Def Jam: Icon – 360 – Review

Since Def
Jam: Vendetta hit consoles several years ago, there has been no better series in
which to wage hand-to-hand combat as a real-life hip-hop superstar fighting
other real-life superstars. Okay, I guess the Def Jam series is the only one out
there that does that. Regardless, the series has always offered solid fighting
games with engaging combat and stellar production values. Now the next title of
the series, Def Jam: ICON, is hitting store shelves. The game is the first entry
to hit the Xbox 360, and it makes the leap in style with the deepest and
best-looking entry ever. Def Jam: ICON is a great entry to the series, offering
fluid controls and an awesome new music system.

Def Jam:
ICON’s main gameplay mode is the Build a Label mode. In this mode, you can
create a character using EA’s extremely deep facial customization features, and
have him build his own hip-hop empire. You begin by busting heads for your boss
and working as an enforcer. However, you soon will gain hip-hop artists and
gaining control over the distribution of the songs that they release, budgeting
the marketing, radio play and PR appearances for each track. Depending on how
you handle them, they’ll garner you money and keep your artists happy. You’ll
also have to distribute funds for handling certain damages that they make,
greasing the proper palms to keep them out of trouble.

Of course,
the fighting system is pretty deep as well, thanks mainly to the great new
control scheme and the music system. The dual-analog system works a lot like the
one in Fight Night Round 3, where the right analog stick is used to perform
certain moves like roundhouse kicks and strong low blows. The right stick is
also used as a block modifier, which can help out when performing reversals. You
use the face buttons as well for high and low attacks as well.

The music
system is a really cool addition to the formula. The environments move to the
beat of the music, and at certain points of the song playing, they’ll make
“booms” that will affect certain areas of the stage. Speakers will pop and hurt
either you or your opponent, as will exploding gas pumps. You’ll be able to spin
invisible turntables in order to set off the stage, sending your foe flying. The
music system is a great addition to the game and feels right in place with the
focus of the Def Jam series.

One of my
personal favorite modes is the My Soundtrack mode. While on the surface it
offers standard one-on-one exhibition matches for one or two players, it does
more than that. You can play custom music either from your Xbox 360 hard drive,
a USB device, or stream it from your PC during fights, and the environments will
respond as though it were the game’s original soundtrack, essentially turning
your 360 into the coolest music visualizer ever.

Def Jam:
ICON is a sharp looking game. The character models are almost scarily realistic,
resembling their real-life counterparts to a T. However, as great the character
models are, the environments truly steal the show. They are pretty diverse, with
spots in a club, on a rooftop and at a gas station. The environments pulsate
with the music, tearing at their own seams as they bounce and breaking down,
creating hazards like falling lights and burning gas pumps to make the game a
little rougher on the playing field.

Of course,
as music factors into the gameplay in fresh new ways, the soundtrack had better
be up to snuff. Luckily, the score delivers, with hard-hitting hip-hop tracks
with heavy baselines from a myriad of artists, such as Paul Wall, E-40, The
Game, T.I. and so on. The voice acting is also quite well done, featuring the
cadre of hip-hop artists as well as well known actors like Anthony Anderson
rounding out the cast.

Def Jam:
ICON is a solid game, as well as the best entry to the series yet. It offers
deep simulation features, solid controls, and great music elements, making for
an experience that any fighting fan would be glad to have in their gaming
library.

Review Scoring Details for Def Jam: ICON

Gameplay: 9.0
Def Jam: ICON
utilizes the innovative dual-analog control scheme from Fight Night Round 3 to
give you a great deal of control over your fighter’s moves. Also, the music
system is a fantastic touch adding to the However, outside of the fighting
elements, the game gives you many options for expanding your hip-hop empire,
giving you four hip-hop artists as the single-player mode progresses to make
money off of. The one downside of the single-player mode is that it feels pretty
linear, as you only have one way to progress through the storyline.

Graphics: 9.5
Graphically, Def
Jam: ICON is a fantastic looking game. The fighters bear the official likenesses
of their real-life counterparts, and look eerily realistic. The environments
steal the show, though as they pulsate with the music, breaking down as the
beats literally rip them up.

Sound: 9.5
The game’s music
system puts game audio in a brand new light, making it an integral part of the
action. The whole game seems to course in line with the music in a synergy that
hasn’t been done, but definitely should be replicated. The soundtrack consists
of a veritable who’s who of hip-hop all-stars, with cuts from heavy-hitters like
Ludacris, E-40 and T.I., and the voice acting is also very well done.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.0
ICON is far and
away the deepest entry to the Def Jam series, giving you control of a hip-hop
empire beyond the fighting. The simulation elements are a great touch as you can
manage personal elements like dating, as well as putting the right amount of
your budget (and ass-beatings) behind your stable of hip-hop artists to keep the
cash flow coming.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The online modes
are pretty standard fare. You can do one-on-one ranked matches and custom
battles against human opponents.

Overall: 9.0
Def Jam: ICON is
a great entry to the series, combining a fluid control scheme, pulsating
environments, and cool simulation features for the most comprehensive Def Jam
title yet.