DJ Hero 2 is a game that features “mashups” of two different songs, and asks players to play the role of the DJ using the game’s special turntable-style controllers to keep both tracks playing at the same time, and control when each one is emphasized.

The game comes with a special turntable controller that features three colored buttons on the “record player” portion, as well as a cross-fader switch, a dial and a button on the lefthand side.  As the re-mixed songs play, it’s up to players to perform button presses, scratches and dial-turns in time with the music to score points and keep the music playing.

When you first start the game, DJ Hero 2 offers a number of tutorial modes that are very helpful in getting started.  If your family has played DJ Hero before, you can skip the tutorial entirely, but if you choose to learn how to play, the game offers many different options depending on how basic you need the gameplay explanation to be.  Although the tutorial may take 45 minutes to an hour if you’ve never played before, it’s definitely worth it to learn the game’s basics.

You may expect as you look at the back of the package that all the songs listed are the one’s you’ll be playing, and you’d be sort of right.  The game actually features remixes of two songs combined into one, so for example, one song is a combination of “ABC” by the Jackson 5 and “Informer” by Snow.  Both songs are playing at the same time, and are meant to be mixed a certain way.  Other examples of songs include Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” combined with Warren G’s “Regulate.”

Although some songs do have questionable lyrics, most of the really mature stuff is not even mentioned, similar to having a radio edit of a song.

DJ Hero 2 supports up to 3 players at a time, with the ability for two players with turntables to compete, as well as a chance for someone with mic to sing along with the tracks, or even perform full-on karaoke with no lyrical help.  Players can battle each other during songs to see who performs better and can get the higher score, or achieve more stars, or not make any mistakes for the longest time.

DJ Hero 2 is a unique video game experience, and one we think that most families with tweens and teens would enjoy, provided they are at least somewhat into music.  The game actually brings together songs in surprisingly enjoyable ways, but definitely has a “club” type feel to the presentation.  Due to the game’s complexity and overall themes, we wouldn’t recommend this for kids younger than tweens.