Def Jam: Vendetta was a surprise hit that managed to do the impossible – create an exciting wrestling game based upon rap music. Who would have thought, right? Unfortuately, history does not repeat itself – Def Jam: Fight For NY oozes style, but lacks one very important attribute – solid, rewarding gameplay.
Though the action is brutal and the violence exciting, Def Jam: Fight For NY suffers from a terribly stagnant fighting system. Combat in Def Jam boils down to ripoff Virtua Fighter matches, sans any of the strategy that made Sega's game a hit – you've got two action buttons, a "hard attack" modifier, a gimmicky special move, and not much else.
With the gameplay being so lackluster, you may rightfully be wondering where EA's considerable assets were put to use. The answer is apparent from the second you boot up your Xbox with this disc inside it – Fight For NY bleeds hip-hop style. Think of any brand or fad associated with the urban scene, and chances are that it was included in the game. Not only do many rap giants lend their voices and likenesses to the game, but several of them actually recorded lines for the game's story mode. Pretty cool, right?
Wrong. Though this disc's got plenty of bling bling for dedicated players to unlock, the fact remains that this video version of the Big Apple isn't worth fighting for, let alone plunking down fifty bucks on. If half as much detail had been given to the gameplay as was showered on the larger-than-life cross promotions and marketing, this could have been a rumble for the ages.
-George
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