Def Jam: Icon

"More bark than bite"

Gameplay: 5/10
In all games, gameplay is the most important factor. Which is why Icon is a bad game. I mean, it's not horrible, but it's just not good. Okay, I'll start off with the fighting.

The fighting in Icon is all about the beat in the background. Each stage has about three or four environmental hazards that are triggered by the bass of the songs. In order to be successful you'll have to master the timing of the song to be able to time your attacks to knock, or throw, your enemy into a hazard as it goes off. This wasn't a bad idea… on paper. Anyway, the actual fist-fighting is good. Although it does feel like Fight Night Round 3 somewhat.

You have your four basic attacks with the face buttons, and you use the right analog stick to perform directional attacks. Directional attacks will push your opponent in a certain direction a bit depending on what move you do. These are used more for environmental hazards as they do little damage.

You also perform grabs with the right analog stick. From here you can throw your opponent, hit him, and that's about it. Not much compared to FFNY. As with the directional attacks, grabs are mainly for throwing your opponent into a hazard.

There is also a slew of rap artists at your disposal to beat down as you please. The different artists include Method Man, Redman, The Game, Fat Joe, and even Sticky Fingaz.

Now, I'll go onto the game modes. The main one is Build-A-Label. B-A-L is the story mode for Icon. You start out by creating your character and then you see a little scene. After the scene it flashes back a few years and you start. While it's not all that interesting it has a decent play time. Build-A-Label mode is basically a series of fights with some signing artists and cut-scenes in between.

The other main mode is the fight mode (I forget what it‘s called exactly). You pick your fighter, opponent, song, stage, and then fight. There are a handful of achievements related to this mode. Like I said before, the fighting is slow paced and not all that good.

Next is practice mode. You pick your fighter and an opponent. Then, you pick a stage and fighting music. When the practice starts, you will fight as normal but without health. You can select the difficulty and your opponents aggressiveness. This is good for mastering the game.

You can also create your own fighter to duke it out with the various rap artists featured in the game. F.A.C.E (create-a-fighter in basic) is really in depth. You can customize him in any way you want. You can also add jewelry such as earrings, watches, chains, and even grills.

That's about it really. Other than the options and online mode (I haven't tried online yet).

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics in this game are great. The stages are beautiful and rock to the beat. They are also greatly detailed with debris being knocked around as you fight. The way they timed the hazards to the bass works great with the rest of the stage

The character models are also greatly detailed and realistic. Every rap artist looks just like he does in real life. You'll also see facial damage as fights progress such as bruises and black eyes.

Sound: 8/10
The music in the game is good, although nothing I really like. The sound effects are really good too. You'll hear the punches landing and the bones cracking. The hazards also sound really good and everything fits in well. You'll also hear fighters say some stuff during taunts. That's really it. You can play to your own music that will trigger hazards. Although your music probably has too much bass. I know all of mine did.

Story: 5/10
The story for Build-A-Label isn't all to intriguing. You're an up-and-coming music producer for an unnamed record label. You'll sign artists and release singles and stuff. There are a few twists and turns, but nothing unexpected.

Playtime/Replayability
The story mode won't take you a ton of time, but it is a fighting game so there is a decent amount of replay value. You'll have this game for a good amount of time… if you like it that is.

Rent or Buy?
Rent. Trust me, it's not worth the sixty bucks unless you are trying to get a bunch of achievements. I mean, you might like it, but like I said, rent it to be safe.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/07

Game Release: Def Jam: Icon (US, 03/06/07)