He disrespected you… Do somethin’
- NA release: 1st April 2003
- EU release: 23rd Mat 2003
- JP release: N/A
- Developer: Aki, EA Canada
- Publisher: EA Sports BIG
- NGC Magazine Score: 87%
- Mods Used: Widescreen Hack
After their successful strong of wrestling games on N64 (ending with the legendary WWF No Mercy), Aki ended up signing on to develop wrestling games for EA. However, THQ still held the rights to WWE and games based on other wrestling leagues were not selling well. So the decision was made to not have any wrestlers in their wrestling game. Instead, the grimy world of hip-hop would be involved.
The story explains that people have grown too tough for street fights, so instead of duking it out in bloody fistfights, they head to setting up professional rings in underground locations for by-the-rules wrestling. While the aesthetics of the game was clearly inspired by Fight Club, it really is the antithesis of it.
It has a predictable story mode, with cutscenes between major rights, where you’re a newcomer to this arena (your friend is injured and needs a stand-in) when you discover your ex is the boss’s girlfriend. So you have to work your way up the ranks, beating up goons and rappers. The game’s fictional characters actually work great well because they’re not attempting to be funny like Black & Bruised. Instead, they have different styles and require different tactics
The wrestling itself is a very slightly modified No Mercy, so really well done. Your enjoyment of this will heavily depend on if you want wrestling without wrestlers (a reverse WWE Crush Hour) and if you get on with the genetic story and ambience of the game.
Fun
We enjoyed playing Def Jam Vendetta. It was a hell of a lot of fun, the Story mode kept us interested, the finishing moves kept us gasping, and the pictures of semi-clad ladies kept us coming back for more. It’s certainly better than it seems, but still has some annoying large gaps which, had they been filled, could have made this game the surprise hit of the year.
Tom Mayo, NGC Magazine #82
Remake or remaster?
A collection of the games would be decent.
Official Ways to get the game
There is no official way to get Def Jam Vendetta.
Europe
Japan
North America
GameCube Games by Date
2002: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2003: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2004: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
