The Takeover is, for all intents and purposes, a port of Def Jam: Fight for NY, despite the new storyline (allegedly set prior to the first Def Jam game (Vendetta) and the fact it features all of the characters introduced in the sequel. The new storyline isn’t that different from the one presented in the previous game – rather than saving the leader of a gang and joining up to build the gang up, you save a tattoo artist and have to build a gang up from a borough of your choice. The story scenes have been changed, now packing a comic book style presentation as opposed to the fully voiced cut scenes from the PS2/Xbox game. It’s pretty effective, but can lack impact at times. Basically, the point of the game is to attempt to take over each of the five boroughs present in the game (hence the title) by cracking a heck of a lot of skulls.
Check out my guns!
One of the best parts about the Def Jam games is that they use an updated form of AKI’s wrestling engine, made famous by their WCW and WWE titles on the Nintendo 64. This quality gameplay does come through intact on the PSP version of the game, but it depends entirely on your proficiency with the console’s somewhat stiff controls. With fewer buttons available on the PSP, AKI has had to make a compromise that isn’t entirely kind to the hands, with players now having to hold in the L button to use the stronger attacks, combinations of the L and R buttons for reversals, and so forth. It’s best to take your time to get used to these controls by starting off on an easier difficulty; otherwise, you’ll get your posterior served to you on a platter. Fights are just as varied and fast-paced as they were on the console versions of the game, featuring the same amount of fighting styles, moves and weapons. The Takeover does add one lot of new moves in the form of a mounted ground attack, which lets you pummel your foe on the ground.
The fighting in the game is still really brutal – you’ll be able to feel every punch, kick and whack to the head with a bat, thanks largely to the game’s high quality presentation. The developer has shown a lot of proficiency with the PSP hardware, with the game not having lost too much of its graphical prowess. On the downside, The Takeover has significantly less voicework and music - due largely to the smaller capacity of the UMD - and fairly significant load times. Regardless of the gimped playlist, the game’s music is of a reasonable standard if you’re into rap and hip-hop. Story mode itself is lengthy and mostly entertaining, but not as engrossing as the original Fight for NY equivalent. There’s plenty of depth for customisation of your character’s look and moveset, and a heck of a lot of other fighters to unlock. The Takeover features 68 fighters, most of them based on real life people – Henry Rollins, Redman, Danny Trejo, Carmen Electra, Snoop Dogg, Method Man, Busta Rhymes and so on.
Obligatory 'You got served' caption
Multiplayer was a particularly important part of the Fight for NY experience, and The Takeover does a reasonably good job of providing some two-player action. Unfortunately, that’s all it is – just two players, unlike the four we saw on the console version of the game. On the plus side, the game does have an infrastructure mode, so you won’t have too much trouble finding someone to play with.
While still a good game at its core, The Takeover is not entirely fresh, even if it is comparatively better to the other games that have received the PSP port treatment from EA. Arguably the game’s biggest problem is the extent to which players have to adapt to the compromised control scheme on offer – it’s something you can get over if you’re persistent, but that doesn’t make it acceptable. However, if you need some filthy street brawling action on the PSP, then The Takeover is probably your best bet.
Loading...
