I've been pretty open about my excitement for Activision's upcoming DJ Hero. As an old-man version of an old-school rap fanboy, I've been positively wistful for the possibility of becoming Grand Master Flash in the comfort of my own home. I was the guy who called the first renders of the turntable peripheral "dope" without any shame or embarrassment. However even I, with my wide-eyed optimism, have been reserving judgement (and pre-order moneys) for what the game looks like in action.

Today, right out of Los Angeles, came the first exclusive look at DJ Hero in action. And my verdict is... well... why don't you just watch:

Putting aside the fact that Gwen Stefani is about as close to old-school rap as Los Angeles is close to Narnia, I'm not terribly excited by this demo. First of all, the DJ's hands seem to be locked in a really uncomfortable looking position very close to his stomach. While I understand that Activision needed to make a peripheral that gamers of all sizes can play, I think it would have been a better idea for them to separate the turntable from the mixer, so that players could stand in a more natural, and less forced, position.

Also, and maybe it's just a matter of context, but the dude in this video does not seem to be having a great deal of fun playing the game. Correct me if I'm wrong, but his bopping along to the beat seems to be little more than going through motions for the sake of the camera. Maybe he's sick of playing it, having been so close to the development. But if he can't even get up for the world's first ever demo of a brand new kind of game, how excited should any of us be?

I'll wait to hear back from Gamervision's own hip-hop masters before rendering judgement, but I'm officially less optimisitc for DJ Hero. Did anyone see something I missed?