Def Jam Vendetta

"A game that does not equal the sum of its parts"

EA Big+AKI Wrestling+Def Jam=Mad Fun, right? Wrong.

Maybe it's because each side had so much to offer, or maybe its because EA didn't have high hopes for the series and didn't care to invest more time into it. Either way, Def Jam Vendetta is a great looking game that misses numerous opportunities to be a great game overall.

For those not in the know, Def Jam Vendetta is a wrestling game by AKI, the same people that brought us WCW/NWO Revenge and WWF No Mercy (among others) on the N64. It's been the opinion of most wrestling gamers that AKI's engine is the best available to American wrestling fans for the past several years. The game features the same ''over the top'' style as other EA Big games, like SSX and NBA Street. It's roster is composed of Def Jam Recording Artists and fictitious street brawlers. The meat of the game is played out in a Story Mode where you have to climb the ranks of an underground fighting league and reclaim your old girlfriend. As you progress you'll earn new art galleries as well as characters and outfits for use in the game's battle mode, as well as cash to upgrade your story mode fighter. Battle Mode includes Singles, Tag, Handicap and 4 Way Matches. There's also a Survival Mode that pits you against as many opponents in a row as you can defeat.

Here is where the game begins to come apart. There are only 4 Characters available for play in Story Mode, out of a roster of 40+. That's right, less than 1/10th of the roster can actually be used in the game's only meaningful single player mode. The only reason I can logically come up with for this fact is because of the pre-rendered scenes that occasionally pop up during the story mode. However these scenes involve absolutely no speech from your chosen grappler, and aren't much better looking than the in game graphics. After taking Story Mode for all it's worth, you can play your unlocked characters in the game's Battle Mode. Again, the game is lacking here. There are no special match types, and really very few options for single player matches. It's understandable that you won't see WWE style Hell in a Cell or TLC style matches here, but the addition of a cage match or weapons match (there are no weapons in the game) would have helped. It could then be argued that Def Jam Vendetta is geared towards Multiplay, and while it apparently is, your content unlocked in Story Mode is not available to all your friends. Only the player using the profile it was unlocked under may actually have access to what content you've earned. This means that unless your friends have their own copy of Def Jam and bring along their memory cards, you're in for a boring night. Unlike nearly every single other wrestling game on the market today, Def Jam Vendetta does not include a Create-A-Fighter mode, even though other EA Big and AKI games have offered similar features.

Graphics: 8
The graphics and character design in Def Jam Vendetta are excellent. The animations are fluid and the backgrounds just lively enough to make them enjoyable. Though the pre-rendered scenes in the game are nothing to write home about, all in all the title leaves you wanting for very little in terms of visuals.

Sound: 9
A great deal of the success of Def Jam Vendetta's presentation comes from it's excellent soundtrack. On it you'll find everything from classic Def Jam (Public Enemy, Onyx) to new tracks which are just being released now. Not being much of a rap fan myself, I still found the music very appropriate and mood setting. There's just something about facing off against a particularly tough opponent as DMX's ''Intro'' kicks on that gets your adrenaline going. The voice work in the game, though at times sparse, is top notch. Funkmaster Flex does a great job on commentary, offering just enough to remind you he's there but never getting to the point of annoyance that some other wrestling game commentary reaches. All of the Def Jam Stars did their own voice-overs in the game, making the sound even more authentic.

Control: 7
The debut of the AKI engine on next generation consoles is a mixed bag. As the gameplay has been sped up players no longer have to deal with the feeling that their characters are moving underwater, like they did back in the considerably slower titles on the N64. The controls are generally responsive, yet when there are four different characters on screen targeting can become a serious issue. Certain tidbits from previous AKI games, like the ability to drag your opponent when they're laying on the mat, have been removed for some reason and detract slightly from the play overall.

Replay: 4
Over 40 characters, multiple outfits per character and the ability to play as popular Def Jam performers should give the game a better replay value. Yet it's bare bones selection of modes, an incomplete Story Mode and lack of customization options hurts this game a lot. It doesn't even fair well as a Multiplayer game, because casual gamers will be forced to miss out on most of the game's content. This is really the largest hole in Def Jam Vendetta. Two companies that have produced games with excellent replay values have come together to make a game that's almost nothing better than a rental.

The Verdict: 6 (not an average)
Def Jam Vendetta is a huge disappointment. EA's apparent ''wait and see'' stance on this series turned what was almost a sure fire must own title into another mediocre brawler with good production values and nice packaging. Indeed, Def Jam Vendetta seems to trip over the fact that it tries to stay true to wrestling while paying homage to underground fighting clubs. It only hurts itself by straddling that fence. Hopefully future installments of the game will find a better identity, as well as giving players more incentive to actually play the game. All of this and frustrating AI weighs in to make Def Jam Vendetta a title that's only slightly above average, and a game that's better rented than purchased.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/03, Updated 04/04/03