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The Def Jam series has been a favorite with the Rowdy Ruff Boyz since the original, and although all the games haven’t been great they’ve provided some good times in multiplayer, just ask Jeff about the train.
Def Jam: Icon takes the series in a different direction making the fighting more realistic. In fact the game plays a lot like Fight Night Round 3, this is the cause of being from the same development house, and removes the old Blazin’ attacks that were so much fun to pull off on a friend. In their stead are DJ Turntables that allow you to control the music in the background, and effectively, the flow of the fight. While at first I missed the Blazin’ moves I grew accustomed to the DJ Turntables and found that they were not only fun to mess around with but also a deadly part of a my attack. The rest of the fighting mechanics are also fun to tinker with but require some getting used to, I suggest if you haven’t played FNR3 that you use the practice mode in DJI to get use to all the modifications. The toughest one to get acclimated for me was the defensive scheme and even after I did I hardly found myself using it. With all the tweaks the fights are played out in a much slower pace, than the arcade mechanics of games past, and are a more technical challenge with some strategy involved. This time around button mashing will likely get your face beat in.
By far the best part of the game is the soundtrack featuring a variety of tracks, all uncensored and the way they are intended to be played. The music just adds to the game as its just so much more fun administering an ass beating while listening to your favorite beat. The interaction between the fight, the beat, and the song was a great idea for this type of game, but making it a near necessity for victory was not. While at the start of the game the fighting is completely gratifying the deeper you get into playing the more shallow it becomes. Not only does the AI get frustratingly cheap but the fights begin to follow a more boring pattern of punch, DJ, deal major damage and repeat until you win or you lose as the computer will follow the same receipt. However when you begin to tire of the story mode some of the other gameplay modes will provide a change of pace and even more of a challenge. Although basically the same thing they have different sets of rules or limitation that will add to the challenge.
With Def Jam: Icon most of your time playing alone will more than likely be spent in Build a Label and while a step up from the past career modes it still has much to fix. You begin by creating a fighter through F.A.C.E but unfortunately the options are very limited if your not let’s call it “hip hop” or better yet the interpretation of what is the hip hop culture. The customization has a very limited selection of hair that is either wavy, corn rowed, or in an afro and skin that either makes you the whitest person in America or darker than a shadow but hardly anything in between. I’m Hispanic and there was no way I was going to get a fighter that looked like me, and if your Asian good luck your options are even more limited. This in effect was my biggest complaint with Def Jam the game from it’s’ customizations to the story it tells is borderline culturally insensitive and racially discriminative. Yeah sure growing up in the ghetto isn’t exactly like life in the Ritz but this game portrays its characters as underhanded, dangerous goons that its no wonder that the portrayal of African Americans in the eyes of corporate America, the media, and the general population is so stereotypical if this is the same nonsense they get fed over an over again. Sure it’s just a game but the influence it carries with it and the conscious and subconscious message it sends doesn’t help bridge the gap of inequality and the divide of discrimination.
I was ready to give this game a really good score but as I played more and more I liked it less and less. Instead of getting more in-depth the game became shallower. The game features a variety of looks with your clothes and your jewelry, unfortunately this is the deepest customization possible. Fighting starts off as a great new change but slowly erodes to boring and repetitive. The story has its issues but is still somewhat intriguing as unlocking new artists and managing their careers can be fun. Overall I was disappointed with this title it was completely shallow all around but it show the series is going in a good direction, if they can make some changes I can see the next version competing for end of the year awards.
Graphics: The graphics are good, the fights are a little hazy but the artists look like themselves and the damage shown in real-time was impressive both on the fighters and in the environment.
Story: Decent story telling just far too stereotypical
Gameplay: At the beginning it was a nice change in direction but the superficial mechanics don’t hold up well after awhile
Music and Sound FX: From the FX to the soundtrack these were the best parts of the game
Game Over: In the end the game fails to deliver and is far more suited as a rental than a purchase. Yes the game is fun but not for long, after about 6-8 hours you’ll find yourself starting to lose interest. Enjoy it while it lasts and then just move on.
3 out of 5
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