Def Jam Vendetta

"MONEY, POWER, and what you will give this game, RESPECT."

When you think of wrestling games, you think of WWE or Fire Pro, but Def Jam? Yes, just when you think rappers have nothing else to endorse, we get a video game. But what’s this, AKI Wrestling? The same as in the immortal “WWF: No Mercy”!?! EA Sports? Why not.

GRAPHICS

Nice to look at. Smooth textures, and great character designs. I’m glad to see they took the time to get some rappers to look just right from the hats to the sneakers. The backgrounds at audience is a little bland. I mean, a warehouse? Other then that, it’s a good looking game.

SOUND

Depends if you like hip-hop or not. Thankfully, I like rap music. Over a dozen great songs including some great classics like “Party Up”. Every Character has there own style, flow, and voice. Some of which are funny as hell. It’s also nice to see that they got the actual voices of the Def Jam rappers, extra points for that one.

GAME PLAY

SUPERIOR TO ANY WRESTLING GAME OUT THERE. Yes the famous “No Mercy” wrestling engine is back baby! Simplistic and terrific. All your favorite moves are here. The finishers are without a doubt over the top. DMX > all. I guarantee you will either cringe, swear, or look away when watching them the first time. And the cool part is, you’ll do the same thing the next time too. What took them so long to put this on a Next Gen game? Who cares, this is without a doubt just plain fun.

EXTRAS

Some good news, and a lot of bad news. First the good news. The unlockable features you get of getting more fighters and getting pictures of your honeys is great….(SMILES). And that’s about it.

Now the bad news. No Create a Wrestler mode. No ladder matches. No tables. No real weapons. No Cage. No Burial matches. No Hell in a Cell. No boiler room. No backstage fighting. Hell, not even a free-style battle. Its just basic generic one on one, tag team, or battle royal really. Darn, I knew they forgot something.

BUY, RENT OR STAY AWAY

If you’re a wrestling fan, buy. If you’re a casual gamer, rent first and then decide if you want to buy it.

OVERALL

Although it kills me to see no significant matches, the matches you actually get is still REALLY fun. Multi-player modes are SO MUCH FUN. I never enjoyed a game like this since No Mercy. Though they have a bit to improve on, what you get is good enough. Other games should take notes. Which is why I give it a 8 out of 10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/12/03