Delving into the rap underground for grappling, punching fun

In the ever-expanding genre of fighting games there are classics like Street Fighter, Virtual Fighter and Tekken. And there is the ever-popular Wrestlemania series for people who like their action in the ring.
Def Jam Vendetta takes wrestling to a new level. Rather than being set in the ordinary world of pro wrestling with The Rock rocking or Hulk Hogan hulking, Def Jam Vendetta instead takes place in the imaginary world of underground New York City street fighting, a universe ruled by a mysterious character called D-Mobb.
Players initially select one of four characters, each with various strengths and weaknesses. Some are powerful but lack speed. Others are exactly the opposite.
As you grapple your way up the ladder, every player that you defeat is added to your roster of fighters to do battle. In all, some 40 characters make up the pool of fighters. Twelve are modeled on renowned rappers signed to Russell Simmons’s Def Jam record label. Their songs provide the theme music for Def Jam Vendetta.
The Verdict: I had lost interest in fighting games because I thought only the graphics were improving.
Def Jam Vendetta demonstrates that there still are areas left to explore.
While the grappling and punching modes are standard fare, there are special moves for each character that can only be used after meeting certain conditions. This added element provides plenty of replay value.
Def Jam Vendetta has other neat extra features, like a photo gallery of the real-life girlfriends.
That’s right, to spice up the action, sports game master EA has put together a top-tier game and even provided an incentive (the hot girlfriends) for the wrestlers to win their matches.

Def Jam Vendetta
Category: Fighting
Players: 1-2
Difficulty: Easy
Platform:
Playstation 2
Rating: * * * *

by Brian Lee