It might seem odd to start a review of a fighting game with praising the story but while Def Jam Vendetta II stands out even today with its fighting mechanics and its unique vibe, it also has a surprisingly well-developed plot. They tie it into the first game in a fun way, including D-Mob as the beleaguered mentor when he was a villain in the original entry but you get a rags to riches story of your character coming up through the ranks, becoming a member of "the family" and gaining money, infamy and even a steady girlfriend. Just a little past halfway through, the twist drops and you have to do it all again but it never becomes boring and the stakes remain high throughout. I wouldn't call the ending beats of the story "revolutionary" but they're appropriately cathartic and they match the struggle that our hero has gone through. It doesn't rewrite the book on video game plots but between where you go with the story, the characters you interact with and the dialogue you share with your fellow fighters, it's all top notch for the genre. It outpaces every story mode I've ever played through in any wrestling or fighting game easily and it's another reason this game is great.
The most important reason that this game is so memorable is the fighting mechanics which were lightyears ahead of its time for fighting mechanics. The choreography, flow of the fights, the hitting and counter system and the special ability attacks are phenomenal. Not only do they carry the street fight environment, they take it up another level. You feel the punches and kicks but the added bonuses of interacting with the environment and the crowd lend a fluidity to the game that few other games possess. Not only that but the weapons and the finishers really feel epic (despite them not being terribly plausible) and whether you break someone's back with a punishing grapple, ring out someone through a wooden fence, throw them into fire or even push them in front of a moving subway train, it punctuates the experience and other than the occasionally blind spot in the camera work, the words flawless and transcendent come to mind when I think about Def Jam 2's gameplay.
While the story is good, one of the more shocking things is the pure number of rap legends that they were able to include in this game. The game also doesn't feature hip hop artists exclusively (you also have the inclusion of actors and actresses like Danny Trejo, Carmen Electra and Henry Rollins) but they're all unique, they have varied fighting styles, unique taunts and finishers to distinguish them from the pack. Are they all equally memorable? No but minus their overall fighting style and overall gameplay mechanics, you have no problem figuring out which character is which or finding things to like about each of them. You also don't have to be into hip hop to enjoy the game, with how the fights are structured, it's more like a wrestling game with different styles peppered in. I also think the soundtrack is pretty good despite being a novice rap fan at best. Some of the bigger names in the game have music that's included in the score and it's all well done.
If you want me to continue to gush about how amazing this game is, I could easily do it for another couple hundred words. Def Jam Vendetta 2 isn't just one of the most underrated games to come out on the PS2, one of the best fighting games on any system, it's in the pantheon of my favourite games ever. It's astounding to me how far ahead of its time it was and even compared to the big budget releases in the genre, it runs circles around them. The gameplay and mechanics are super fun and phenomenally done, the story is deep enough to keep you interested (something that almost never happens), the graphics are good for the system and the characters and venues are extremely memorable. I unconditionally love this game; it may not be perfect in every aspect but I'm absolutely going to give it a 10/10 score. I would love for it to get a remaster but if you can find a copy and have a ps2 handy, it's 100% worth giving it a try.
The most important reason that this game is so memorable is the fighting mechanics which were lightyears ahead of its time for fighting mechanics. The choreography, flow of the fights, the hitting and counter system and the special ability attacks are phenomenal. Not only do they carry the street fight environment, they take it up another level. You feel the punches and kicks but the added bonuses of interacting with the environment and the crowd lend a fluidity to the game that few other games possess. Not only that but the weapons and the finishers really feel epic (despite them not being terribly plausible) and whether you break someone's back with a punishing grapple, ring out someone through a wooden fence, throw them into fire or even push them in front of a moving subway train, it punctuates the experience and other than the occasionally blind spot in the camera work, the words flawless and transcendent come to mind when I think about Def Jam 2's gameplay.
While the story is good, one of the more shocking things is the pure number of rap legends that they were able to include in this game. The game also doesn't feature hip hop artists exclusively (you also have the inclusion of actors and actresses like Danny Trejo, Carmen Electra and Henry Rollins) but they're all unique, they have varied fighting styles, unique taunts and finishers to distinguish them from the pack. Are they all equally memorable? No but minus their overall fighting style and overall gameplay mechanics, you have no problem figuring out which character is which or finding things to like about each of them. You also don't have to be into hip hop to enjoy the game, with how the fights are structured, it's more like a wrestling game with different styles peppered in. I also think the soundtrack is pretty good despite being a novice rap fan at best. Some of the bigger names in the game have music that's included in the score and it's all well done.
If you want me to continue to gush about how amazing this game is, I could easily do it for another couple hundred words. Def Jam Vendetta 2 isn't just one of the most underrated games to come out on the PS2, one of the best fighting games on any system, it's in the pantheon of my favourite games ever. It's astounding to me how far ahead of its time it was and even compared to the big budget releases in the genre, it runs circles around them. The gameplay and mechanics are super fun and phenomenally done, the story is deep enough to keep you interested (something that almost never happens), the graphics are good for the system and the characters and venues are extremely memorable. I unconditionally love this game; it may not be perfect in every aspect but I'm absolutely going to give it a 10/10 score. I would love for it to get a remaster but if you can find a copy and have a ps2 handy, it's 100% worth giving it a try.