Conceptually, the Def Jam series has suffered since day one. But EA's latest dip into the hip-hop underground is (finally) filled with sensible incentives. Instead of nonsense fistfights between Def Jam's elite artists, now you'll play as a young tough with some business aspirations. The lesson here: If you want to become a big-shot record producer, you better know how to throw a punch. After you crack heads in a bumpin' night club, a Def Jam exec takes notice and hires you on as new muscle. You'll climb from thug to entrepreneur, as you punch out the paparazzi for Big Boi, and sign Sean Paul to a record deal.
But while the storyline works, much of the fighting doesn't. Too few moves bleed your opponent, which means the tactics are largely the same: punch, kick, grab, throw, grab, throw, grab, throw. Repeat. The game relies far too much on long-tossing your opponent, as the masterfully etched environments break apart over the course of a battle, with help from the background music's beats. When someone gets thrown into the speakers, for example, sound blasts out and shoots the victim into the air for double the damage. Problem is, the shaky right analog, used for grabbing and throwing, is downright temperamental. That usually leads to you being the one grabbed and thrown.