Def Jam: Fight For NY

EA and AKI team up for a second round of rap star?wrestling fun with more blood, babes, and bling than ever before.

Okay, so watching dozens of pampered, platinum-selling, multi-millionaire rap artists duke it out in an underground street fighting tournament might make about as much sense as an all-boy-band FPS game, but that doesn?t mean it isn?t fun. In fact, Def Jam: Fight For New York is an immensely enjoyable and occasionally flawed game drenched with the chic splendor of the urban hip-hop lifestyle. Although it?s hard to overlook the awesome fighting engine at the heart of this game, Fight For New York is almost as much about image as it is about substance. For better or for worse, Fight For New York stands as a concentrated glorification of the materialistic rap world?s best-known and basest aspects?huge egos, trophy girlfriends, an awkward balance of cowardice and violence, acerbic vulgarities, and tasteless displays of wealth. That said, gamers unable to endure these tongue-in-check proceedings might unfortunately overlook this very fun fighter and its almost unprecedented level of personal customization.

N.W.EA.

The exceptional combat system is expertly balanced between fast striking combinations and powerful grappling takedown moves. The result is entertaining and often-unpredictable attack sequences that keep the battles feeling fresh and interesting. The M-rated action also provides a devilishly satisfying level of crunching violence as evidenced by the plethora of special Blazin? moves designed to send your unlucky opponents home in pine boxes and plastic bags. This one?s not for the faint of heart.

Fight For New York also boasts the signature EA production value. The high-quality visuals accurately render the celebrity likenesses and the real-time facial deformations of pummeled pugilists with the same degree of realism. And the outstanding soundtrack (comprised of dozens of licensed tracks) combines with the excellent and often humorous voice acting of the rap stars to create a first-rate audio presentation.

Variety is one the game?s biggest draws, and the incredible level of character customization borders on that of an inner-city Sims title. Dressing stylishly and flaunting extravagant jewelry improves your character?s charisma level, but with hundreds of real pieces of big-name licensed merchandise to collect, it?s more likely that some gamers will use Fight For New York as the first playable, wish-list catalogue. The unlockable features extend well beyond the dressing room as Fight For New York presents a surfeit of extras that includes new characters and special moves, bonus song tracks, and additional competitive and cooperative multiplayer game modes (which offer a cool variety of game types for up to four players). It all adds up to excellent replay incentive.

Digital Underground

Yet for all Fight For New York does right, it still manages to fall short in several basic and important areas. Controlling your fighter can become a difficult chore as the characters often feel sluggish and almost unresponsive in heated bouts where quickly moving CPU characters always seem to have the advantage. The collision detection also suffers?the most glaring examples occur when tediously attempting to pick up weapons and when your character either continually fails to grapple or strike an enemy target standing just a few degrees to either side. The PS2 version also suffers from sluggish load times, while all versions have problematic camera issues in a few tight spots in crowded arenas.

EAst Side Till I Die

Self-sabotage aside, Fight For New York is still an excellent brawler with hours upon hours of gameplay in the single-player story mode, enjoyable multiplayer melees, and incredibly detailed character customization features. A little less time spent programming various styles of Sean John sweaters in favor of shoring up the rough spots would have been nice, but such gripes are placated by the sheer enjoyment that comes from viciously grinding an opponent?s face against a chain-link fence.

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