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Def Jam Vendetta (PS2)
by simon020187
== DEF JAM VENDETTA ==
If you're looking for something very different then look no further than Def Jam Vendetta because it offers a whole new meaning to different. Def Jam Vendetta is a pro wrestling game combined with hip hop rappers instead of actual wrestlers. I think this works quite well to be fair and the game has a lot of ... decent features and game modes. Def Jam Vendetta was developed by AKI Corporation and published by EA Sports BIG. The game is also available on the GameCube as well as the PS2 and was released back in 2003. The game does feature a cinematic story mode with an okay storyline. I love the Def Jam Vendetta game and think its one of the best wrestling games that doesn't actually feature real life wrestlers. It based on a massive roster of rappers wrestling against each other and it works which surprised me at first.
=== STORY ===
At the start of story mode you pick from four characters and the story revolves around who you pick. When you have chosen your character you are called upon for help by your friend called Manny. He was meant to compete in a street fight but cant so you must step in for him. Once you win and tackle a few more fights you then go up against Scarface. After beating him you are then given the chance to pick a girlfriend. The girls then fight but you actually control them and the winner becomes your new girlfriend. Now your character must gain respect by competing in more fights and you must get new clothes and so on. Your character will meet many people along the way that will give you a helping hand.
=== GAMEPLAY ===
Def Jam Vendetta has a fair few game modes that you can play. Story mode is the main mode and the aim of this is to basically win every match up you have. Some of the match types available in this are one vs one and two on two. Both are good but I feel the single matches are much better. There are also girl matches which are also fairly good. When wrestling it obviously takes place in a wrestling ring which is surrounded by a decent sized crowd. You have to do wrestling moves, punches, kicks and combos to defeat your opponents. There are also special moves which you can do but you need to fill a meter by doing moves on your opponents. The finishing moves are absolutely fantastic and can sometimes knock your opponent straight out and automatically win you the match. Also when doing moves there are several ways you can do them. You can run and grapple, do normal standing moves or you can simply hold the grapple button and a direction longer to do powerful moves. You can also climb turnbuckles and do devastating moves from there. You can also go out the ring and wrestle near the crowds.
There are over 40 different brawlers and almost all of them are real rappers and some of which include including DMX, Ghostface Killah, Redman, Ludacris, N.O.R.E., Capone, Scarface, Joe Budden, Method Man and many more. Christina Milian is also featured as one of the girls in the game but under a different name. There are several unique venues where you can wrestle as well and most of them are really good. The biggest surprise to the game is the fact there are well over 1500 different wrestling moves and no characters have the same. There are also a wide range of devastating finishes to kill off your opponents. You also earn cash which can be spent to upgrade the story mode characters stats to make them much stronger, more agile and a lot tougher to beat. Earning cash is simple and is done by winning matches, the more matches you win the more money you can earn. Also each of the girls in the game have a gallery which can be viewed from the main menu. The gallery is full with their real life photos.
Game modes are an important part of some games nowadays and Def Jam Vendetta rarely disappoints because there are a total of 3 playable game modes which one is story mode. Battle mode is a great mode to play because it involves different match ups for you to try. You could go one vs one against anyone you like or you can even do tag team matches. Also you can do a free for all match which is four wrestlers against each other. Lastly there is also handicap matches but I don't see why you would want to go up against a maximum of 3 wrestlers at one time. You can also play this mode with up to four friends on the same console. Another game mode you can play is Survival mode. Survival mode is one of my favourites because it never ends. You take on the computer in a one on one match but straight after you will come up against another one but your health is refilled after every fight and you just need to win. Also this mode is the most challenging and can get extremely frustrating. Something else worth mentioning is that you don't need to win by just pinning your opponent on the mat because you can also make them submit or knock them out.
=== GRAPHICS ===
Def Jam Vendetta is quite good for graphics but the game does look slightly dated in some places but that's not forgetting the game was released back in 2003. Most of the wrestlers look great but there are a few that don't look at all like they do in real life. Some of them though do and are detailed really well and most of them have facial expressions when they are hit and so on. I was a little disappointed that a select few of the wrestling venues look a little dated more so than the other graphics on display. The colouring and textures of the game are okay. Overall I think the graphics are fairly good but the game overall is starting to show its age.
=== SOUND EFFECTS ===
The sound effects to Def Jam Vendetta are reasonably good in places. The music in the game gets on my wick a little because I cant stand rap music or most RnB music. There are a couple of songs that surprised me but it was obvious what type of music would be in the game anyway. There are songs from people such as Method Man, Public Enemy, DMX, Redman, Keith Murray, Comp, Onyx, Ghostface Killah, Scarface and many more. The actual in game sound effects and the menu sound effects are actually really good. You can hear the full effects when you slam your opponent to the mat and you can certainly hear the full effect when you're just about to finish your opponent off. So the overall sound effects are quite good and certainly make the game better.
=== DIFFICULTY ===
Def Jam Vendetta can be a little sod of a game. Some of the wrestlers or rappers which ever you want to call them are hard as nails and seem to always do things like block or counter. The game is increasingly annoying when they block or counter and it certainly makes it more challenging. Also the controls are a little difficult because there are so many of them. The game starts off fairly simple but as you start defeating enemies and taking on more it starts getting harder and when you find yourself up in a handicap match then your in big trouble. I finally mastered the game so its quite easy now but after a while you will as well. Other game modes can be difficult it depend if you're up against friends or if you're playing survival mode because that can be a pain in the neck. Overall the game can be difficult until you get the hang of it.
=== LONGEVITY ===
The length of the game is actually not too shabby. I was expecting story mode to be short and to be honest it sort of is but the fact you have to go through with four different characters is great. Each playthrough is about 8-10 hours per character which is respectable and overall quite good. Survival mode will literally last you a lifetime because its incredibly hard and I'm pretty sure it cant be finished and just involves no end of matches. Battle mode is also quite good because you can play this mode alone against the computer or you can play against friends or family members. Overall the length of the game in my opinion is good.
=== PROS ===
*Over 40 rappers to fight with and most of them are unlockables.
*A wrestling game full with both male and female rappers.
*The sound effects are really good to the game.
*The game can be picked up incredibly cheap online.
*Story mode is good and you can play battle mode with or against friends.
*Over 1500 different moves with each wrestler having different moves.
=== CONS ===
*Survival mode is quite tricky and never ends.
*Some of the graphics look a little dated for a 2003 game.
*The story to the game is unnecessary and effects the gameplay a little.
*Not really enough multiplayer options.
*The game will at some point make you frustrated and annoyed.
=== FINAL THOUGHT ===
Def Jam Vendetta is a great game and even wrestling fans will love this even though there are no actual real wrestlers in it. Also are so far two sequels to this game entitled Def Jam Fight For NY and Def Jam Icon and looks like there wont be anymore. I love the fact you can do actual proper wrestling moves on the game and that the finishers are even better than what proper finishing moves are like. Def Jam Vendetta is a superbly designed game that will suit many types of gamers.
If you like wrestling and rap music this game will be perfect for you because both are merged together. If you dislike both with a passion then this is definitely not for you. I would recommend the game to be fair and the main reason for that is because its enjoyable. Even though the game is frustrating most of the time you can unleash your own anger in it. Also if you're a fan of proper wrestling games this isn't far short of what those games offer and the only real difference are the rappers and music. Okay there aren't an awful lot of match types but I feel there's enough to make you enjoy it like I have.
I bought the game a while back from Amazon and it only set me back £2 which included postage. Amazon is the best place to find this game and probably the cheapest. The game is still on there for the same price and I believe its worth every penny. The game manual is good and I can guarantee you will use it for the controls like I did. The game also has an age rating of 15+ because of the strong violence and language used throughout.
Overall Def Jam Vendetta is a fun and failry addictive game that I would give a reasonable 7/10!
Review also posted on Ciao under username: MrBrightside1987!
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Metal Gear Solid 2 - Sons of Liberty (PS2)
by dirtyripper
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is a stealth action game for the Playstation 2 released in 2001 by Konami. It is the sequel to the widely-acclaimed Playstation1 game Metal Gear Solid and features many of the same characters. In Sons of Liberty, a terrorist cell who call themselves the Sons of Liberty have seized an enormous offshore ... cleanup facility wherre they are also holding the President of the United States hostage. They threaten to kill the Presidnet and also create a cataclysmic environmental disaster if their ransom demands are not met. You play as Raiden, a member of special forces unit FOXHOUND who is sent into the facility to rescue the hostages. On his mission he discovers an enormous conspiracy where nothing is as it seems.
Sons of Liberty is an outstanding game. The storyline is one of the best I have ever experienced in a game, and in my opinion is better than that of any of the other Metal Gear Solid games. One thing which many people don't like about the Metal Gear Solid games is that you do have to be somewhat acquainted with the plot of the previous games in order to really understand what is going on, as the plot is very complex and contains n8unerous references to previous games. However, for someone like me who is a massive fan of the series, this was not a problem and I found the storyline to be hugeley entertaining. The graphics in Sons of Liberty are outstanding with a tremendous level of intricate detail rendered. Although the majority of the game takes place on the offshore facility, there are quite a wide variety of settings, including an oil tanker and the streets of New York. The sound quality is also excellent with atmospheric music throughout.
The stealth aspect of the game is one of the best things about it. Rather than most games where you would just go in all guns blazing and killing the enemies left, right and centre, in Metal Gear Solid you have to rely on stealth to get your mission done. Hiding behind obstacles and taking your enemies out silently is much more exciting, although it does require some level of patience. The game is not all stealth, as there are some great fight scenes with some outstanding bosses including Fatman - a rollerblading bomb expert, Fortune - a woman is able to cheat death by her supernatural levels of luck, and Vamp - a seemingly immortal man with vampire-like attributes. The game is very long so you certainly get your moneys worth, and it is consistently entertaining with some very humorous moments.
Overall, Sons of Liberty is an amazing game that I personally could not find faults with, although players who are not accustomed to the series might be a little confused by some aspects of the plot. The graphics are amazing as is the gameplay and story and I would certainly recommend this game to anyone who has not yet played it.
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Metal Gear Solid 2 - Sons of Liberty (PS2)
by WayneKWilkins
I love the Metal Gear Solid series. At the time of the release of Metal Gear Solid on the PS1, there was no other game like it. It quite literally blew my mind. Needless to say, when I bought MGS2 on release, I was very impressed. I actually like this even more than the first even though many people prefer the original. I still play this ... game from time to time. i find that it is one of the most long-living in my collection when it comes to replayability because it is like playing a movie storyline meaning you can never really get bored of playing it. I think that for anyone with a PS2 or any fan of later MGS games, this is a must-play.
The gameplay is a major attraction for me. I love the fact that you can just wonder around and shoot anything. The game puts somewhat of an emphasis on stealth although this is not necessary on easier difficulties as I have found that you rarely die and can pretty much do what you want. Harder difficulties however are incredibly difficult and require lots of skill and practise.
There is also so much fun to have in regards to the gameplay. On later playthroughs, I now find myself just having a laugh when exploring such as in the "Metal Gear Briefing" where you are meant to be being stealthy. I love to see how many people I can shoot in the crowd without being noticed. Similarly, playing knock-knock with the guards and hiding behind lockers or in boxes is incredibly fun. There is lots of fun to be had if you want a break from the drama and storyline of the game.
The storyline however is perhaps my favourite aspect. The story is truly epic. It somewhat follows on from the first game and features many of the main characters from that game, including some villains and enemies too. The storyline is similar to the first, but I found this one much darker and much more sinister than the first which I really enjoyed. I believe that the storyline will appeal to long-term MGS fans and brand new ones alike. You do not need to play the first to enjoy this, but it is obviously advantageous to give you that continuity feeling.
Overall, I believe that Metal Gear Solid 2 is a must-have PS2 necessity for any gamer. This is one of the very best in the series and my personal favourite in the series. It is brilliant to follow the storyline, the gameplay is immense, there are lots of secrets to uncover and find, plenty of Easter eggs too and when you want a break from the story, you will always find a place to have some fun and just annoy the enemy a little bit. This is one of my all-time favourite games and I cannot recommend this enough!
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