Saturday, January 1, 2011

DEF JAM VENDETTA (PS2, GAMECUBE) Released: 2003



“Dude, you can play as DMX.”  This is what my friend Cole said to me to try to sell me on this game.

In a million years, I never thought this would work.  A wrestling game consisting entirely of rappers.  I’ve always been a metal guy, so this game never really appealed to me.  My friends, however, despite also not being big rap fans, loved this game.  As far as the gameplay, it was a No Mercy clone (also developed by AKI, so go figure), so at least it was easy for us to jump right in to it. 
This game has an interesting story, you choose from one of four characters to become the champion of the “urban fighting league.”  You receive challenges from different rappers to fights, working your way up in the ranks.  The story is more like Fight Club than a pro wrestling story, you work your way up by fighting in underground bouts.  Did anyone ever see the movie Gladiator?  Not the one with Russell Crowe, the one with Brian Dennehe and Cuba Gooding Jr.?  No?  Just me?  Anyway, it’s like that movie.
The series eventually got two sequels:  Def Jam Fight For NY, and Def Jam Icon, neither of which as good as the original, ditching the wrestling aspect for a more traditional fighting game, Fight For NY had your character choosing between fighting styles, with some wrestling still remaining.  Icon was most like a Fight Night type game.
Remember how I said that WrestleMania: The Arcade Game was over the top?  That game has nothing on Vendetta.  The finishing moves are completely impossible, but also amazingly awesome.  You literally break guys necks, arms, legs, backs, if there is a bone, it gets broken.

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