How much DJ culture will two dollars get you?
If you're ambitious and don't mind digging through bargain records on your hands and knees, you might find two sample-worthy LPs in your local record store's 99-cent vinyl blowout bins.
Otherwise, consider Hip Hop All Star, a bargain-priced app for iPhone and iPod Touch.
Hip Hop All Star is much simpler than DJ Hero. Players tap the screen as three rows of gems rotate around a record. The mechanics are rudimentary but effective.
Most interesting is the way each of the three rows deliver gems at different speeds. The innermost ring of the record moves at a snail's pace, while the outer ring moves at a steady clip. Learning to judge which gem is going to need tapping first is a big part of the game.
I still can't wrap my head around the game's scratching mini-game. You can earn points by rewinding the record, but executing the back-and-forth action of a turntablist doesn't produce the satisfying wiki wiki sound one would expect.
And on a couple occasions, my particularly furious scratching caused the program to crash. So go Skratch Pickl at your own risk.
Kid Cudi, DJ Green Lantern, Kool G Rap and Busta Rhymes provide street cred with a handful of tracks. Kudi's "Any Love" with its spare, booming bass is particularly fun to play.
But these big-name bangers are outnumbered by no-name filler. And as the game progresses you find yourself playing the same songs over and over again rather than discovering new tunes.
Still, for $2 Hip Hop All Star provides a diverting afternoon or two of boiled-down rhythm action, especially if its gonna be a month or two of saving before you can afford that DJ Hero Renegade package.
Image courtesy I-Play
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