8) DJ Hero
Released: Wii, 2009
A spin-off of the Guitar Hero franchise, DJ Hero was a highly creative, fun take on that series’ rhythm and timing-based gameplay. Using a peripheral designed to mimic the look and feel of a DJ’s turntable, DJ Hero had players time their “scratching” to the notes scrolling past on the game screen. Featuring some very catchy remixes and mashups of EDM and hip hop songs, DJ Hero managed to capture the magic of Guitar Hero while establishing its own identity. It’s a shame the series never was able to go beyond its lone sequel, as DJ Hero was a smart evolution of the music game boom of the the latter half of the 2000s.
I don’t really like music games… but have to admit this list has a lot of quality software on it.
My only complaints:
* Donkey Konga and Mario DDR were great ideas but Nintendo needed more remixed NES tracks and fewer public domain songs thrown into the mix
* Rock Band 2 should be replaced by The Beatles Rock Band (not because Rock Band 2 is bad, but because The Beatles version is just that awesome)
;)