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Def Jam Scores a Blazin' Knockout!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: November 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

From an older gamer Def Jam's Fight For New York was a breath of fresh air on the standard fight game scene. I am too old to memorize the obscenely complex patterns of the Old School Mortal Kombat games, and Killer Instinct and all that ensuing madness. Fight For New York reminds me of the simple controls of the original Street Fighter series. Punch, Kick, Grapple, and a couple of Blazin moves to remember was pretty much it for basic game-play.
The game i think really shines in Story mode pitting you as the hero working for the big, bad Big Guy D-Mob trying to beat down D-Mob's biggest foe Crow, and his countless Hip Hop soldiers. I am unfamiliar with the previous game but i did read that D-Mob is a carry over from Vendetta. Creating your own figher is fun, and i think really helps to immerse the player into the game. You can outfit with him with all sorts of real world fashions (all the stuff i can't afford, and couldn't pull off anyway), jewelry, haircuts, and tattoos. I think that had to be a large portion of the appeal of this game the buying and wearing of the supercool gear. Not mention the satisfying feeling of delivering a perfectly timed, and exectued Blazin' move to achieve a K.O.
I was able to finish the game in 6 hours, and found it VERY satisfying even though the end scene feels a tad rushed, and could have been fleshed out just a little more. I am not well versed in the genre but i believe that from other reveiwers that this game is a Who's Who of the Hip Hop culture though i am a HUGE fan of Henry Rollins who plays himself as your personal trainer (nice touch Henry, thank you!!)
My only complaint, and as minor as it is I think it is worth mentioning just for a second. The language is very strong, and while i don't have a problem with it. I am sure that it will turn some people purple with rage, and hope that it does not start some sort of new video game ratings craze similar to the GTA phenom, but then any publicity is good publicity. EA could have offered a toggle for language, but other then that. I think that it is a great game, and well worth the time, and money spent.
Great Graphics
Great Soundtracks
Great bare-knuckled fight action
Solid A++ for the fan of the Fighting Game Genre

Beat 'em Up Old and New School Style!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: November 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I haven't been into fighting games since the mid-90s, but I picked up DJFFNY because I was really interested in the ability to customize your own fighter and many of the celebrities you can play as this game.

You create your own fighter, customizing everything from skin tone to hair color. If you aren't the creative type, or just want to start playing, you can choose one of the pre-made characters.

Within the story mode of the game, you unlock additional clothing, jewelery, tattoos, and haircuts as you win matches against opponents. You also unlock development points (similar to those in SSX 3 or Tony Hawk) which can then be used to develop your physique, your moves, and your fighting style.

The soundtrack is great, as are the graphics and the voiceovers. There is a lot of blood whenever you smack someone around, and the sound effects when you clobber your opponent with a bottle or a pipe really sound painful.

The one thing that suprised me was the amount of swearing used. I'm not a prude, but does there really need to be a four-letter word used every time someone sends you an email?

It's a deep game...well at least the story mode is!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: May 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

All of what UK friend said was true: 70 characters,22venues,5 different fighting styles which you can make hybrid moves that combine three of the styles,and yes,you can make a your own fighter.However all of these fall short to the story mode.The story's like this:This time you r fighting FOR D-Mob;you remember him the guy you put in prison in the last game.Well anyway if you lose a match forget it you don't get another chance at it.This story mode branches into an epic,it changes based on your choices,so weather or not you beat Crow(the new top dog played by...well...Snoop Dogg)is all part of the drama.And your girlfriend will also effect the story in many ways.
One last thing,your clothes and bling effect weather the potentual girlfriends and crowds like you.If the crowds like you they'll help you.For enstance,they can hold your opponent while you hit them with a wepon(oh yeh you can use wepons in this one).

DEF JAM: FIGHT FOR NY

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: May 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

TAKE NO NOTICE OF WHAT THE OTHER 1 STAR REVIEW SAID! THIS GAME IS GONNA BE OFF DA CHAIN. EA HAVE CONFIRMED THAT IT WILL HAVE 70 CHARACTERS, 5 DIFRENT FIGHTING STYLES, 22 ARENAS/VENUES, CREATE YOUR OWN PLAYER, ONLINE PLAY AND 35 OF THE 70 CHARACTERS R RAPPERS! BUSTA RHYMES, XZIBIT, METHOD MAN, REDMAN, SLICK RICK, LIL KIM, LUDACRIS, CARMEN ELECTRA, FLAVA FLAV, AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON!! I HAVE SEEN 2 VIDEOS OF ACTUAL GAMEPLAY OF THE GAME AND I AM VERY IMPRESSED. B SURE 2 PICK THIS GAME UP WHEN IT DROPS IN SEPTEMBER 2004. IF U R STILL NOT SATISFIED WITH WHAT I HAVE SAID, GO 2 WWW.GAMESPOT.COM AND CHECK OUT DA SCREENSHOTS AND DA VIDEOS!

"Blazing" up the charts!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: October 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

BLAZING UP THE CHARTS...
Well, Def Jam Vendetta is back, but, this time, it's "The Fight for New York"... This game has it all... A great storymode, an awesome multiplayer mode, and more options than you'll know what to do with...
You can create your own character and guide him through different levels/events that will score you money/experience points/girlfriends/etc... You can use your money/experience points to unlock new characters/levels, bling bling ; ), secret moves, etc. This game is very deep, and it will keep you busy for a while, trying to unlock everything... The difficulty level is adjustable, so, you will not get bored fighting at the same level... The control is great, the player models are seamless, and the levels are well laid out... I highly recommend this game for anyone who is a fan of wrestling/fighting games/or just the hip hop industry in general. (so you can fight as your favorite entertainer)

Fun for a couple of days, then it gets real cheap

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: October 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Do you remember those incredibly cheap fighting game characters that would cause you to blow a gasket as they unleashed a 28-hit combo which you couldn't block or recover from? Remember how M. Bison in Street Fighter 2 or Heihachi in Tekken 1 were so incredibly cheap and would barely let you get a hit in? If that sounds like fun, then by all means buy Def Jam Fight for NY! This game is actually fun for a while, and it looks and sounds great, but it's too bad that the control is so cheesy and unbalanced that it basically ruined the game for me.

PROS: Great graphics, awesome voice-over acting, tons of cool customization options (real licensed gear; you can get Air Jordans for your character!), an interesting story line, and tons of famous (and less famous) hip-hop celebrities. This game has got style and character, without a doubt.

CONS: Unfortunately, the gameplay (you know, the actual point of the game, as opposed to buying jewelry and clothes for your fighter like some urban Barbie doll) is both too simple and too frustrating. The main problem is that all fights follow the same exact progression: land a punch or kick, get your opponent dizzy, grapple them, throw them down, pick them up while they're still dizzy, repeat. There are NO MOVES in this game. Oh sure, you can buy a couple dozen "blazin' moves", but these can only be used once or twice (rarely twice) a fight, and only in certain circumstances. The BIG weakness is that the computer AI is really cheap, and will basically string together about 25 moves before you can even move. Blocking and countering are really, really weak and tough to pull off, and I actually had a fight (admittedly with an upper level character) where I couldn't land a hit, and any miss on my part would result in a 3 minute orgy of hits from the AI. HHMMMMM... fun. I guess you could sum up the problem by saying that there is really little strategy involved, and that you can't get all that much better. The crowd and object interaction are also really poorly done, since the crowd is like a magnet: get too close to ANY spectator, and they'll hold you while the computer unleashes a 13 hit combo. Does this ever happen to the CPU? Rarely. Lastly, the arenas are well done, but you can't appreciate them because the camera stinks and half the time you can't see where your guy is!

This is a game that's actually more fun with somebody else, since you don't have to deal with the computer cheese that basically ruins what could have been a fun game... Rent first, definitely!

Setting the record straight...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: September 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I really dont understand why people have so much negative things to say about this game. When Tony Hawk wants some hip hop music to play the background of his games, thats cool. When GTA 3, and GTA Vice City had hip hop apart of its experience, it was cool. Think of all these games that have hip hop as the backdrop, but the second Def Jam has hip hop as the forefront of the gameplay, its a problem. I think Def Jam was pretty bold to market another game towards hip hop fans old and new. I've played the game, and even if sucked (which it really doesnt) the concept is still ground breaking in my eyes. I dont even listen to most of the artist in the game, because most of hip hop nowadays doesnt go along with the lifestyle I live. However, the lifestyle portrayed in GTA is far from my everyday grind, but it was still fun to steal cars, and shoot cops for no reason. All Im trying to say is that its just a game (a very good one at that), and sometimes people take games just a little too seriously. It's for our entertainment, just like movies, television, and music. Just take it for what it is....a solid title that plays off what people love (and hate) about hip hop. I see the same stereotypes in DJV:FFNY in WWE games, but it never causes this much of a stink. I love hip hop culture, and regardless of this games shallowness (in the storyline, not the gameplay...the gameplay is ill), I still think the game is dope, and good for hip hop culture, and its fans. Besides, I think "Parapa The Rapper" did far more damage to hip hop culture than this game ever will.....

GREAT Fighting Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: October 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First let me say the following:

1. I am not a fan of hip-hop. Nothing wrong with it, just not my thing.

2. I don't particularly care for wrestling games.

3. I never get excited about games that let you collect money so you can buy gobs of extras (clothes, etc).

That said, this game goes completely against what I normally like. This game has hip-hop dripping off the disc, it's a fighting/wrestling game, and a big part of the game is buying yourself clothes, jewelry, etc. This game is by far one of the most addictive games I'm played recently. Most fighting games get boring after a while, but with a great mix of martial arts, wrestling, jiujitsu, and kickboxing, this game doesn't get dull or repetitive.

PROS

- The assortment of styles and moves you can perform is incredible.
- The game presents itself in such a manner that you actually care about the story and your character.
- The graphics and sound are GREAT. I've seen review sites give it an 8/10 for graphics, which I don't understand; this game looks better than most on the shelves.
- Buying clothes and jewelry is actually - I hate to admit it - fun in this game.
- Somewhat interactive fighting arenas.

CONS
- Controls feel sluggish at first, at least until you "train" to get your speed up to par. After that, they feel great.
- At least for me, the game's medium (default) difficulty was VERY hard and VERY frustrating... after I put it on easy, I felt challenged but I didn't feel like my hands were tied behind my back.
- Game isn't as interesting once it's been beaten. You continue to fight, but without the story taking place, you don't feel as close to your character.

Lastly, THIS GAME IS NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS! PERIOD. I'm 27 years old, and this game cracked me up (you can't take it too seriously people), but kids shouldn't be allowed within 50 feet of it. It's littered with foul language (and not to mention INTENSE violece), but truthfully, it actually adds to the game's atmosphere. Just keep your kids away from it.

In a nutshell, if you like a good fighting game, you're almost sure to like this one. At least rent it for a day and see what you think.

Unusual twist of hip-hop and wrestling, but it works!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

A year after the out-of-the-blue sucess of Def Jam Vendetta, EA Games releases, Def Jam Fight For NY, with similiar results. Def Jam Fight For NY is an excellent wrestling game with tons of replay value, and a cool hip-hop influenced storyline to boot.

Notice how I referred to the game as a "wrestling" game? Unlike the game suggests, Def Jam Fight For NY is predominantly a WRESTLING game. The fighting system is based upon performing grapples and simple strikes, and performing combos and special moves. With so many moves to choose from and unlock, the fighting system is suprisingly deep, but the fights get just a bit repetitive after a while.

Def Jam Fight For NY story mode begins when D-Mob is being taken away by the boys in blue, when suddenly, a mysterious car topples the police cruiser and allows D-Mob to escape. The driver of the mysterious car, as you soon learn, is you, and you then create the appearance of your character using a police composite sketch, a pretty clever way to create your character. D-Mob then asks you to join their force of fighters to try and take over the whole fighting circuit of the city.

There are over 40 Def Jam labelmates appearing as fighters in the game. Snoop Dogg, the Top Dogg (naturally) of the opposing gang, with Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe and many others on his side, while your crew consists of the likes of Method Man, Redman and a few others. As the story progresses and you win fights, you can earn cash to spend on new clothes for your character, supplied by urban name-brands like Sean John, State Property, Joker, Enyce, and Ecko to name a few, new hairstyles for you character, tattoos, shoes, and many other accessories for you character to rock, and of course, there are many others to unlock as you progress through the story.

The story mode is long and deep, with a compelling story complete with story twists, and takes a lengthy 8 hours of play to complete. Of course, once you beat the story mode, you'll be coming back for more. As usual, there are many hip-hop tunes included in the game, courtesy of Def Jam of course, and multiplayer action is also included. Fans of wrestling, wrestling games, or hip-hop would find this game very appealing.

Gangsta's Paradise

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Def Jam Fight NY, for the Xbox is a fighting game that can be played by one to four players versus. First you can pick to play in story mode, where you create a character and play through its career/reputation or battle mode, which is a one fight deal. in Story mode the world is set in the slums of New York and you start as a lowly character trying to make money and build your reputation as a great fighter. With the money you make you can purchase, special moves and increase your character's stats. You can make him faster, stronger, and meaner. You can also purchase clothing, tattoos and even buy haircuts to change your characters appearance. You'll be fighting against characters based on real life hip-hop and rap artists such as; ice cube, sean paul, method man, redman, xzibit, omar epps, snoop dog and much more! The in-game music even features some of these artist's music, which fits perfectly into the game's gangster theme! In battle mode you play a single fight and earn points to unlock new fighters, arenas and music tracks. The fighting arenas themselves are excellent and are fun to play in because they are interactive- you can slam your enemies into walls, stereo speakers, and even cars! You can grab bottles, metal pipes and sticks to smack the crap out of your opponent! There are four fighting styles to pick from: wrestling, kickboxing, submission and martial arts! When you beat your oppenent sensless you gain blaze points. When your blaze meter is full, you can execute powerful combo moves! The fights are tough, and brutal; you'll see your character's face all bloody and bruised, blood even spurts on the floor! Def Jam fight for NY is one of the best fighting games out there on the market! Its gangter theme fits perfect into the atmosphere of the gameplay!

Pros:
+four fighting stlyes
+brutal and bloody fights
+excellent controls
+excellent animation
+excellent sound effects
+excellent music tracks
+excellent arenas
+excellent difficulty levels
+up to four players versus
+create your own character
+buy clothing, jewelry, haircuts, tattoos
+real-life hip-hop artist
+tons of unlockable goodies
+longest fighting game ever

Cons:
-computer cheats
-counter moves hard to pull off
-some arenas block your view

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