Over at MTVNews.com I've got an interview with Quincy Jones III, who is advising the development on the second DJ-based game that we've heard about in the last few weeks. This one, "Scratch: Ultimate DJ," is coming out with a turntable controller for "next-generation" platforms next spring.
Rap still hasn't had a hit rhythm game. It was about a year ago that I wrote about that lack of hip-hop in a music-game genre dominated by rock (and had Alex Rigopulos explain the inherent challenges to me).
While interviewing Jones about "Scratch," he told me that, in the course of getting music licensed for the game, he's found a lot of people who want rap's absence in rhythm games to be over. He said it's time for a rap rhythm game that succeeds.
From my piece:
"The urban community has rallied around this," Jones said in a telephone interview. "They see the void as well. It's been a great communal effort to make this the best it can be so we can see more games like it."
Hip-hop community, is now the time to get a piece of this rhythm game phenomenon? "Get On Da Mic" didn't do the trick. Can "Scratch"? Could "DJ Hero"?
Read the rest of our report: New Turntable-Based Video Game Is Another Attempt At Hip-Hop 'Guitar Hero'