Def Jam Vendetta

"Bling Bling Meets the Wrestling Ring"

Rappers just wanna do a drive-by power bomb. At least so it would seem in Def Jam Vendetta. Yes all of your favourite rappers have entered the wrestling ring to prove their worth. Seems they were too "gangsta" to be in the gardens, so they took it underground to wrestling matches. I will say now this is a stupid idea for a game.

STORY
The story of the game focuses on one of the 4 wrestlers you choose from and his friend Manny. Manny owes the big bad Def Jam boss D-Mob a lotta money. Problem is he can't earn that cash by wrestling because he recently broke his arm. So it's up to you to earn Manny's way out of death and become the ultimate fighter of Def Jam. Along the way you keep running into your ex-girlfriend who's now hooked up with D-Mob. As you can tell trouble starts a brewing! Not gonna win an Oscar for best script writing, but the story does the job.

GRAPHICS
The graphics look pretty good. I mean all the rappers look like they would, even if they're slightly cartoony. The ring...looks like a ring. The crowd is very nice as well. It's nothing revolutionary and nothing stands out, but oh well it's still okay. The one thing I love about the look of the game is how over the top these moves are. Seriously every character's finishing move would not just knock a person out, it would kill them ten times before they hit the ground!

SOUND
The audio is all rap music and idiotic rapper quotes, with the occasional slams and neck cracking in there as well. It's all generic. The voice overs are authentic and you will hear Redman, Method Man, DMX, Ludacris and other various rappers as well as their songs. If you're a fan of rap music you'll likely enjoy the music in this game. I do not however.

GAMEPLAY
Now we move on to the gameplay. Instead of doing drive by shootings and fighting in gangs, this one focuses on the wrestling ring, and it uses the same engine as WCW vs. NWO Revenge and WWF No Mercy. I loved those games...this one is so-so.

If you've played those 2 N64 gems you'll know the controls and know all the basics there are to know. And even if you don't they have a nice tutorial in there to teach you everything. It's a fighting game where you must try to pin, submit, or knockout your opponent. All the wrestlers do wrestling moves and some interesting special moves that break the laws of physics and reality. It can be fun to play, but it lacks the depth that it's predecessors had. For one you can't create your own character or assemble your own moves. This is a downer as finding the character that's right for you can be a chore.

Two, story mode is short and if you're like me you'll clear it in 4 hours. Three, once you beat story mode you've pretty much unlocked everything. The only thing to rebeat the modes again for are 2 extra wrestlers and pictures of the various girlfriends you encounter in story mode. The game has a solid engine but it lacks depth. And without a reason to keep playing this game, it's kinda useless. Also for a game about rappers who bust caps in people, how come there are no weapons in the game? No trashcans, chairs, or anything.

The biggest problem I had with the actual gameplay was the ropebreak. Basically if you're pinning a guy or doing something else and he's touching the ropes he kicks out and you have to stop what you're doing. It makes sense but it's unavoidable. Even in the N64 games you could at least drag the wrestler away before pinning! But in this game there's no drag! That's stupid. Not as stupid as why rappers would listen to ropebreak rules in the first place but whatever.

IN THE END...
At the end of the day it's a nice rental but it's not deep enough to care about. Rap fans will love beating on people with their favourite rap artists, but it can only last so long. No create a character or changeable movesets is a real bummer. And also, I just don't like the idea of rappers in a wrestling ring. So that's my verdict, take it as you will.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/10/06