For many pro-wrestling fans it has been years since a decent wrestling game has hit the market. World Wrestling Entertainment has only had one decent game in “Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth” and the “Legends of Wrestling” series proved to be a great disappointment to old school fans. The reason behind all of this is because the engine for wrestling games that was so popular in the Nintendo 64 titles was produced by AKI. Up until now, that engine has not been placed because AKI no longer develops WWE games. However, they have finally found a way around the big time wrestling label by using another popular group of people in rap stars.
In EA and AKI’s “Def Jam Vendetta” you have the ability to use four different characters in story mode and about 30 characters for versus mode. Anyone who has ever played the wrestling titles on the N64 will know just how to handle the controls of this game. This is definitely not a game that you can get by with simple button mashing. Like other fighting games, it takes strategy and skill to beat each opponent you face.
For those looking for the same type of easy flowing story mode as the older N64 games, look somewhere else. This game is as hard as wrestling games can come. It will take you hours of frustration to get past some guys depending upon how quickly you can develop your skills. This is where you will find one of the faults in the game. There is no skill level you can change and the guys, at times, will seem nearly unbeatable. I spent a fair amount of time yelling at the television because the computer was able to block everything I had, but then again I’m sure the little digital rapper couldn’t hear me.
One of the better aspects of the game is the moves for each character. While you will find that there is not a lot of variation in standard moves for the guys and girls, each character has his or her own finishers. Some of the moves you will recognize from pro wrestling, while others are physically impossible to perform. This special move system is very similar to the old system. Your character must build up his “popularity bar” and tap the taunt stick to get into his special mode. Then grapple your opponent and watch the fun.
Adding another problem with the game is the reversal system. While the computer can reverse pretty much anything you throw at it, you will find yourself lucky to reverse a turnbuckle whip. This is very frustrating to anyone who hates seeing the computer opponent getting the best of you every time. It is definitely a skill that takes hours and hours of practice to learn how to reverse each individual move.
Also, unlike the old games, there are no weapons at all. So, rappers wrestle each other without using weapons. It just makes it seem more fake than pro-wrestling really is. It takes a certain fun factor out of the game when you cannot play as Redman and take a steel chair to DMX’s head over and over again. This will definitely disappoint wrestling fans who ran out and grabbed the game before reading the reviews.
The worst part of the game is the story mode. You are limited to four non-rapper guys and you would expect each guy has their own special story at least, but that’s not the case. Each guy goes through the exact same storyline and they don’t speak a single word during the course of the story. You go through rappers like DMX, Method Man, Redman, Ludacris, Ghostface Killah, and Scarface.
On the bright side of the game, the characters are extremely detailed and animated. Each opponent has some form of trash talk to throw at you before the match. The most amusing comments coming from Method Man and Redman, and the rappers look very much like their real life counterparts. Each rapper has a wrestling style to fit his personal tastes and features songs like DMX’s “X Gonna Give It to Ya!” This game will provide a big, but beatable, challenge to pro wrestling gamers out there. If anything I’d say rent it first to see how you like it because it is definitely a desired taste. “Def Jam Vendetta” is available now for GameCube and PS2. It retails for $49.99.
