But regardless of your personal musical preferences, it was nigh impossible to not bump your head in tune with at least some of these tracks.Your IP address has been temporarily blocked due to a large number of HTTP requests. And the soundtrack was obviously pure heaven for anyone into rap and hip hop. These are but the tip of the auditory iceberg, with Ice-T comfortably sitting somewhere on the top as well. And last, but certainly not least – “Walk With Me” by Joe Budden fittingly accompanying the game’s ending credits. Then there were “Are We Cuttin” by Pastor Troy and “Take a Look at My Life” by Fat Joe. And much like Need for Speed: Underground and Burnout 3: Takedown, Def Jam: Fight for NY featured an excellent tracklist.Īmong the ones that resonated with me were “Let’s Get Dirty” by Redman, “Make It Hurt” by Busta Rhymes and “Mother Mother” by Xzibit. Moreover, with so many renowned hip hop artists on the roster, there was only one genre of music to go for the soundtrack. Jacob’s jewellery was among the game’s accessories, with Jacob Arabo himself acting out a role of the vendor. And as you progressed, even more advanced pieces of apparel became available.įamous clothing brands, such as Reebok and Jordan, were prominently showcased within the game. These ranged from clothing and jewellery to impressive tattoos covering entire limbs. Winning fights gradually unlocked new customization options for the character. These moves were brutal, accompanied by the sounds of snapping bones and tendons, and each character had a signature move. And then there were the spectacular Blazin’ Moves: brutal finishers which drove the final nail in the coffin if the opponent’s health was low enough. Better yet, it was eventually possible to learn multiple styles, creating your perfect brawler. Players could punch their way through the story as a Streetfighter or use Submissions to break an opponent’s will to fight. And if you were fighting on the metro level, you could push them on the rails right before a train arrived.įive different fighting styles meant a galore of approaches to combat. Given the right circumstance, you could grab the opponent and push them into the crowd for someone to hold or fit their head in a car’s door and then slam it shut. And melee weapons, like pool cues and beer bottles, were always handy to break against an opponent’s head.Įach arena, whether a crowded bar or a desolate parking lot, provided even more ways for doing combat. From light punches to the chin to devastating round-kicks and bone-crunching armbars. With a range of fighting styles, melee weapons and environmental interactions, it had a ton of options for bringing the pain to your opponent. Beyond the engaging story, the main attraction of Def Jam were the fights. Or was it whiskey? But Def Jam: Fight for NY wasn’t like it and gameplay was absolutely brutal and ridiculous. I find the gameplay too monotonous and having to learn dozens of combos isn’t my cup of coffee. All of them were voiced by their real counterparts and just imagine how much EA invested in voice acting alone. Furthermore, punk-rock legend Henry Rollins played the hero’s trainer, and actress and model Carmen Electra was featured as a potential girlfriend. Snoop Dogg portrayed the main villain – Crow – while actor, Danny Trejo, acted out one of his henchmen. With others, like Redman and Busta Rhymes taking on starring roles. Performers like Ludacris, Sean Paul and Xzibit were featured in the story. Most of its success came from the impressive cast consisting of musicians, actors and other celebrities. It even featured intrigue and betrayal, with friends turning into foes and supposed villains becoming trusted allies. Similarly to Need for Speed: Underground, the plot was told through brief cutscenes and never overstayed its welcome. It was a simple, but nonetheless enjoyable story, especially for the genre. They were opposed by Crow’s crew, who wanted for nothing less than to maintain a dominant position in the city. After saving D-Mob, the protagonist of Vendetta from being imprisoned, the character joins his crew to help him take over the city’s fighting scene. In Def Jam: Fight for NY, however, players were not delivering pizza, but rather jaw-shattering hooks.Ĭhoosing from preset facial and body features, players took control of a custom character created at the start of the game. A hero’s motivation to fight is just as important as how Johnny Sins ended up becoming a pizza boy. Neither does porn, but context sure as heck doesn’t hurt. Some might argue that fighting games don’t need a story.