Review
Release Date: 04.01.2003
Platform:
GameCubeDeveloper:
AKI CorporationPublisher:
EA SPORTS BIGReviewed by
Samuel Altersitz on 4.29.2003
| Review Rating: 8/10 | User Rating: 7/10 |
EA Sports Big has released its latest video game: a wrestling game using the Def Jam Records license and utilizing some of Def Jam’s current stars as characters within it. These stars include: DMX, Capone, N.O.R.E., Ghostface Killah, Redman, Method Man, and Ludacris, as well as others.
Def Jam Vendetta was created by AKI Corporation, the developers that made the N64’s most successful wrestling games, such as WCW/nWo Revenge, Wrestlemania 2000, and WWF No Mercy. EA Sports Big hopes to utilize AKI’s incredible wrestling game engine to make Def Jam Vendetta a success.
Fans of AKI’s previous wrestling games will get into the game fairly quickly. One thing they’ll notice is that the graphics have been given a huge overhaul from the N64 days. Character models are very well detailed, including facial animations during play. All of the backgrounds are fairly simple in design, but feature fully polygonal spectators (even if they just continually do the same motions over and over again) instead of just 2D pictures of a crowd. There aren’t a lot of spectators, but that fits with the theme of the game.
Def Jam Vendetta moves away from the big arena type games, and tries to utilize a more underground feeling; something akin to the book and movie Fight Club. Rings vary from a warehouse and a rooftop to underneath one of the bridges connecting New York and New Jersey. More arenas become unlocked as you progress through the game’s story mode, allowing you to use that arena in other play modes. Only one ring can be considered your typical arena style area, the final Def Jam arena.
Also new to the AKI developed games are voices for most of the characters. Every combatant, except the four used in the game’s story mode, have their own voices; and all of the Def Jam artists voiced their own Vendetta alter egos. Surprisingly, all of the voice acting is done very well; and (of course) all of the voices seem to really fit the wrestlers. DJ Funkmaster Flex does the announcing, as well as some in-game commentary; which fits the game very nicely, especially since he isn’t reacting to the simplest moves all the time.
Def Jam Vendetta also moves away from some traditional aspects of wrestling games. The majority of wins will not come from pin-falls, but from K.O.s. In keeping with the more underground, gritty style they are going for, knocking your opponent out is preferable to pinning them; and the special moves that knock your adversaries out are quite over the top, which is a deviation from the previous AKI made games, which utilized only real moves from each pre-created wrestler.
There are a few different modes of play. Some of them are single player, while others are multiplayer. In the end, however, the game’s story mode is considered the most important single player mode, since you are required to go through this mode to open up most of the other wrestlers for the other game modes. By defeating opponents in the story mode, you unlock them for every other mode. Throughout the course of the game you can also unlock new outfits for many of the non-Def Jam licensed wrestlers.
There are four characters in the game designed for play in story mode. However, don’t expect any differing stories. Each character plays through the exact same story, with the exact same ending and cinemas (changed only to reflect which character you are using). The basic plot of the story mode is that you get called out of retirement to help an old friend who can’t wrestle because of injuries, and you end up trying to get back your old girlfriend from the guy that forced you to retire and took her. It’s not Oscar worthy, but it flows well enough for the game.
The game’s main draw, however, is multiplayer. The game supports up to four-player simultaneous play. This can be free for all style, or tag team. In the end, multiplayer is much more fun than single player. You also gain money for your user profile for winning multiplayer matches, which can be used to help increase your story mode character’s stats.
DJV uses what appears to be a very simple fighting engine, which is actually quite deep once it is mastered. The game utilizes a move set based on weak and strong versions of the moves. Tap the strike button, and you do a weak strike, press it to do a strong strike; the same applies for grapples. In the beginning of matches, it is almost impossible to pull off strong grapples, as they will be countered very easily while your opponent is still strong. Depending on whether you tap or press the button, and what direction you move the Control Stick or D-Pad will depend on which move is pulled off. There are different moves for strong or weak grapples and also vary depending if you grappled your adversary from the front or behind.
The game also utilizes a Momentum Meter, which shows you how well the match is going for each character. Getting off moves gives you more momentum, while being countered or on the receiving end of moves lowers it. The game also rewards variety; giving you full momentum boost for each unique move pulled off, and only half the normal boost for every successive time a move is used. The higher your momentum, the more apt you are to counter moves placed upon you. Countering moves also gives you a large boost in momentum. When your meter is flashing, you may perform a special move by moving the C-Stick in any direction to get your “Blazin’” mode activated. After that, simply grapple your adversary and move the C-Stick again to pull off your special move.
Wrestlers have three different types of health meters, as well. There is the main health meter, which is brightly colored. This decreases as damage is taken. Slightly behind the main meter, and actually just a slightly darker shaded version of the main meter is the health tank. This shows you the maximum amount of health that a character will regenerate while he/she is not under attack. Both the maximum main health, and the health tank decrease with each successful move used against a combatant. When this double meter is flashing “Danger!!” you are more likely to be pinned or knocked out. Your momentum during the match can help or hinder your health regeneration; the higher your momentum, the faster your health regenerates, while it comes back slower if your Momentum Meter is low.
The third health meter is actually a variety of meters focusing on different body parts. Each type of submission move attacks a certain body part: head, body, arms, or legs. When the body part health meter is empty, the next submission move placed upon that particular area results in a submission from that character. Also, body part health does not regenerate.
The game does have some faults, a few of which can really detract from its overall appeal. The computer controlled AI wrestlers, for example, are extremely tough when playing against them. This doesn’t just go for the Def Jam artists, who are the ‘title holders’ in the game, but for the no-name fictional wrestlers created for the game as well.
Game balance has always been an issue with the AKI wrestling games, but it had improved over time on the N64. Not so with Def Jam Vendetta. The computer is cheap, and can easily come back from being on the receiving end of a long beating to turn around and win a match in under a minute. It’s not unusual to see your character become stunned off of the very first hit from the AI wrestlers, while it can literally take you five minutes, or more, of beating on them to get them stunned. Obviously, it’s harder to defend against moves while you are stunned.
AI wrestlers also have a Momentum Meter advantage. They simply gain much more momentum, much faster than human players can ever hope to. And once the computer’s momentum is higher than the player’s, the match quickly moves in favor of the computer’s wrestler. This can become excessively frustrating as the computer can counter just as much with a low momentum as it can with a high momentum; while the player suffers from a much harder time countering while their momentum is low (and, in fact, players also suffer from a handicap in countering while their momentum is high as well). These faults make the story mode very frustrating at times. Even setting the difficulty to easy has no bearing on this, as the game will still do unrealistic comebacks and defeat players over and over again.
In multiplayer modes, each player only has as many characters open to them as they do within each of their user profiles. So while one person may own the game, and open up all 41 characters, his/her friends will be left using only those characters open to all players from the start-- unless they make their own user profiles and play through story mode. This is simply unacceptable. When a character has been opened for all modes of play in the game, then every user should be able to use that character when playing multiplayer. EA Sports Big and AKI cannot realistically believe that everyone playing multiplayer with friends has the time, or the want, to go through the game’s frustrating single player story mode, especially if they do not own the game themselves.
There is also the lack of a create-a-wrestler mode in this game. While not a huge fault in my eyes, as every character has their own personality and style, CAW has become a mainstay of wrestling games since the PSX and N64. Even past AKI developed wrestling games on the N64 had CAW modes.
Overall, even with its faults, Def Jam Vendetta is the best wrestling game released on the GameCube to date. While it can become excessively frustrating in single player mode, multiplayer mode really shines and will, ultimately, be the draw of people to the game. Even if you aren’t a fan of the Def Jam artists, the game play—especially in multiplayer—will draw you in.
