Def Jam Icon
Iconic? Not quite
Posted May 15, 2007
When the first Def Jam Icon game came out a couple of years back I was interested in the concept enough to spend the money to see if a "wrestling" game could in fact capture the fun that I used to have back in the 8-bit generation. I was pleasantly surprised to find a game that not only captured the fun of beating the crap out of someone, but also done with the style that only the Def Jam moniker could bring to the genre. Fast forward to now and we're treated with a revamped version of Def Jam, this time subtitled Icon.
What is so iconic about the title, well the only tie to this name is the Create a Label mode where the character you create starts out as a small time thug who is taken under wing of a major producer then given chances to succeed in the music world, ultimately becoming an Icon along the lines of real life music mogul, Russell Simmons. Other ways to become an icon are to participate in the online mode, winning street cred by delivering sweet beat downs. Briefly the other modes of play, which are only entertaining when you've had your fill of the story mode, include Throw Down which is essentially a quick match option, Practice Mode, Beatings with Bass which strips the interesting DJ controls from the game making you rely solely on your rhythm to use the environment as a weapon. Taking the game online while entertaining can be somewhat frustrating when lag is encountered. While thankfully not a persistent problem, when it does happen you'll either be on the giving or receiving end of a one sided match.
The environment's effect in fights is one of the biggest changes to this iteration of the game, and it takes some time to get used to both visually and strategically. As the music in the game drives and bumps, the backgrounds of the stages pulse and gyrate, and stage specific hazards become active such as a helicopter tail whipping, or strippers swinging on poles. If you can manage to time attacks to knock your opponent into a hazard you'll get the advantage of dealing additional damage. To further bring the music and environment into the title, the folks over at EA decided to incorporate some DJ controls into the mix. To enable your "air turntable" a quick press of a shoulder button enables the DJ actions and manipulating either of the thumbsticks causes actions. The right thumbstick controls the current song; if you simulate a scratch the music will reset to a particularly bass heavy section of the song allowing you to deal even more damage. Using the left stick to scratch will swap songs, each combatant has a particular tune which they like to throw down to so making sure you are fighting with your song in the background ensures some good damage bonuses. The DJ mode is an interesting addition to the title, and really does fit well within the feel of the game, but sometimes activating and deactivating the mode can be problematic opening you up to getting pummeled during the middle of a scratch session.
The overall controls scheme itself is a little strange and takes some time to get used to. EA has somehow decided that every title they create now must include a control scheme not unlike Fight Night Round 3, by which I mean to attack. Yes, some of the basic attacks (kicks & punches) are controlled by the face buttons bigger, badder beat downs are administered by using the right thumbstick. Personally, I'm tired of this control mechanic working its way into any game which has characters smacking the sense into one another, I just don't think it fits in this style of game.
Aurally, the game holds it's quite well, even with the disappointing absence of a Dolby Digital track on here. I mean, the game is on a Blu-Ray disc, on a system that is ultra powerful – so why only include a Pro-Logic II soundtrack? Come on EA, I want to hear every game in full digital surround. The soundtrack is predicably heavy on hip-hop artists, including licensed tracks from the likes of Ludacris, Mike Jones, and The Game. Even the voice work by the artists is done fairly well, considering the majority of lines were of voice mail length and style.
Aside from trying to get used to the way the game looks with the backgrounds grooving to the beat the game used an interesting highly stylized graphical look. Everything from the backgrounds to the characters seemed a little hyper real with exaggerated coloring and shading. Realtime damage isn't only limited to the stages you fight in either, so in addition to gas stations erupting in to flame you can watch as the rapper's who are scrapping get pummeled, as faces bruise and blood will flow. Another addition to the title thanks to Fight Night.
The biggest question of course is what's' the overall recommendation on this title, right? Personally, I can overlook the slight flaws and found some enjoyment of beating the crap out of Sean Paul and as I progressed through the game I couldn't help but wish that I'd finally be able to put my fist through P. Diddy's nose, sadly this didn't happen. But I did have a good time throwing down the gauntlet and working my way through the very violent world of owning a music label; if this is how things were done in the real world then we'd be living in a very interesting world. If you enjoy wresting titles where grapples and throws are used heavily and tend to shy away from the fighting titles that use massive button combos to fight, then I'd suggest giving Def Jam Icon a rental. Fans of the series will enjoy the gameplay regardless, and hopefully will get a kick out of the DJ controls as I did. Recommended.
What is so iconic about the title, well the only tie to this name is the Create a Label mode where the character you create starts out as a small time thug who is taken under wing of a major producer then given chances to succeed in the music world, ultimately becoming an Icon along the lines of real life music mogul, Russell Simmons. Other ways to become an icon are to participate in the online mode, winning street cred by delivering sweet beat downs. Briefly the other modes of play, which are only entertaining when you've had your fill of the story mode, include Throw Down which is essentially a quick match option, Practice Mode, Beatings with Bass which strips the interesting DJ controls from the game making you rely solely on your rhythm to use the environment as a weapon. Taking the game online while entertaining can be somewhat frustrating when lag is encountered. While thankfully not a persistent problem, when it does happen you'll either be on the giving or receiving end of a one sided match.
The environment's effect in fights is one of the biggest changes to this iteration of the game, and it takes some time to get used to both visually and strategically. As the music in the game drives and bumps, the backgrounds of the stages pulse and gyrate, and stage specific hazards become active such as a helicopter tail whipping, or strippers swinging on poles. If you can manage to time attacks to knock your opponent into a hazard you'll get the advantage of dealing additional damage. To further bring the music and environment into the title, the folks over at EA decided to incorporate some DJ controls into the mix. To enable your "air turntable" a quick press of a shoulder button enables the DJ actions and manipulating either of the thumbsticks causes actions. The right thumbstick controls the current song; if you simulate a scratch the music will reset to a particularly bass heavy section of the song allowing you to deal even more damage. Using the left stick to scratch will swap songs, each combatant has a particular tune which they like to throw down to so making sure you are fighting with your song in the background ensures some good damage bonuses. The DJ mode is an interesting addition to the title, and really does fit well within the feel of the game, but sometimes activating and deactivating the mode can be problematic opening you up to getting pummeled during the middle of a scratch session.
The overall controls scheme itself is a little strange and takes some time to get used to. EA has somehow decided that every title they create now must include a control scheme not unlike Fight Night Round 3, by which I mean to attack. Yes, some of the basic attacks (kicks & punches) are controlled by the face buttons bigger, badder beat downs are administered by using the right thumbstick. Personally, I'm tired of this control mechanic working its way into any game which has characters smacking the sense into one another, I just don't think it fits in this style of game.
Aurally, the game holds it's quite well, even with the disappointing absence of a Dolby Digital track on here. I mean, the game is on a Blu-Ray disc, on a system that is ultra powerful – so why only include a Pro-Logic II soundtrack? Come on EA, I want to hear every game in full digital surround. The soundtrack is predicably heavy on hip-hop artists, including licensed tracks from the likes of Ludacris, Mike Jones, and The Game. Even the voice work by the artists is done fairly well, considering the majority of lines were of voice mail length and style.
Aside from trying to get used to the way the game looks with the backgrounds grooving to the beat the game used an interesting highly stylized graphical look. Everything from the backgrounds to the characters seemed a little hyper real with exaggerated coloring and shading. Realtime damage isn't only limited to the stages you fight in either, so in addition to gas stations erupting in to flame you can watch as the rapper's who are scrapping get pummeled, as faces bruise and blood will flow. Another addition to the title thanks to Fight Night.
The biggest question of course is what's' the overall recommendation on this title, right? Personally, I can overlook the slight flaws and found some enjoyment of beating the crap out of Sean Paul and as I progressed through the game I couldn't help but wish that I'd finally be able to put my fist through P. Diddy's nose, sadly this didn't happen. But I did have a good time throwing down the gauntlet and working my way through the very violent world of owning a music label; if this is how things were done in the real world then we'd be living in a very interesting world. If you enjoy wresting titles where grapples and throws are used heavily and tend to shy away from the fighting titles that use massive button combos to fight, then I'd suggest giving Def Jam Icon a rental. Fans of the series will enjoy the gameplay regardless, and hopefully will get a kick out of the DJ controls as I did. Recommended.