Def Jam: Fight for NY Critic Reviews

Even if straight-on wrestling isn’t your thing, the fighting element in the game is involved enough to please fighting game fans. Of course, fans of the hip-hop genre will love the atmosphere in the game.

Despite the occasional glitch and lack of online play, Def Jam: Fight for New York is an excellent fighter that manages to revive a dying genre without needing to recreate it.

Point blank…if you need a serious bare-knuckle fighting game in your collection, look no further. Def Jam: Fight for N.Y. is everything the hype boasts about and then some. Solid, diverse gameplay makes this title one of the best fighters this year.

As far as sequels go, Fight for NY is to "Vendetta" what "The Empire Strikes Back" was to "Star Wars."

Whether you're a fan of hip-hop or not, Def Jam Fight for NY delvers on all fronts and simply shouldn't be missed by fans of fighting, wrestling, or brawling games.

A game that practically reinvents the original and presents what's arguably one of the most visceral, compelling fighting experiences you're likely to have this side of 2005.

Various artificially induced frustrations hold the game back from its true potential. Still, it's nearly there, and for those with strong jaws, it's an otherwise exceptional experience. The next game should be unstoppable, but it better well feature Eric B. and Rakim.

The level of work that went into this game is way beyond the norm. It's obvious that no expense was spared in making Def Jam Fight For NY a big-time title... It's one the most polished fighting games available.

A really good beat-en-up that really absorbs players. Graphically the game is very well done, and the soundtracks enhance the whole hip-hop underground scene that the title is trying to represent and exaggerate.

Besides the camera, the graphics are some of the best I've seen in fighting games.

I recommend it if you aren’t squeamish about knocking the crap out of very realistic and very familiar looking people.

Although the violence is a lot harsher, the gameplay and tension has been revamped to give a more intuitive feel without losing the need to improve those button tapping skills.

One hell of a brawler. A fantastically weighted fighting system that perfectly demonstrates how thick, raw sound effects and smooth animation can suck you into the visceral, almost feral world of these underground fights gives your fingers, eyes and ears all something to digest while plowing through a story that actually keeps you in the game.

On any platform, though, this is the best 3D fighter of the year (and the best urban fashion simulator of any year, if that means anything).

So much better then the last version. And with saying that, the last version was also great. One problem I did find was how hard this game was. You can set the level of difficulty but damn even the easy is tough!

An exceptional game. Feel free to pick it up just to see your favorite rap stars and thugs beat up one another. You'll end up getting a nicely designed fighting game in the process.

As for the action itself, this is some very fast-paced and brutal - very brutal - action. Although the control scheme is relatively simple, you'll quickly learn that ther is an exact science to adminstering grapples and harsh environmental moves at just the right moment.

With a new fighting system, four player battle mode, story mode, hot girls, over forty hip hop persona’s, twenty interactive environments, and stunningly brutal moves make this the most appealing fighting game in 2004.

The best part of all, though, is the story mode, which not only has a great create-a-fighter option, but also a surprisingly good story that almost flawlessly ties all aspects of the game together.

Even if you don't end up the biggest fan of the grappling system, the Blazin' Moves are certain to leave anyone impressed. There's a great sense of fun, of true enjoyment in the development of Fight for NY and that translates to the game.