Def Jam: Icon

March 27,2007 - Mixing together the fighting genre with hip-hop culture may have seemed like a simple gimmick a few years ago, but EA was able to produce two solid gold hits with Def Jam Vendetta and Def Jam: Fight for NY. Now they’re back and flashing more bling-bling than before with Def Jam: ICON, and it’s definitely more than all show and no depth.

ICON’s story mode, while slightly ridiculous, is rather entertaining. The essential point to Build A Label mode is just what it says: to build a label. You start off by creating a custom character, and it really is custom (more on the whole system later). After getting your character as you see fit, you’re thrust into a scene from the future before being sent back two years from then. Just like its predecessors, ICON has you fighting towards the top of the chain, only this time you’re fighting to the top of the business side of things. As mentioned, it relatively ridiculous because everything winds up with you getting into a fight. That aside, it still manages to be incredibly fun. The only thing that could make it better would be an intro to the fight instead of just load screens.

ICON’s gameplay handles pretty well. Unlike the previous two titles, ICON strays away from the wrestling mentality and focuses more on a fisticuffs style of fighting. Don’t worry if that doesn’t quite tickle your fancy. Grab moves are still available to administer drops and a small amount of acrobatic action is included as well. However, don’t be expecting twinkle-toe players; your character can be a bit clumsily at times to add some realism. The fighting styles have also been changed around to accommodate the new fighting focus. New styles include Ghetto Blaster, Black Panther, Beatboxer, Street Kwon Do, Muay Fly, and Jah Breaka. They all include their own specialties and weaknesses. For example, if you use Ghetto Blaster, you’ll be a more balanced fighter, but won’t be able to get up off the ground as well. No doubt you will find a niche within a particular fighting style.

A new element added to ICON would be the beat-based environment. In any fight mode, you’ll find that the environment will bounce around with the beat of the song playing during a match. It’s almost a double edged sword, because it can work very well to your advantage but also cause your character some major health points. Just a helpful tip: watch out for falling objects and be wary when standing near objects like speakers or cars.

The music also plays a pretty crucial part in how well you perform. Upon entering a match, you choose a fight song to play in the background. If your song is playing during the fight, you’ll fight better. It brings in the new feature of interactive DJ controls. With the press of a trigger button and the rotation of the analog sticks, you can switch the song mid-fight. Muay Fly and Jah Breaka are the preferred styles for switching songs.

Graphically, ICON is a huge advancement from its predecessors. While not quite perfect, the environments look great and the fighters look realistic. Fighters also progressively become less and less “pretty,” so to speak. The more beat up they are, the more it will show in their face and clothing (that includes being burned by fires in the environments). There is a really good variety in the fighters too, and if you have grudges against certain rappers, you’ll have a ball ripping them a new one. The biggest let down would be the environments. As stated before, they look great, but they get so repetitive. While Fight for NY had over 20 venues, ICON has a mere 6.

If none of the character choices please you, you once again create your own character with an advanced F.A.C.E. system. This time, you can customize everything from a skin blemish to a crooked nose. If you put in enough time, you can make your character look like yourself or an existing artist not in the game. Keep in mind that you cannot import your custom character into Build A Label; you must start all over again.

As one might imagine, ICON provides an extensive soundtrack. The collection of 29 songs—some of which must be unlocked— consists of tracks from artists that are both in the game and aren’t in there (for example, Nas and M.O.P.). Now, the songs may not be pleasurable for all, seeing as how not everyone is a fan of hip-hop, but those that are will be pleased. For those others, you can always tone down the music or play your own elsewhere. ICON’s sound effects are also pretty consistent with the music and will be more dominant if you select them to be in the settings menu.

Online play provides for some extensive enjoyment if you grow tired of playing with by yourself or with somebody in the room. After connecting the EA servers, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of rooms to fight in. There are different areas based on your experiences and your location. You’ll be able to choose other gamers at random and challenge them to a fight. The system is set up relatively well and lag time is never really an issue (on the other hand, load times, online and offline, can be a nuisance).

On the whole, Def Jam: ICON provides a more pleasurable and realistic approach to the fighting genre. Hip-hop fans will almost certainly have one hell of a time with this game, with the focus on building label and the extensive soundtrack. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of hip-hop, ICON can be appreciated for the quality EA has presented within it (and if you hate hearing Sean Paul on the radio, you express your anger by throwing him out of a window if you so please). Regardless of where you fall, you’ll no doubt feel like you’re ballin’ by the end.

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