Def Jam: Icon demo this week

By Tom Bramwell Published 30 January, 2007

On Live this Thursday.

If you're looking forward to EA's next "stab" at capturing the grislier elements of hip hop culture, then look out for an Xbox 360 demo of Def Jam: Icon later this week.

Due out on Thursday, the demo offers a single-player bout featuring Bio Boi from Outkast and T.I., and takes place in a petrol station, apparently.

EA Chicago's latest has you fighting to become a real hip hop icon, with music playing an active role in triggering hazards like an exploding petrol pump.

To this end you'll be able to use the analog sticks like turntables to "make music your weapon". Other hip hop stars involved include The Game and Ludacris.

The full game is due out on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on 23rd March.

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (18) Latest comment 5 years ago

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  • Dizzy #1 5 years ago

    Meh

  • jonsaan #2 5 years ago

    I usually hate games like this but I actually enjoyed Def Jam. The fighting to the music stuff sounds cack though so it'll be interesting to check it out.

  • DutchDemons #3 5 years ago

    gonna download it and check it out

    they really should make a metal-type game like this:-)
    Bashing skulls with guitars and slapping faces with the sticks

    way more fun than this, i reckon

  • gaselite #4 5 years ago

    As a hip-hop fan, I'd just like to say: 'ew'.

  • asphaltcowboy #5 5 years ago

    Yeah, as I said in another thread, despite the theme, Fight for New York was actually really good - hope this matches it!

  • captainrentboy #6 5 years ago

    Embarrasingly I actually really liked Def Jam FFNY,and completed it a good few times.It wasn't so much the music or the whole bling bling thing as I can't stand any of that shit,it was just a particularly fun,violent fighting game.
    So i'm quite interested to see how the new one's shaping up.

  • Kuma #7 5 years ago

    Def Jam FFNY was brutal and the best wrestling game without wrestlers ever!
    Seriously though i thorougly enjoyed it and am a little bit dismayed by the looks of Icon and the attacking to the beat shenanigans look gimmicky.

  • myiagros #8 5 years ago

    i, like many others it seems, am ashamed to say i really enjoyed the brutal street brawling of Def Jam Fight For New York.

    However from what i have seem of Def Jam Icon, it looks like they have completely broken everything that was good about FFNY. And the gimiky pulsating backgrounds and level specific "obstacles", are a terrible idea.

    EA, you had me instrested in a franchise i would not normaly have looked twice at, but unsuprisingly you have pretty quickly lost me.

  • Anthony_UK #9 5 years ago

    +1

    Should of given it to AKI again to do, instead they give it to EA Chicago

    ........Wrong move!

  • asphaltcowboy #10 5 years ago

    Not sure about the level obstacles, but I do like the pulsating backgrounds... :]

  • Normski #11 5 years ago

    They're just trying to so something different with a fighting game. If this had been Nintendo developing, or was a super stylised Clover game you have all been shouting "innovation" and messing your pants.

    I very much enjoyed FFNY as well, and I'm not embarassed about it (where else can you throw Sean Paul in front of a moving train?), and I'm willing to give it a try before condemning it - Fight Night Round 3 is excellent, so it's not like EA Chicago is an untested studio.

  • JayeM #12 5 years ago

    I loved both of the previous Def Jam games, underneath all of the bling and hip-hop music there was some solid gameplay IMO. I'm guessing this is because of Aki (who made what is considered to be the best wrestling game ever) so I hope EA Chicago don't ruin it...

    Did they build it fom the ground up or use Aki's base?
    Edited by 1 at 30/01/07 @ 12:41

  • andromeda #13 5 years ago

    we dont need this crap

  • OllyJ #14 5 years ago

    I loved DJFFNY and have no shame about it at all...however...I'm going to be on the fence till this demo appears as a massive control and gameplay overhaul means it's not the Def Jam I know...

    I also love Fight Night 3, but I own that and want a next gen Def Jam...not a Fight Jam or whatever...

  • kmittal82 #15 5 years ago

    I throroughly enjoyed both outings of Def Jam, bur purely based on the mechanics.

    Seems however though, EA has cocked up bigtime with this title. Instead of concentrating on the fighting, they are concentratng only on music, using ur thumbsticks as turntables etc (all a load of bull in my opinion).

    Still, will check out the demo. Hope the gameplay is still fast and brutal

  • captainrentboy #16 5 years ago

    Kato I'm a different kind of snob then,as I couldn't friggin stand Oblivion or SOTC.
    Annnyway it's not snobbery,I just can't stand that whole rap scene,it's nowt to do with EA making the game.

  • Ryze #17 5 years ago

    ok then. I just want to play the demo and see if it's good.

    I'll still buy Guitar Hero eventually, but I won't buy most of the albums the tracks are from.

    Anyway. OutRun2006 on Xbox is £10 at HMV.com! no excuse.

    PS2 version for 2 quid more at GamePlay.

  • davisorle #18 5 years ago

    I hate that music and rappers and all but when I got to play the first DefJam on original xbox me and my friends would gather at my place with beers pizzas and kick eachother's ass. It was really fun to play so i'm really hoping that through the demo I will be glad to wait for the full version afterwards. ( ITZ BETTER BE REALLY GOOD!!!)