Def Jam: Fight for NY

"EA does it again......"

After the success of the first game in the series, Def Jam Vendetta, EA Games decided to make the sequel, Def Jam: Fight for NY. While DJV was a straight-up wrestling game modeled after such classics such as WWF No Mercy and WCW/NWO Revenge, EA decided to change the gameplay engine for FFNY, making it more of a fighting game. Despite my initial fears that shifting away from DJV's engine would hurt the game, I am happy to report that this is not the case. The new gameplay engine, along with more celebrities, more match types, and a deeper story mode than the first game, makes for one hell of a fun game to play.

GAMEPLAY – 9/10

As I previously mentioned, the focus in FFNY is more toward fighting than wrestling. While grappling stills plays a big part in the game, punch and kick combos are now emphasized more. As a big wrestling fan, I would have preferred that EA have kept the wrestling engine from DJV, but the new fight engine is very well done. There are now 5 different fighting styles in the game (kickboxing, wrestling, streetfighting, martial arts, and submissions), and each fighter can have up to 3 different styles. In addition, weapons and crowd/environmental interaction play a huge role in the game. Weapons range from kendo sticks to wrenches, and can do major damage to opponents, even knocking them out if their health is low enough. The crowd/environment interaction can be equally deadly if used right. Toss your opponent into an audience member, and they'll push them back, effectively acting as an irish whip. The crowd can also be used for double team attacks, and if you're unfortunate enough to get knocked into someone who's holding a weapon, prepare to get smacked with it. And if weapons and double team moves with crowd members aren't enough for you, then maybe the environmental weapons will satisfy you. Basically, if you see it, odds are you can turn it into a weapon. Want to smash your opponent's head into that stereo speaker in the corner? Go right ahead. Want to make an imprint in the wall with your opponent's face? Be my guest.

Making a return from the first game is the Blazin' meter. This basically acts as a momentum meter, filling up as you successfully smash your opponent. However, doing the same move over and over again won't help your cause at all. To completely fill up your meter, you're going to need to hit your opponent with a variety of moves. And when you do fill up the Blazin' meter, you can go into Blazin' mode, where you can proceed to unleash a devastating, completely over the top finishing move on your opponent. Finishers, while unrealistic, are an absolute blast to see, and look absolutely brutal.

However, one major thing stops me from giving gameplay a 10, and that's the counter system, or lack thereof. Countering is basically limited to figuring out if your opponent is attempting either a grapple or strike, and pressing the corresponding button at the right time. But the problem is, it's almost impossible to counter your opponent's attacks with any degree of success. And to make things worse, the CPU seems to be able to counter your attacks at will (especially when playing on hard difficulty). But this little flaw wasn't enough to stop my enjoyment of the game, and I doubt it will for you.

STORY – 10/10

The story for this game is nothing short of amazing. Most fighting games don't have a story of any kind, and the one EA created for this game is great. The story picks up immediately after the end of the first game, but this time, you'll be fighting for D-Mob instead of against him. The basic premise of the story revolves around two gang bosses, D-Mob and Crow (played by Snoop Dogg) who both want control of the NYC underground fight club scene. You get to create your own character for the story mode, and as one of D-Mob's fighters, you take on various members of Crow's crew in an attempt to win control of the various fight clubs scattered around NYC. However, this story is more than just the fighting, as Crow will do whatever it takes to win, as you'll find out. Overall, the story plays out similar to an action/drama movie, and you'll want to keep playing just to find out what happens next.

One of the big new additions to the story mode is customization. As you win fights, you earn money, which can be spent on new clothes, hairstyles, tattoos, and jewelry. There are tons of things to buy, especially clothes (which include a number of urban clothing lines such as Sean John, Rocawear, Ecko, and Phat Farm, to name a few). As many rappers tend to say, you can never have enough money, clothes, and jewelry.

Also included in the customization process is the development of your created fighter. In addition to winning money, you also earn development points for successful victories. You can then pay a visit to the gym and use those points to beef up your stats. Development points are also used to acquire new fighting styles and Blazin' moves.

GRAPHICS – 10/10

FFNY has some of the best graphics I've seen on Gamecube. Fighters are very detailed, and the celebrities look exactly like their real life counterparts. Fighters will also obtain cuts and bruises throughout fights, and at the end of fights, it isn't surprising to see busted lips and black eyes on fighters. The various arenas are also very detailed (for example, in the subway station, you can see trash scattered on the platform, and dirt on the walls). Hell, even the crowd has a nice level of detail. However, there is some slowdown in the frame rate that presents itself from time to time, but it's pretty rare.

SOUND – 10/10

Once again EA delivers on the soundtrack. The songs on the game are excellent, and feature many of the artists that are playable in the game. However, since this is a Def Jam game, the soundtrack is *completely* hip-hop. As a fan of rap, that fact doesn't bother me, but it can be a turn-off for those who aren't into that type of music. But if the music bothers you that much, then you can always turn the volume on the TV down.

In-game sound effects are also spot-on. Punches and kicks sound as painful as they should, and weapons sound especially brutal. The voice acting in story mode is also very well done. Overall, the sound is great, whether you're listening to a track, powerbombing an opponent onto concrete, or cracking them in the head with a bottle.

REPLAYABILITY – 9/10

This game will leave you wanting more, guaranteed. The story mode contains a number of trophies that can be won, and perfectionists will want to collect them all. Also, once you beat the game on Normal difficulty, you can try again on Hard (which is extremely tough). The only problems I have are the game's length (I beat it in only 6 hours on Normal difficulty, on my first playthrough), and the fact that the trophies have to be collected in one straight playthrough (you only have one chance to collect many of the trophies, and you can't replay fights once you complete them).

FINAL SCORE – 10/10

Overall, Def Jam: Fight for NY is an excellent fighting game. While the single player game can be pretty short, there are enough fighters and matches here to hold your interest for quite some time (especially if you play with friends). Story mode is very well done, and the gameplay, while being simple enough to learn easily, is also deep enough to warrant mastering. Even if you aren't a fan of rap or the hip-hop culture, don't let that stop you from checking this game out (and trust me, nailing your opponent in the face with a wrench never gets old). The game should be around $20 or so now, so by all means go out and pick it up!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/05