Def Jam: Fight for NY (2004 Video Game) User Reviews

A flawless victory of a game !

[houssameasy · 9/10 · 21 May 2021]

A fighting game involving rappers sure sounds like a very odd premise , but in this case , it ends up being well executed , the story is both fascinating and tragic at the same time , the gameplay is very cool and very fluid , the fighting system is graphical and realistic because it contains blood and gore but not at the same level as MORTAL KOMBAT , snoop dogg is the final boss of the game , and he was the perfect boss for the game despite being too difficult. You can create your own fighters , whether you create yourself or create your proper character and choose the perfect voice fit for the character itself you created , there are a ton of iconic rappers you could play as such as Ice-T , Redman , Fat joe , Method Man , etc ... , but I think there are some flaws such as the crowd animation and hard use of weapons , from the start you might be frustrated by how incredibly difficult the game is , but later you could improve on your playing skills .

Anyway , this game is must for fans and gamers alike , highly recommend you to play it . 9/10.

A fighting game involving trains, fire, and Snoop dogg.

[The_Light_Triton · 9/10 · 17 September 2009]

Thanks to Def Jam: fight for New york, you can fight as your favorite Def Jam star.

While this game might glamorize street gangs and violence, and at the same time giving it an image that it teaches respect, it's by far one of the most fun fighters i've ever played. A stellar cast including Snoop Dogg, Ice-t, Chris Judge, Method Man, Danny Trejo, and Femme fatales like Lil' Kim, Carmen Electra and Kimora Lee Simmons, you're in for a fun ride.

The story begins after Gang leader D-mob is arrested at his illegal fight club. While being escorted by two cops to the police station, the car they are riding in is crashed, and D-mob is liberated by an unknown.

That's when you, the player comes in. One of the cops will talk to the sketch artist (the beautiful Lauren) and you get to pick what you initially look like.

D-mob then initiates you into his gang. Your role is to fight in the clubs, taking them over so they belong to D-mob, and at the same time, buying yourself new threads (clothes) new bling (jewelery) New ink (tattoos) and getting new hairstyles. Also, you will train to fight under the great Henry Rollins of the punk band, Black Flag.

I actually love this game, after playing it for over 2 years. I commented on it before, actually knocking the gamecube version, which was a big mistake. The cube version lacks a few things, but not the fun in the game, which is what really counts. If you don't like him, you can throw rapper Sean Paul in front of an oncoming subway train. Got a beef with the public enemy? You can set Flava Flav on fire. Think Lil' Kim can fly? Throw her out of a window if you'd like. You can even pimp an SUV with Xzibit by slamming his head against it repeatedly. The possibilities are near endless.

This one is a good party game. I recommend it, but due to it's increased popularity...it's price has gotten jacked up brutally in the last few years.

But it's worth playing.

9/10

Limited appeal

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 19 October 2004]

Once you finish Def Jam: Fight for NY there's not much reason to go back to it. But as a VS game it's one of the best. I'm so sick and tired of utterly endless Tekken/MK/Soul Caliber/etc variations with effects and moves that are far too fantastical. Def Jam gives us real, bloody, bone-crunching action with characters we know and recognize from real life. For those of you who like this simple form of gameplay I urge you to get this game above all.

The Pros:

Amazing graphics.

Simply GREAT music.

Grim satisfaction in breaking an opponents bones.

Cool finishing moves and slo-mo shots.

Involving cut-scenes.

Gorgeous girls.

Henry Rollins.

The Cons:

Incredibly linear story progression.

Far too many long loading times.

Massive range of clothing that differs little.

Same for tattoos.

And jewelery.

Weapons too difficult to pick up (if you stand over it and hit the pick-up button your character will often foolishly grab at a non-nearby opponent instead of the weapon).

Poor crowd animation.

No opportunity to customize player name, resulting in bland text when other fighters have cool fonts and logos.

Repetitive gameplay.

Playing areas are not big enough.

Could have been gorier.

No reason given for main characters motivations/involvement.

It took me just over a week to finish this game. And once it's over there's no point in going on unless your playing head to head with a pal. But at that point you're likely to be so advanced in your stats you'll make easy work of them.

Rent this game.

Not bad... and it reintroduced me to rap.

[Tenchi64589 · 18 April 2005]

I've just recently played this game, and there are so many reasons to like it.

First of all, the moves and environments rock! I've never seen a game where you can plow a dude's face into the wall for a finisher... that's pretty good.

Also, all the music and all the celebrity voices brought back the main reason that I enjoyed listening to rap: brutal honesty.

Finally, the fact that you can keep changing the look of your character is incredible... if only I had that kind of ability. It's like, I have a bald head and all of a sudden, I have a huge head of dreadlocks... that'd be cool.

Of course, the game is not without its flaws: trying to pick up a weapon is no easy task. You have to stand at just the right position to do it.

Not only that, but as much as I love the free for all matches, it's hard to turn the other way and attack.

Finally, to cap off this review, this game gets a 9.5 out of 10.

One of My Favourite Games of All Time

[CANpatbuck3664 · 10/10 · 13 November 2021]

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 Hip Hop Fighting Game Masterpiece

[kervindonngo · 10/10 · 5 November 2022]

One of the most excellent hip-hop-influenced fighting ever made. Def Jam Fight For NY is something that we have never seen before and that we have always needed. A fighting game with the crowds used as a weapon or a hazard, Satisfying environmental takedowns, and best of all it has one of the most brutal and painful Blazing Moves that are so unbelievable to look at and completely over the top and the best part in this game is character creation.

But the weapons feel a little weirdly handled because they did not do takedowns and have little damage counts. However, this game did not stop becoming one of the best.

The cast in Def Jam was really good and so is the story with their selves as alternate Def Jam Fight personas. While some really felt missing like Jervis and Starks.

Still, this is the best game to recall your memories.

"Fight for NY" is one of the best fighter games on the PS2 - period.

[retroguy02 · 6 September 2008]

Publisher: EA Games

Developer: EA Canada

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Graphics: 9/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Sound: 9/10

Challenge: 9/10

Overall: 9.5 (of 10)

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+ The perfect combo of tightly balanced controls and graphics that truly kick ass (by PS2 standards)

+ A vast variety of combat moves that extend far beyond wrestling

+ A good variety of terrific locales that host a depth of cool environmental attacks

+ Synchronized dialogue and great hip-hop soundtrack that feels just right for the game's thuggish mood

+ A highly engaging and diverse gang-based story that is pulled off very well

• The story mode would have been better if it had more than one storyline in it

• Certain fights can get quite frustrating, especially in the beginning

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Conclusion

Although this is my first Def Jam game (didn't play "Vendetta"), it is definitely one of the best fighting games that I've ever played -- and I say that as a Mortal Kombat fan. A prominent feature of Fight for NY is the Blazing system, i.e. once you have beaten up your opponent to a certain extent, a meter fills and glows up telling you to pull off a fatal over-the-top move. As you perform the move, the screen goes all druggy and colors flash all around in high hues, which sets a great mood indicating the character's anger. Nearly everything else about the game is also implemented superbly -- definitely something that no fighter game enthusiast should miss out on, as well as a worthwhile experience for any casual gamer.

This game rocks

[wsp · 23 October 2004]

I love this game.... For those of you who were fans of the WCW/WWF games (by THQ/AKI for the Nintendo64 - as in World Tour, Revenge, Wrestlemania 2000 and No Mercy)You will LOVE this game... it's the wrestling/fighting game you've been waiting for.... but with Gore and swearing and one of the coolest character creations styles ever (although it makes creating numerous characters a little long and tedious) I love it though.. the gameplay, graphics, sound... everything. I've played through story mode 3 times already... and although you might not be sick and have way too much time like me it's a ridiculously fun game. It's not too expensive and if you have a bunch of buddies who love that type of game it's worth buying (2nd hand if you can find it) Anyway I give this game a 9.5/10

Great story, sad ending.

[CivicV8 · 8 March 2006]

Def Jam: Fight for NY is a great game, and it's not short. Beginning in story mode, you have to train yourself to get stronger and face bigger, better fighters. During the long adventure, you'll start to build fame and gain a good reputation. At the end, those who hated you will have joined your side. To me, the ending feels sad because you started off unknown to the community and you've now became the true warrior- forever, with a well known standing name. Your once enemies are now your troops.

However, I think the producers lacked on the ending. So much movie clips in the beginning and so little in the end.

Graphics- Very clean and smooth. Frame skip is excellent and rarely any slowdowns.

Sound- Ouch! Do you hear all that bone-crunching and snapping? High quality sound effects makes you feel it!

Music- Sadly 25 artist tracks in the game.

Gameplay- Challenging to learn. That's why there's a gym to train you to become a pro in no time.

Replay value- Very high. If you love hip hop artists and movie stars and like to see them fight one-on-one, Def Jam is very fun to play. Over 30 characters and lots of stages to choose from. Some stages got rules like- Ring out, subway match, burn 'em and window match. Can't go bored.

Overall rating- 8/10.

Love Def Jam Fight for New York!

[BrightEyes_PR · 10 September 2005]

I am not much of a gamer and I usually go for puzzle or cartoon-type games. I have Never likes fighting games. but as a hip-hop / rap lover I wanted to try this game out. my plans were to buy it used and then give it back in trade-in. Yeah Right!!! i fell in love with the game!! The whole make your own character, the customizing, the characters themselves!! Everything!! I finished it with a character I made to look like the guy of my dreams (hehehe) and then started again to try to get the trophies. I played it straight through the first time without taking trophies in consideration. (Like I said, I'm not much of a gamer and I've always sucked in fighting games that's why i never liked them) I read that Def Jam 3 is coming out and the characters are gonna look more real, the accessories will have a role also (what I mean is 4 ex. rings will influence punches), and you'll be able to have more control over your character vs. no6t having control during the whole blazing, etc. I think the report came out in last month's Game Informer magazine. Also instead of having it be about underground fighting is gonna be more about starting up your own record label. I can't wait!!!!