One of the improvements you will notice right off the bat in Fight for NY is the inclusion of a much stronger narrative. D-Mob (Chris Judge), recently ousted leader of one of the biggest gangs in New York, has been arrested. While on the way back to the precinct, the police car is attacked by your character, who then frees D-Mob and joins up with his crew. The action then shifts back to the police station, where the two officers who were attacked by your character give a description to the sketch artist, which is actually the point in the game where you design your characters appearance – quite a good idea. D-Mob then gives you the skinny on what's happening in underground New York – essentially, the big gangs in the city all compete in an underground fighting competition; beat the leader of a location, and your gang rules the territory. D-Mob's rival is Crow (Snoop Dogg, in a more serious role for a change), whose dirty tactics and constant drive to recruit you make him a formidable villain within the game.
Fight for NY's story mode will take you through various different locations, pitting you up against three members of each territory before you take on the leader. In between bouts, you can visit a number of areas to buy new clothes, new jewellery, new tattoos, or even train with Henry Rollins, using the money and points you earn during your fights. Your appearance has a number of effects in fights and in the storyline – the crowd will give better support if you're dressed appropriately, and you'll catch the eyes of a number of ladies (who will also fight over you at some point). At several points in the game, the story will take over and throw you into inescapable bouts – the most notable of which is a fight against Trejo (Danny Trejo from the El Mariachi trilogy) in a subway station, where obtaining victory requires you to push the opponent into the path of a subway train. Unfortunately, there is no bloody aftermath.
Oh, the cheesy puns we could have used had MC Hammer been in the game
Of course, fighting makes up the most important part of the game. Fight for NY deviates from the wrestling-centric Vendetta, offering up to 5 different fighting styles (kickboxing, street fighting, wrestling, martial arts and submissions) for your character, which can be mixed together. The fights themselves are a blend of Atari's arcade classic Pit Fighter and Fight Club (the movie, not the horrific game). The play areas are usually things like bars, clubs, construction areas and such, but can extend to wrestling rings and cages. The fights themselves are amongst the most brutal we've ever seen in videogames. Players are generally surrounded by a crowd, who will participate in the fight by handing out weapons, or holding your opponent for you to deliver a cheap blow.
The environment also plays a big part in fights, as you can smash your opponent through objects, throw them through walls and pillars, and so on. At its core, the fighting still has a resemblance to the AKI classics of old, but there's a higher allowance here for striking moves and combos than in previous titles from the same studio. The aim of a fight is to get a KO against your opponent, which basically means beating away at him/her until their meter is red, and then employing one of the different KO methods – a Blazin' move, a hit with a weapon, a combo move with a crowd member, a strong grapple striking move or some environmental destruction via your opponent's head. Unfortunately, the general move sets are relatively limited, and the only unlockable moves are the Blazin' moves, which are basically the equivalent to a finisher in wrestling. Blazin' moves are really quite brutal and are usually the means to an end when it comes to getting a KO. Two big problems exist in the fighting engine; namely that fights can be far too short (at less than a minute, sometimes) and that fights can turn on a dime without your opponent having any real skills whatsoever, which can be rather frustrating.
Pushing your opponent into the subway? That's Ludacris!
There are a number of match types outside of the single player story mode, which allow up to four players at a time – adding some much needed longevity to the title. Exhibition match types include your standard one-on-one battle, with different victory stipulations, from the regular KO type match to a timed match where the winner is judged on their fighting style, rather than how much damage they deal, a two vs. two team match, a four man Free-for-All, the Demolition match where the aim is to destroy your opponent's car using your opponent as a weapon, the Inferno match where you and your opponent are surrounded by fire, and more rather crazy fight modes. There are over seventy playable characters to choose from, including Crow, D-Mob, Ice-T, Blaze (Method Man), Magic (Busta Rhymes), Crack (Fat Joe), Ludacris, Carmen Electra, Sean Paul, Xzibit and many other celebrities and rap stars.
Presentation is a strong aspect of Fight for NY. Graphics are crisp, with plenty of detail on the fighters and environment. The brutality of the fights has been captured well, with your fighters showing the signs of battle after a bout. The indoor fights don't suffer from slowdown, but this can be a minor annoyance in the more detailed outdoor fights. The game also offers widescreen mode, a godsend for those of us with higher end sets. Fight for NY's sound is really good, which you'd expect from a game carrying the name of a record label on it. The selection of EA Trax is well suited to the style of the game, and the voice actors do a solid job of delivering their lines. Dolby Digital 5.1 is also supported.
Ludacris' opponent is out of breath from that hilarious pun in the previous caption
Def Jam: Fight for NY is certainly a solid fighting game, and a step in the right direction for EA, whose non-sports titles have been notoriously sub-par in the last couple of years. Fights can go a little too quickly for our liking, and certain fights in the story mode may frustrate players, but there's enough content here to last most gamers for a few months, especially when a few friends enter the equation. If you're looking for a brutal underground fighter, Fight for NY may well be the ticket. Just be wary that there's still room for improvement.
This review is brought to you courtesy of Infinite Gameplay, with unlimited game rentals starting from $19.95 a month.
Loading...
