Def Jam Icon

[zero]

This is easily my most anticipated game of 2007. More than MGS4, more than GTA4, more than Halo 3 and I was hoping to spread the hype around here to one of the most underrated franchises going today. Here's the latest on it from IGN, I cannot wait. Major points are in bold.

Def Jam: Icon Impressions

We break down Icon's music system with these new impressions.

by Jeff Haynes

January 16, 2007 - "Music is the weapon."

Kudo Tsunoda proudly proclaimed this statement at EA's Winter Preview today. However, it wasn't a remixed version of Revolution X that we were watching; instead, we were checking out the latest build of Def Jam: Icon, the upcoming brawler from EA Chicago. We've covered some of the basics of the fighting system in previous coverage, mentioning the invisible DJ, but we finally got a deeper grasp of just how music will influence every fight.

At the start of a battle, players choose a specific song that will represent their fighter. Choosing a song that you know well is important, because the downbeat of certain songs can trigger environmental hazards that can damage yourself or your opponent. For instance, one level that we saw had an electrical hazard that released arcing bolts of juice streaking from a malfunctioning power box. While there are some hazards that will constantly be around from the start of a fight, Kudo informed us that as time goes on during a battle, more hazards will be uncovered, making the stage much more dangerous to the combatants. So if your bass is truly banging, you can completely alter the landscape.

But you aren't limited to waiting for a beat before the environment blows up. Players can literally scratch the beat forward or backwards at any time to trigger hazards. In effect, the fighter becomes a DJ on invisible turntables, mixing up the rhythm of the stage to help him out. The left analog stick represents the left turntable and the right analog stick takes the right turntable. Scratch well enough, and you can use the music to cut through your opponent's defenses, flinging them from one hazard to another. However, your opponent has access to this move as well, meaning that skilled players can engage in scratch battles just like DJs do: the best player on the ones and twos can gain the upper hand.

But how do you defend against these momentum changing attacks? Well, first of all, players have the ability to do scratch stomps to squash a beat, so if your enemy is tearing up the digital vinyl, you can crush their groove. Secondly, if you're knocked down, you can do a quick scratch on the turntables to get back up. You also have the opportunity to try to flip the record to your own song, especially if your adversary has been playing their song for most of the battle. This gives you the chance to pump your fighter up and take your skills out on him. Finally, you have the ability to taunt your foes by hijacking their beats when they're knocked down. We noticed a number of times today where The Game would jump all over Big Boi's preferred song, laying down taunts while the member of Outkast was on the ground. The lyrics of that song would be slightly muted as the insults were hurled, just to make sure that you heard what your rival was saying. Sure, it might increase your beef with that rapper, but it's definitely a good way to flip the script on someone who's got a lot of momentum on their side.

Your fighters have a number of attacks that they can launch against their opponents, such as punches, kicks and grabs. Players can vary these attacks by throwing different directional modifiers in with these strikes, so players can knock an enemy to either the left, right or backwards along with just pounding them into the ground. Of course, depending on how you string these moves together, you can create different combos. But here's where the music comes in. Your music will play louder and stronger depending on how well you've been fighting, and that will boost the strength of your attacks, letting you knock enemies around much farther. This means that as time goes on and opponents get weaker, you'll be able to fling them halfway across the screen as you get an adrenaline rush from your song.

Don't know any of the licensed tracks that have been included in the game? Don't worry, because you'll be able to import your favorite songs into the game and use them to beat down your enemies. That means that any song on your system can potentially be a dangerous weapon in the game. Kudo told us about a fellow team member that likes to play with Sade's "Smooth Operator" to throw off his opponents. Others like using 80's tracks, prog rock, or speed metal. It doesn't take an active imagination to see that just about any musical preference can potentially be used against the computer or your friends. You'll also be able to use this to help you create your character, because your fighting style will be based on the kind of beats that you like to listen to.

To check out this system in action, Kudo showed off two new levels that we hadn't seen before. The neighborhood level evoked images of the Dirty South, with a double shotgun style house that had guys sitting on the porch watching the battle. A car pealed its tires on the asphalt and could be used to whip opponents, while fire hydrants sprayed massive jets of water into the air. Another car had a downed power transformer on its trunk that exploded in time with the music. The other level was a rooftop stage with a helicopter that hovered precariously overhead. Beats would drive the tail rotor into the roof for a vicious whip effect. Other areas on the stage featured the aforementioned power box hazard, as well as buildings whose lights were transformed into a virtual equalizer in tune with the rhythm of the songs. We managed to get some footage of these two stages, so make sure you check out the battles raging on the street and the rooftops.

If music is the weapon, then play on, playa, play on.

[apsham]

I don't really know if I like this addition, I mean, I loved the last game and I think they should of just approved on it, and continued on it from there for at least one more game before adding something this massive that's going to change the mechanics of the game fully. I'll still likely buy it, because I was such a sucker for the last game, which I need to pick up again actually.

[SeanDMan]

Consoles?

[zero]

Consoles?

360 and PS3.

I don't really know if I like this addition, I mean, I loved the last game and I think they should of just approved on it, and continued on it from there for at least one more game before adding something this massive that's going to change the mechanics of the game fully. I'll still likely buy it, because I was such a sucker for the last game, which I need to pick up again actually.

I love it. This is the kind of thing that adds infinite replay value to the game. The last game was great, probably my favorite game that year, but once you beat it, there wasn't much reason to go through the story over and over. In this, you can create such a wide variety of characters with different styles and music, I don't think I'll ever get bored. Plus, the basic gameplay mechanics look to remain intact, but this feature added in for a boost effect. It appears to be an added gimmick onto the Blazin' meter, which just makes it even cooler.

[Rashid]

Vendetta was pretty good. Fight For NY was a lot better. As fun as "wrestling + rap" was, "fighting + rap" is better and makes more sense.

And I saw a gameplay vid of this on GS, looked pretty sweet.

Though I don't own and don't plan on buying a PS3 and 360. Hell, the way my purchases are building up, I probably won't get a current gen console till '08. Though I never have got a console the year it came out. I'm more of a person to play a console until it's surely dead then buy a new one when it has a great game selection (I was still playing SNES actively until like 1999/2000, never got a PSX till around 2001, never got a PS2 till 2003, and XBOX in 2004).

[Tarheels.]

I'm really looking forward to this, that sounds amazing. What are the tracks in the game that have been confirmed already though?

[zero]

I'm really looking forward to this, that sounds amazing. What are the tracks in the game that have been confirmed already though?

from Wiki:

It has been confirmed that Def Jam: Icon will feature customizable soundtracks that take full advantage of the music-driven fighting system. Other tracks confirmed to be featured in the game include:

* Big Boi - "Kryptonite"

* Big Boi - "DDT"

* Big Boi - "What's that Smell"

* E-40 - "Tell Me When To Go"

* Ludacris - "Get Back"

* Nas - "Hip Hop is Dead"

* The Game - "It's Okay (One Blood)"

* T.I. - "What You Know"

* Paul Wall - "Sitting Sideways"

* Redman - "Fuck The Security"

* Jim Jones - "We Fly High"

* Fat Joe - "Make It Rain"

[Trav226]

Wow those are some pretty good songs. I was expecting songs nobody ever heard of but it seems EA went out and bought some pretty well known songs. I cant wait to kick ass to TI's What You Know

[zero]

Wow those are some pretty good songs. I was expecting songs nobody ever heard of but it seems EA went out and bought some pretty well known songs. I cant wait to kick ass to TI's What You Know

You must not be familiar with the series because the last two have had great soundtracks as well.

[Pepsi Punk]

Didn't the first one have only like 8 songs?

[zero]

Didn't the first one have only like 8 songs?

There were 18 songs on the first Def Jam.

[Pepsi Punk]

Really? Still, I'd expect more for a game made by EA.

[Gongsun Zan]

This game is just screaming for a Magnum Tokyo CAW.

[Pepsi Punk]

I'd just like to add that after looking at the videos, being able to do backflips, frontflips, and weird rolling kick things where you land on your feet but don't hit the guy(you know what I mean) anytime you want and following it up with a move is awesome. It remind me of crappy spotfests and it looks really fun to do.

[MalaCloudy Black]

I'm really looking forward to this, that sounds amazing. What are the tracks in the game that have been confirmed already though?

from Wiki:

* Jim Jones - "We Fly High"

BROOKLYN BROOKLYNNNNNNNNNNN.

This looks so fucking awesome. Good tracks in the game too.

[Cactus Drags]

The DJ scratch stuff sounds horribly gimmicky, especially as the fighting in the last game was so sound (barring the occasional cheap AI). As long as the core fighting stuff is still there, I'm interested, and I'll reserve judgement until I play, but still, I'm not as excited as I was for this.

[GhostMachine]

Haven't they already done something like this in the Samurai Champloo game?

I'd get Def Jam Icon if I had a PS3 or X-Box 3shitty, then upload some Kenny Rogers and REALLY go to town.

"The Gambler" and "Ruby" > all

[zero]

The DJ scratch stuff sounds horribly gimmicky, especially as the fighting in the last game was so sound (barring the occasional cheap AI). As long as the core fighting stuff is still there, I'm interested, and I'll reserve judgement until I play, but still, I'm not as excited as I was for this.

If you look at the videos on IGN, you can see that the scratching is rare and is only pulled off when someone throws their opponent near a trap. It looks to work surprisingly well.

[Killagy]

I'm definetly gonna cop this! The whole using the beats to the songs to your advantage thing is good news to me since I know the beats to those songs pretty well. I can't wait to beat someone's ass with The Game. Hey I heard 50 Cent is going to be a character also so my fantasy will come true by beating his ass !

[OGpistolpete]

I did enjoy the first release in this series. Though I doubt I will end up buying it let alone renting it. It's bound to get repetative down the road.