if it's not already being doubled by another effect) and it automatically handles your crossfading for you. Based on this, the best time to use Euphoria is right when you reach a section that you don't want to (or can't successfully) manage a tricky crossfading part. At the very least, don't activate your Euphoria until there are notes that you're about to play. Euphoria is limited by a time duration, not number of notes, so don't start to use it until you're about to play some notes. Rewind When the double triangle icon lights up above your score multiplier, that means you have a Rewind available. You can activate this rewind by spinning the turntable platter backwards. Once you've started activating the Rewind, however, you'll need to quickly get the platter back in position so you're ready to continue playing. You also need to adjust the crossfader (if necessary) to match the section you have rewound into. You have about a second to adjust the crossfader so that it's in the correct position before you'll get the dreaded scratched record sound and reset your Score Multiplier. During a section that you have rewound, your Score Multiplier is doubled. The amount of points you can get from a Rewind is based on how many point opportunities are available in the section you Rewind, the value of your current Score Multiplier and whether you can successfully initiate and execute the Rewind without making a mistake. Rewinds can be tricky, but can be used strategically to squeeze more points out of high point-value sections (such as long scratches) or take a second stab at a missed opportunity to gain Euphoria. Effects Sweep There are certain places on the note highway where you will see an orange arc over one or more lines in the highway. After this indicator, the lines are a little bit fatter for some duration. If you tweak the Effects trim knob during these sections, there will be an audible change to the sound (think "Flanger"). In addition, you will earn points. And, of course, your Score Multiplier will double... but only while you are adjusting the knob. If you adjust the trim knob a little bit and then stop, the Score Multiplier effect and the earned points will stop almost immediately. They will continue again just as quickly if you tweak the knob some more. The thing to remember here is that the effect is temporary; if you're not going to be able to keep twisting the trim knob, you're not going to continue to gain points or keep your multiplier, so it might not be worth it. Specifically, there are sections that have this Effect, but also have some crossfading that needs to be done. Unless you're making some really fancy moves, the same hand that would do the trim knob is used for crossfading. Now, depending on the upcoming stretch on the note highway, you might be able to continue working the effect trim with your off hand and reach over to crossfade with your scratching hand, but not if there are any notes to hit or scratching to do. While the Effect trim is a good way to make some points quickly, I find that it's best to use it opportunistically. If you're entering an Effect area and you can trim, work it. If it would raise the complexity much and there's a good chance that if you try to trim that you'll make a mistake and bomb your Score Multiplier, then ignore the trim.
Avoid Bag Holding No, not bags of holding, as those are generally useful magic items in D&D. I'm talking about getting caught holding the bag at the end of the mix. There's no mistake more heart-breaking than to reach the end of the song and still have Euphoria sitting in the meter or a waiting Rewind opportunity... unless it's having both. Be forewarned, when you get really near (a few notes from) the end of a mix, that last ditch attempt to fire off your Rewind may simply not work. Plus, while you make your fumbling attempt to fire off a Rewind, you're just as likely to mess up and merely kill your Score Multiplier at the very end of the song. One at a Time The above-mentioned Score Multipliers do not stack. That means, if one is in effect, you won't get an additional Score Multiplier bonus from using another when multiple effects are active. For example, if you are in Euphoria and you activate a Rewind, you won't get your 2x multiplier for the Rewind until the time duration on the Euphoria runs out. This also means that if you're in Euphoria or a Rewind, there is no Score Multiplier bonus to be had by tweaking the Effects Sweep; you will still gain the points associated with using the Effects trim knob during the Effects Sweep section, but not the accompanying Score Multiplier bonus. This means that it's usually not the best idea to use a Rewind to get another shot at tweaking an Effects Sweep. It can be good to Rewind to collect a blown Euphoria, but realize that you're cashing in your Rewind to collect more Euphoria at that point - and if you missed the Euphoria the first time, you may miss it the second time, as well. One combo that I find works pretty well is to use a Euphoria, then follow it up with a rewind (as long as I can pull that off without messing up). Another thing that works out pretty well is to activate Euphoria as you arrive at a part that is heavy in crossfading, but also has Effects Sweep opportunities. Since the Euphoria will handle the crossfading automatically, you can use your newly free hand to work the Effect trim knob (for the points, not the multiplier). Know Thy Mix The old saying is, "Practice makes perfect." This is, of course, true, but being familiar with the mixes you are playing before you can see the notes can also allow you to plan your gameplay more strategically. If you're playing a mix that has some really difficult crossfading that occurs later in the mix, then you may want to save up your Euphoria so that you can use it when you get to the tricky crossfade part and it will automatically crossfade through the hard part for you. As I mentioned above, this could also let you cash in on some otherwise untouchable Effects Sweeps. Knowing where the highest point-value sections are in a mix allows you to save your Rewind for the perfect opportunity. Even simply knowing how close you are to the end of a mix can help you avoid getting stuck with an unused available Rewind at the end of the song.
-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins
Related Links: Game Vortex's Review of DJ Hero on the 360 Game Vortex's Review of DJ Hero on the PS3 Game Vortex's Review of DJ Hero on the Wii Game Vortex's Preview of DJ Hero
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