Def Jam: Fight for NY: The Takeover

"Def Jam made portable."

First off, let me tell you a little bit about this game. For those of you interested and wishing to look through the reviews for information about this game, here are some answers to small questions. This game contains an entirely new story than that of Def Jam: Fight for New York, the console version. Secondly, all of the music from the console version is in here (I believe so), and all of the characters, as well. There are some new venues, as well. Finally, there are no cutscenes in this game - the game uses a comic style to tell the story.

Years ago I would have heard Def Jam for the PSP and thought, "What? A Gimmick?" The first game seemed like one - a wrestling title with Hip Hop music, with no real standout features. It appeared to me to be a gimmick, so I overlooked it. A year or so later, I decide to rent DJ:FFNY for the console system, hoping for the best. It looked to have improved, and from what I could tell from the original game's demo and from the second installment, it had improved, both game play wise and story-mode wise. Here's what I've discovered, the cute little underlining moral of my journey into the DJ gaming universe: This is no gimmick. DJ:FFNY:TT is no slouch, no gimmick, no mockery of a greater game. To me, number two set a high bar for gaming, and this title sets a high bar for fighting games on a portable console.

"The story..."

I'm going to, first, start with the worst of this game. The story and the cutscenes. When you come to DJ:FFNY:TT, you expect a cool story with great cutscenes and immersion just like the console version. Trust me on this one - if you expect the standards of the console predecessor, you will be disappointed. For some reason the makers behind The Takeover decided that they cannot fit cutscenes onto this UMD. I believe it was still very possible for them to do so, but my personal opinion is that they simply didn't care, and would rather see DJ on PSP as soon as possible, for as cheap as possible.

The story of DJ:FFNY, the console version, was pretty good. I loved the characters in the story - Blaze, Doc, all of them. You grew an attachment to your crew, and the story of deceit, treachery and revenge had a better impact. This title's story is rather shallow. Not a whole lot great about it, and not a lot of character attachment. One of the neat things about the previous game that was, in the cutscenes, you saw your character, and could hear him talk throughout the game using the different customization features to pick from different voices for your guy. In this title, there's no talking coming from your characters in the comic strips, save Manny who delivers a narrative.

But this is as bad as it gets, to be brutally honest. And if this is all, that's not much to complain about. After all, it's a fighting game, and we don't always expect it to have a great focus on story (we've seen this over the years).

"Stunning graphics, music, and voices on the PSP."

The music? Sound? Voices? Graphics? All great. The graphics look excellent on the screen. They have a nice level of detail with smooth animations. The various fighting styles you have each have completely different moves, entirely varied stances, and require you to train yourself to fight in a certain way. The impact of the Blazing Moves are still there, as well as the power you sense when your character launches a flurry of attacks into his opponent, then moves into Blazin' mode (especially Blaze, his Blaze taunt and technique is awesome).

The music is great, but not a whole lot is added. There's plenty here from Budden to Freeway, and all of it is of at least good quality. Some of these songs are completely awesome, some are just ho-hum, but all of them fit with the intense brutality and the universe of DJ:FFNY:TT. The sound is nice, too. Good impact, clean sounds. There's nothing quite like hearing the crack of an enemy's neck after the Mount Finish of a Street Fighter. The sounds during the Blazin' Moves are top notch, from the yells to the attacks and still-frame-freezes themselves.

Another nice edition to this title is the fight provoking you see at the beginning of most non-sanctioned fights. It's amazing to see you and your opponent square off, then see your opponent deck your character in the face, only to see your character return the favor, then begin the fight. Granted some of these openings leave you or your opponent open to unfair advantages and disadvantages, it's still a neat feature as it preps you for the battle.

"The game play."

The game play is the best feature of this title. Granted the controls are never "perfect" with the PSP, the controls are well adapted to the limited interface. The game play is excellent. Awesome battles, great struggles, tons of moves. My first play through consisted of a Kickboxer. When he matured, he became a Martial Artist, then later was added to the next level of a kick boxer. Each technique was smoothed, no graphical lagging or difficulties. When I was mounted, I was successfully able to deflect an enemy's attack, then flip him over, and pummel him from the mount position. I cackled manically when I grabbed another opponent and rammed his head three times into a wooden post to knock him out. On a separate occasion, I found myself desperately wishing for a replay feature that this game lacks when my character rebounded off of the environment, and knocked an opponent out with a powerful kick.

Moments like these are amazing. Almost every battle will leave you with a sinister grin on your face. Every powerful attack, every deadly grapple, every brutal finishing move. Everything about this game reflects the brutality of the universe that is The Takeover. Sadly in these moments of "brutality-glee", you wish there was a replay feature. There is absolutely no replay feature whatsoever, something which left me unsettled. There have been fights where I wish I could rush the PSP over to a friend and show him what just went down, but unfortunately there is no feature which allows me to review the awesome moves I had just pulled off.

But that is a compliment after all, right? The grapples, the punches, the kicks, the environment attacks, and the blazing moves. All of it was dazzling in the game, all of the battle system's features fine tuned. Perhaps maybe a little "too" fine-tuned. Hear me out. It is possible to beat the entire story mode in normal difficulty without being defeated once. Too true. Sure, you can chose not to develop your character into a great warrior by increasing his attributes, but if you play the game like you should, the challenge is removed. Then there are times when you feel the computer's been unfair - your opponent has you when you're down, and you can't reverse their mount attacks! You manage to mash buttons and shove them off, just to get put in an irreversible grapple, kneed in the gut, shoved into a wall, and struck with a brutal wall take down. Of course, these times are rare, and when they pass, you're still alive, and your opponent just stands there taunting you. Maybe a little glitch, I don't know; but after the ferocious onslaught, it's back to easy street.

"It's all about what you can get out of it."

In the end, this title is great. Lots of fun, despite the shallow story. There's plenty to do, and the character customization goes far beyond the initial character sketch. There's lots of venues to unlock, lots of fighters to unlock, and at the end of the short story mode you receive a fighter powerful enough to stand up to any of the other characters in the game. Still, the story is short, and you'll see your completion at 100% in no time. The unlockables are fun, but like I said, it's very short. All of it.

The first day I purchased this game, I was through the main story in 8 hours (and that was taking my time). The very next day I was through unlocking everything the game had to offer. There's plenty to do, and each character you create has the potential to be entirely different in both looks and fighting styles. Like I said, this is DJ for the hand held. While it is limiting in it's features that the console systems have, it's still a nice title on a portable system.

I'd recommend this game to anyone interested in a great fighting game with solid battles and game play. A good purchase may be in order, but if you're the kind of person who likes to complete single player and move on, maybe a rental. I know I'll be beefing up my created characters and facing off with other friends of mine who have this title via Ad Hoc. It's short, but sweet. And sometimes, it just hits the spot when it comes to a hand held. A 9 out of 10.

The Good:
- Solid game play
- Great musics, graphics, voices and sounds
- Excellent customization (even voices)
- Lots to unlock
- New story

The Bad:
- New story
- No Trophy Case?
- Shallow Story
- Too short

The Moaning:
- Where's the trophy case?!'

"Def Jam made Portable"

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/19/06