The Def Jam series has always been founded on an odd concept. Combining the names and style of the hip-hop genre with an underground fighting league sounds ridiculous on paper, but the end result of the experiment was a unique experience that managed to retain the inherent appeal of both ingredients. The previous two entries in the series have succeeded on a pedigree of solid gameplay, excellent graphics, and a heavy emphasis on the Def Jam flavor. So how does this recent incarnation compare to its predecessors?

Veterans of the series may wonder where all the fictional characters from the previous games are (that is, people like Jacob the Jewler, D-mob, and the iconic Manny), and the answer is they aren't here. In fact, you'll find Def Jam ICON has little in common with the previous titles, including the context for the brawling. Instead of trying to work your way up the underground fighting circuit, you are a nobody trying to build a reputation in the hip-hop scene. Since the original idea of rappers fighting in an underground league never made a lick of sense to begin with, the new story is a positive change.

During the introduction, you get dragged into a fight at a local club and garner the attention of Carver, a hip hop mogul who has yet to break the big time. He sees something in you, so he sets you up to be his own personal troubleshooter, then later his Vice President in Charge of Talent Development. What this means that if any situation comes up, your guy jumps into the action to handle the problem, whatever it is. This of course attracts the attention of everything from rival rappers, an opposing hip hop Mogul (Troy Dollar, played by a spot on Anthony Anderson), and of course, the fly ladies of Def Jam. The story takes some nice but predictable twists and turns, but as it turns out, its biggest failing is its criminally short length. It finally reaches a good spot, and then resolves everything too quickly into an ending clearly intended to build to a sequel. Not a particularly satisfying conclusion to your journey through the hip-hop world.

Graphically, the game is right up there with the best of the EA titles. Facial detail, environments, effects, and explosions all look incredible. This is a bit of a change from the last few games, which had a style vaguely reminiscent of a comic book... albeit a hip-hop one. Of course it's not without some flaws, as some bits of clothing just don't work properly. Get knocked down while wearing a chain and you'll see it stick up in the air like it's not affected by gravity. Clothes constantly clip through the models they are wrapped around, and sometimes shirts tend to float over a person's body as if by magic. It's not perfect, but these minor flaws don't detract from the great visuals.





To add to this, the game comes with EA custom F.A.C.E. system. Like the previous games, your no name, no real identity fighter can be shaped in almost anyway you choose. Big nose, big lips? all here. Desire to bring back Tupac as a fighter or even DMX? Mess with this system enough and you can. The only real complaint about character generation is that you can't pick a voice for your Hip Hop mogul, which makes everyone you generate, despite their ethnicity, sound like a black rapper. It's an odd choice, considering there is Mexican, female, and even Japanese rappers. Considering how the F.A.C.E. system isn't limited in its ethnicity and the fact that the previous game, Def Jam: Fight for New York, took this into consideration, it's an odd omission. It should be noted that despite their inclusion in the F.A.C.E. system, Caucasian characters typically look odd, as though they were a second thought.

Also returning from the previous game is the ability to make yourself a custom outfit. The game gives you a myriad of clothing choices but, once again there are odd and glaring omissions from previous titles. For example, you can have a hoodie, but you can't put up the hood. You can have a shirt but you can't tuck it in or leave it unbuttoned unless you specifically bought it in that style. Jewerly purchased looks nice, but you can't choose to make that cool dragon design be in platinum instead of the gaudy gold color in comes in now. Tattoos are nice, but the choices stink. The worst part is despite the fashions you have access to, they really don't do anything in the game. People react to you the same whether you wear a dress shirt or go shirtless, so the entire system is pointless save showing off expensive articles online or making a character more aesthetically pleasing. Some kind of impact on the gameplay would have been nice, if only to motivate us to actually spend our hard-earned money on such loot.





The concept behind the game is simple. Instead of previous games where you used everything from weapons, grapple moves, and strikes to wear down your enemy This game is ALL about the music. The backgrounds thump in beat to the song currently playing, with the downbeats triggering various environmental effects. In one such example, a helicopter floating over the arena whips its tail across the center part of the board, knocking any unfortunate fighter into the air and unto the ground. Music is doubly more dangerous as each fighter has a unique song that alters the beats. And while that character's song plays in the background, hazards will do more damage to their enemies, and less to them if they should have the misfortune of stepping into them.