Def Jam slams

Hip hop music has thrived in America for more than 20 years. Within the past decade, corporate powers have given up watching in awe and got involved in the billion dollar industry.

When the video game industry felt the influence of hip hop culture, games like Madden and NBA Live featured top-notch hip hop soundtracks. However, few games really captured the flavor of the urban lifestyle – until now.

Def Jam Vendetta bullied its way onto the Playstation 2 and Gamecube scene with brute force.

Created by Electronic Arts’ “BIG” division, DJV takes gamers deep into the world of street fighting and introduces them to some of hip hop’s biggest stars engaged in a battle for ring supremacy.

The storyline of the game consists of your character getting back into the underground street fighting scene to avenge a friend. Suddenly, he finds himself contending for the championship, money, power and of course, to satisfy his vendetta.

Veteran gamer, Drew Nichols of Fort Worth, Texas, contributed his knowledge to help analyze the technical aspects of the game. Nichols said Vendetta scored well across the board for a fighter game and excels at what it’s trying to accomplish.

“The fighting engine is solid, with controls that welcome both button mashers [casual gamers] and hardcore veterans alike [with more complex button combinations yielding fancier moves],” he said.

The storyline is decent and the game comes equipped with colorful characters.

Nichols said DJV’s graphics are top of the line and “leak flavor from every polygon and pixel.”

Def Jam Vendetta boasts 39 fighters, more than 1,500 fighting moves and a reward system that includes money, clothes and groupies.

The rappers that appear in the game are some of Def Jam’s all-stars, including Method Man, Redman, Ludacris and DMX.

And what good would the Def Jam imprint be if it didn’t get a hot soundtrack? This game features more than a dozen of the label’s greatest hits.

Def Jam Vendetta is definitely worth the hype it received on the hip hop circuit. For the hip hop heads, the game delivers the experience of letting you mix it up with some of your favorite artists.

For fighting and wrestling fans, the game carries more than enough features to hold its own against any other fight game on the market.

The title’s potential was so strong during production that Vendetta 2 began planning stages before the first edition hit stores. To rent or buy is your decision, but if you enjoy video games and/or hip hop, then you should add this to your collection.

The only thing missing – L.L. Cool J.