User Rating: 8.3 | Def Jam Vendetta PS2
DJV offers a nice dose of nostalgia with a b*tch slap shooter on the side. Personally, I can't tell you how jazzed I was to see my old AKI/THQ engine at it again. No Mercy and Wrestlemania 2000 for the N64 were and still are some of my favorite wrestling games of all time. They offer so much to keep the game living (CAW modes, endless play options) that I literally find myself firing that sucker up to this very day. Def Jam Vendetta offers everything I remember but in a much sleeker/simpler package. For some of us AKI enthusiasts, there are noticeable move reductions and a simplification of turnbuckle and couter running moves. Added in their place is a much more polished look, unbelievable impact, and rope moves. DJV's gameplay is solid and without issue. It takes about 30 minutes to get the scheme down, but after that, you'll be jamming like a pro. The graphics are simply outstanding. When I first saw two girls going toe to toe and talking trash, my jaw about hit the ground. The characters are very cartoony, but not so much so that they can't be taken seriously. I hald expected to come into this game with a host of players who all resembled one another, but AKI has gone the extra mile to really show every rapper/jobber's personalities. They all bring something new to the table, and it really makes for some interesting matches. The music, and it goes without saying, is awesome with actual radio-edits of Def Jam tracks playing during the menu's and just those rap tracks instrumentals playing during actual matches. So is there a bad side to DJV? Well yeah, without a CAW mode, the game suffers because not all of the rap stars that you might want to play head-to-head are present in the game. While Method Man is in the game, most of the rest of the Wu Tang Clan is left out. I realize that maybe Death Row recording artists might have been left out, but what about Ol' Dirty B*stard?? They include music from Public Enemy, but sadly no Chuck D or Flava Flav to wrestle with. It would have been nice to go in and make Run DMC, or anyone else for that matter, but without a CAW mode, that option is left out. Also without weapons available, the actions gets pretty repetitious after a while. There are no ladder matches or table matches which have become a staple of wrestling games, but AKI didn't even try any new concepts for the game, which is sad, and considering the game is filled with rappers, I expected more show-boating and trash talking. Finally, all i have to say is the game is fun, but I don't think I'd buy it. It has rental written all over it, but you can earn just about everything in the game in a weekend. So have fun for a while, but I personally need more options to warrant a purchase. 
