The First Rule of Fight Club... (Def Jam Fight for NY (Xbox))

Member Name: ib1981

Product:	Def Jam Fight for NY (Xbox)
Date:	12/03/05 (192 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: use of hip-hop culture as a license, great soundtrack, solid gameplay

Disadvantages: needs more character creation options

Pros: Incredible use of hip-hop culture as a license; great soundtrack; solid gameplay
Cons: Little replay value to story mode; needs more character creation options

Def Jam Vendetta was a breath of fresh air in the realm of wrestling video games. It took the Aki wrestling engine, and instead of pitting masked luchadors against each other, brought in icons from the world of hip-hop, such as Keith Murray, Ludacris, and DMX. Def Jam Fight For NY takes the ideas introduced in Vendetta and goes a step further, virtually eliminating any notion of this being a wrestling game, and tweaking the gameplay mechanics closer towards a street fighting, no-holds-barred type slugfest.

Piledrived Down to the Floor like Paul Orndorff

If you’re familiar with the most recent console wrestling games, then the basic mechanics of Def Jam Fight For NY will be second nature. Every fighter is capable of dishing out punches, kicks, and attempting grapples. Each of these maneuvers can be modified with a shoulder button to turn it into a strong grapple, or strong strike. Characters can also perform running versions of these standard attacks, and defend against strikes with a blocking system that rewards you for actively blocking attacks at the moment of impact. The system works well, in that it balances strikes versus grapples in an intuitive, paper-rock-scissors type of way. You want to stop a furious striker, just counter his move by blocking his attack at the right moment. A grab-happy wrestler type can be put in his place by judicious use of fists to the face. And of course, the turtling, defense-happy fighter can be forced to say uncle with a close quarters grab.

Stylin’ and Profilin’

Fighters aren’t limited to wrestling, though. Each marquee fighter, from Fat Joe to Flava Flav, is gifted with his own unique fighting style, a unique set of moves deriving from a dedication to a single discipline, or a blend of different styles. There are five disciplines in all, being martial arts, kickboxing, street fighting, wrestling, and submission fighting. Each discipline has its own strengths, and offers a fighter a specific way to end a match. Submission fighters can break an opponent’s limb to make them tap out, wrestlers can execute punishing heavy grapples, martial artists can knock someone out with insane wall-jump moves, kick boxers can pull an opponent into a punishing Thai clinch, and street fighters can throw down with the mother of all haymakers. You can also end a fight with a blazin’ move, Def Jam’s version of the finishing maneuver.

These insane moves are executed with little regard for the laws of gravity or human endurance, but are loads of fun to watch. You need to build up crowd support to fill up your blazin’ meter, which is made easier by wearing lots of blingin’ jewelry. But once you’re charged up it’s time to wreak havoc. Just watch out for Redman’s full on assault on the groin, you’ll definitely wince, and maybe even shed a tear.

The First Rule of Fight Club…

Throwing in a great dose of unpredictability in the mix are the street fight rules that are implemented in such a slick fashion. Weapons abound from venue to venue, so you can smash a bottle over your opponent’s skull, smash his face in with a shovel, or beat his head in ‘til his ears bleed with a baseball bat. The crowd will gladly jump in on the action if you toss your opponent into the fray, executing satisfying double team moves with you, or just cracking them upside the head with a pool cue. Environmental moves are key as well, leading to potentially devastating damage on your foes. After a few minutes of play, you’ll be rubbing your opponents’ faces across chain link fences, smashing them through jukeboxes, and putting them headfirst through everything from wooden crates to electrifying fuse boxes.

Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game

The story mode in Def Jam Fight For NY is quite impressive as well. You start out with a created fighter, whose physical characteristics you determine, and whose fighting style you select. Your fighter’s tale focuses on his role in the conflict between two rival gangs of underground fighters, and the drama that ensues around every corner. You’ll head out to Henry Rollins’ gym to build up your fighting skills, and shop all around town with your fight winnings to get new tattoos, the hottest Sean John and Rocawear gear, and the flashiest, most iced-out jewelry money can buy. You’ll be entertained for quite a few hours playing through this one, and you may want to go through the story more than once to build new characters for use in head-to-head play.

So Fresh and So Clean

Def Jam Fight For NY’s visuals and audio are both excellent. The character models are highly detailed, with much attention being devoted by the artists to their hair, clothing, and tattoos. The environments are also filled with plenty of interactive detail, although the crowds themselves bear considerably lower polygon counts than the fighters.

The game’s soundtrack, on the other hand, is absolutely smokin’, with some great classics like LL Cool J’s "Mama Said Knock You Out", and Ice T’s "Original Gangster". You’ve also got newer tracks by Method Man and Outkast rounding out a track list that’s sure to please any hip-hop enthusiast. The voice acting is up to snuff as well. You’ll communicate with the different characters in the story via your T-Mobile sidekick, and much praise to the excellent voice work by Method Man, Christopher Judge (who plays D-Mob), Snoop Dogg, and the rest, although few can understand a word Sean Paul ever says. Take note, however, that Def Jam Fight for NY earns every last bit of its mature rating, and makes copious use of profanity. Still, the use of language in this game is entirely appropriate, and never seems forced.

Down with the King?

Def Jam Fight For NY is an incredibly fun game born of a fascinating concept that follows through on its potential in almost every way. If you’re a fan of hip-hop, or of solid grapplers with a huge does of the old ultra-violence, you’ll find plenty here to keep you bouncing in your seat.

Summary: