Def Jam: Fight for NY

Overview

Def Jam: Fight for NY is a 3D fighting video game developed by AKI Corporation and EA Canada and published by EA Games. It was released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox on September 21, 2004. The game is the second main installment in EA's Def Jam-licensed hip-hop video game series, and the direct sequel to Def Jam Vendetta. It was ported to the PlayStation Portable under the title Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover in 2006, and was followed up by Def Jam: Icon in 2007.

The game features several rappers, including Lil' Kim, Snoop Dogg, Method Man & Redman, Slick Rick, Memphis Bleek, Lil' Flip, Scarface, Ghostface Killah, Fat Joe, Mobb Deep, Ice-T, Xzibit, Capone-N-Noreaga, Ludacris, Crazy Legs, Busta Rhymes, Bubba Sparxxx and Sean Paul as well as the voices and likeness of other celebrities, such as Henry Rollins, Christopher Judge, Carmen Electra, Baby Chris, Jacob Arabo and Kimora Lee Simmons.

The game takes place immediately after Def Jam Vendetta. D-Mob (Chris Judge) is arrested by NYPD cops Starks and Jervis and placed in the back of their cop car when an SUV hits it, causing it to flip over. D-Mob crawls out of the wreckage and boards the SUV as Jervis catches a glimpse of the suspect before passing out. He later describes his appearance to Lauren. The suspect becomes the game's protagonist, nicknamed "The Hero".

Josh Holmes, the producer from EA Canada wanted to improve on Def Jam Vendetta. The research they have done shows that veteran gamers were familiar with the game control system yet new players were intimidated by the complexity that has been used since WCW vs. nWo: World Tour that first appeared on the Nintendo 64. The team decided to simplify the controls and make them more intuitive: "We found that straight one-on-one fighting tended to get stale over time, no matter how polished the fighting engine was". The team added secondary elements like crowds, weapons and interactive environments for the player to use as a weapon.

The game sold over a million copies and received largely positive reviews. GameSpot and IGN gave it a score of 8.7 out of 10 and GameSpy and X-Play gave it a score of 4 out of 5. GameSpot's Alex Navarro praised the game for improving nearly every aspect from its predecessor, including the new fighting styles, character creation, and interaction with weapons and environments. Criticism generally befell on the game's camera view and frame rate issues that are found in all console versions. Additionally reviewers mentioned that the game is laden with a lot of profanity.

Official trailer

Gameplay Video. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Fighting, Sport

Developer

EA Canada, AKI Corporation

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Series

Def Jam

Platforms

Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2

Age rating

ESRB M

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

Yes

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

ESRB

M

CLASS IND

18

Release dates

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single-player only, with no online features.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Credits

Region

US