“Go DJ, cuz that’s my DJ.  Go DJ, cuz that’s my DJ.”  I’ve been a fan of all kinds of music for a very long time.  I’ve been a fan of rhythm and music games for a very long time.  I’ve often wondered though if hip-hop would ever find its way into the mainstream beyond being on a soundtrack.  I’ve played my share of Guitar Hero and Rock Band but this is something different.  It’s different not only from a music standpoint but from a control standpoint.  And to be honest, I’m starting to like it.  I’m starting to believe in Scratch: The Ultimate DJ.

This game brings a sort of “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo” type of vibe upon me that is getting harder to ignore especially as I channel my innermost Turbo and Ozone.  Couple that with the fact that Numark is involved and this game has a major leg up over “that other DJ game”.  Numark is a long time maker of DJ equipment and they’ve put their mark on the Scratch Deck you’ll be using with Scratch: The Ultimate DJ.  The Scratch Deck combines two essential elements of the DJ and hip-hop experience – a free-spinning, touch sensitive turntable with a crossfader and 5 Akai Pro MPC-style drum pads.

The turntable allows players to add their own style and manipulate the songs in real time, while the MPC-style drum pads give players the opportunity to perform and customize tracks by triggering samples using the very same pads that are the cornerstone of professional hip-hop beat production.  Samples can either be pre-loaded into the game using 60 unique battle records that will ship with the software, or players can record and upload their own samples using a compatible USB microphone.  And it doesn’t matter if you’re left-handed because you can flip the turntable.  It’s just too bad that the Scratch Deck isn’t wireless.  And it’s even wireless so there are no messy wires to get in the way of being the “ultimate DJ”.

This game is coming at a perfect time for me because I just got a pair of kick ass headsets that would be almost perfect for a turntable.  “Hey DJ won’t you play my song, keep me dancing all night long.”  If I had to play one of these DJ games, I’d have to choose Scratch: The Ultimate DJ by a very long mile over DJ Hero.  The authenticity of the equipment and the music selection is all win.  The music alone puts this game on classic mixtape status.  If you’re a fan of music, you can literally just let the game’s set list play because it’s shaping up to be that good.

I just hope Genius Products LLC., QD3 and Numark are prepared for what I think will be a steep climb.  It’ll be a challenge indeed to make this the next music genre sensation.