Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Def Jam Vendetta

Written by Matt Swider on May 06, 2003

Full Review: I'm happy to report that none of the white wrestlers are Jamie Kennedy!

At first glance, Def Jam Vendetta comes across as a shameless attempt to profit from popular culture through the convergence of hip-hop mentality and the video game medium. Those who refuse to look deeper into the game see an outcome dimmer than the life expectancy of a controversial rapper. But Electronic Arts really hooked Def Jam Vendetta up by brining together EA Sports Big and Aki Corporation, the definitive developer duo for such an undertaking. Nintendo 64 enthusiasts may recall that Aki is responsible for several wrestling games published by THQ while under the WCW/NWO and WWF labels. Though games like WCW/NWO Revenge and WWF No Mercy were considered king of the ring, THQ opted to use its Smackdown developer when creating the first WWE game for GameCube. The presence of Aki Corporation was sorely missed given the mediocre performance of WWE WrestleMania X8. Aki, without a professional wrestling license, faced the same setback as Electronic Arts when the WCW federation was bought out by the WWF in 2001. EA Sports Big and Aki reemerge as a tag team in Def Jam Vendetta and bring something entirely new to the ring. The concept of having rappers pose as wrestlers ends up being as smooth as their rhymes and just goes to prove that there's no need for a wrestling license here.

Def Jam Vendetta offers plenty of quick and painful gameplay in its Battle and Survival modes, but the basis of it all can be found within Storyline. This mode conveys a convincing plot filled with other fictional fighters, all-star Def Jam recording artists, silly hoes vying to become your girlfriend and even a Suge Knight look-alike rival named D-Mob. Since his girl was once yours, there's more to fight for than a bunch of bets that can better your strength. The entire tale is conducted by a number of cut-scenes that aren't necessarily important to your progress throughout the game, but can be quite entertaining given the theme that's involved. And trust me, Def Jam Vendetta topples any and all of the antics that occur in generic wrestling titles even though they seem phonier on television then in the actual games.

Becoming top dog isn't so easy in Def Jam Vendetta. As one of the four original characters, you begin by clashing with a long line of wanna-be fighters that boast stereotypical traits from Redneck to Pimp. After taking down a series of these wrestlers, it's time for the real deal as renowned rappers challenge you to a match. LL Cool J and Jay-Z may be missing from the lineup, but DMX, Ludacris, Method Man, N.O.R.E., Redman, Scarface and WC are among the featured hip-hop heroes in this game. While they initially seem unbeatable, each will eventually fold if you have the patience to endure a couple of trial rounds first. This may be harder than it sounds though, especially since many opponents have an unfair advantage of shifty stamina and stellar moves.

Such cheap tactics cause the rappers to be more victorious in the ring than in murder trials, but you won't have to relentlessly fight matches in the same way all the time. For instance, there are several tag-team encounters and story-driven brawls to go around. All of this leads up to the Def Jam Finals against the severely sinister boss, D-Mob. Since your history with him is more jangled than the relationship between Simon & Garfunkel, it consequently makes for a pretty intense conclusion to the Storyline mode. Finishing on top leaves you with one supped-up wrestler and unlocks the entire slate of fighters previously unavailable.

Def Jam Vendetta runs on PlayStation 2 and GameCube and though both of these systems are twice as powerful as Nintendo 64, the character models still resemble the cartoon visuals that followed AKI into the next-generation. This is not to say that the licensed rappers bear no resemblance to their real life counterparts. It's quite the contrary actually. All of the wrestlers look polished and though there are a couple of clipping incidents that can't be overlooked, it never hindered the fast and fluid gameplay that I relish so much in a wrestling game.

In addition to coming with trademark attitude and apparel, each Def Jam artist displays a unique taunt as an introduction and a special move in the ring. Most of the special moves aren't feasible in reality, but all of them create a great impression, and without a doubt, leave a mark on your opponent. The health system works exactly like previous Aki wrestling games, only when the bar reaches its maximum level, it's called УBlazin' ModeФ instead of Special. But the devastating effect of using a special move during Blazin' Mode is the same and works best when your opponent's health is reduced to СDanger'. If this doesn't result in an immediate knockout, it may be tough to build your stamina back up. Usually, you get your ass kicked after that. However, the option of forcing your enemy into submission is always available. In Def Jam Vendetta, health is allotted to certain areas of a wrestler: Head, Arms, Body, and Legs. The match is over when all of the energy is depleted from one of these body parts, as the opponent gives up in anguish.

The best part of the mechanics in Def Jam Vendetta is that they are simple enough to figure out. As always, the controls won't discourage new players thanks to the single-button grapple system that has never left Aki's line of wrestling games. Though locking onto players can be followed by a wide range of moves, from tossing them into the ropes to simply performing a piledriver, it won't always end pretty for you. This is because Def Jam Vendetta sees as many counter-attacks as it does combos. Whenever you become caught in some one else's colossal move, it's always a thrill to see it turn on them before any damage is done. Attempting a reversal may take some button-mashing madness at times, but that's all part of the fun, especially when four human players are able to join the action.

The arenas rock the underworld theme and so does the music presented by the Def Jam characters involved. Some eighteen songs that average people enjoy listening on a daily basis can be heard. However, keep in mind that most are radio edits containing censored lyrics throughout the menus and it's merely instrumentals looping in the background during the actual matches. Although rap music may not sit well with certain people, the track selection is pretty obvious based on the name of the game. Whatever your opinion is regarding rap music; it can't be denied that the soundtrack matches the underground theme and the beats certainly go well with the beatings.

DJ Funkmaster Flex is a part of Def Jam Vendetta is more ways than one. Doubling as an unlockable character and the game's announcer, he tosses in some priceless comments during the duration of a match. It's hilarious to hear his reaction to awkward looking wrestling positions with phrases like УThat Don't Look RightФ and just as amusing to idle for lines such as УPut down the sandwich and get to the fight.Ф Funkmaster Flex falls eerily silent during tag-team matches, but his comical commentary is far better than Aki's previous efforts where a cartoon referee acted more like a mime. Along with the commentary cutback in tag-team, the camera becomes a standstill shot. This wide-angle often creates new difficulties for the four people in the ring and doesn't compare to the close-up shots seen during throughout modes.

There may be a total of 44 wrestlers, 12 belonging to Def Jam Records, but it only takes a couple of hours to unlock them all and beat this game in full. While this held true in the main portion of previous wrestling titles, the major setback here is that you won't be able to dabble in many additional modes. Cage, Ladder and Pay-Per-View matches are obviously not part of the package, nor are the varying rules of your choice. This makes it impossible to setup custom fights, for example, a Royal Rumble Ring Out in which getting knocked out of the ring forces your current character out of the game. And, just when Create-A-Wrestler was combined with this game engine on Nintendo 64, we lost it along with pulling weapons from the crowd, a fan favorite.