Def Jam: Icon

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 111 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 111
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 111
  3. Negative: 40 out of 111
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  1. TheBigmac
    Mar 20, 2007
    2
    Def Jam Fight For New York Is one of my favorite games for the original XBOX. It had interaction with the crowd, with the environments, the fighting styles were kick @ss, The fighting was perfectly balanced and controlling your character was a blast. This game plays awful, there's no interaction of any kind with the environments and is SLOW as hell. Way to Kill a good franchise. On Def Jam Fight For New York Is one of my favorite games for the original XBOX. It had interaction with the crowd, with the environments, the fighting styles were kick @ss, The fighting was perfectly balanced and controlling your character was a blast. This game plays awful, there's no interaction of any kind with the environments and is SLOW as hell. Way to Kill a good franchise. On top of things DJFFNY is not compatible with the 360 so I guess I'm gonna have to buy an XBOX off ebay if I want to play a decent def jam game again.… Expand
  2. JPMac
    Apr 4, 2007
    2
    The game looks great. The soundtrack is exceptional (if you like rap and hip-hop). That is where the goodness ends. EA and Def Jam effectively removed all of the components that worked in Fight For NY and replaced it with a poor attempt at making an urban RPG where you pretend to be a record producer, and added in a horribly executed combat system to fill in the holes between checking The game looks great. The soundtrack is exceptional (if you like rap and hip-hop). That is where the goodness ends. EA and Def Jam effectively removed all of the components that worked in Fight For NY and replaced it with a poor attempt at making an urban RPG where you pretend to be a record producer, and added in a horribly executed combat system to fill in the holes between checking email and seeing how much money you made. The non-stop combat under the most ridiculous circumstances were annoying - but a direct result of a genre not being chosen for the game. Is it a fighter or an RPG? It's neither. Specifically to the combat - it's repetitive and it gets old. Punch once, grab enemy, chuck into environment, execute scratch move, rinse and repeat. The removal of weapons, the crowd, the available fighters, the build system, training system, and special moves cripples this game right out of the gate.… Expand
  3. Biz
    Mar 13, 2007
    4
    Don't be fooled. This game is entirely hype. Kudo Tsunoda is a liar. In interviews, Kudo claimed that this new direction in the Def-jam franchise was set in motion because he felt that the last two games (both critically acclaimed) did not capture the essence of the "Hip Hop Culture", where Icon does. He further stated that he would never make the same game twice. Icon is proof Don't be fooled. This game is entirely hype. Kudo Tsunoda is a liar. In interviews, Kudo claimed that this new direction in the Def-jam franchise was set in motion because he felt that the last two games (both critically acclaimed) did not capture the essence of the "Hip Hop Culture", where Icon does. He further stated that he would never make the same game twice. Icon is proof positive he lied on both accounts. Icon is a mockery of Hip Hop culture (the story is basically a melding of Vendetta and Fight for New York's storylines). Further more, Icon is nothing more than a repackaging of Fight Night round 3, without any of the depth or sim appeal. If you love beating up Rappers, get FFNY. If you want to see the "pretty lights"... Play this game at someone elses house. Do NOT spend your own money to buy or rent this game, it is a waste of your time. Quite simply, the combat isnt solid (good, fun) enough to stand on its own merits. Simulated Boxing and Pit Fighting simply dont compare, the game feels sluggish in every aspect, and standard attacks look pathetic and painless. The few solid hits all come from the directional attacks, which are often ruined by the requisite "fly across the screen" wire-fu reactions. worse still, there is absolutly NO depth, and NO growth in the fighting styles. they look different, but they all play exactly the same. The only difference in the sets (as explained in the manual) is that you're ability to scratch is improved or weakened in different sets. Sadly, there is nothing ELSE to make the game compelling, beside the combat. The single player game offers a diversion from combat, but considering you're supposed to be managing a label and producing records... the "non-com" aspects of the game include such deep and engaging features as "Check your email" and "give money to artists so they can get new SUVs/pay off the media". Actually, thats ALL there is to do besides fight. You read emails, you spend a couple grand (of the several million you have), and then go to "travel" and pick a fight somewhere. Yep, thats it. (unless you consider shopping at the mall, spending money on items you can get for FREE outside of the single player game "something worth doing") Other than that, its fighting, fighting, fighting! (Way to go Kudo, its like I'm part of the industry, now! Im glad you got rid of that totally unrealistic underground fighting, in favor of this TOTALLY realistic "beat up the stalker named Stan" fighting....) One (basically the only) beacon of light in this whole process is the cut scenes. They are all voice acted well, and the mocap is solid. ...unfortunately, the story is awful. and dispite Kudo claiming that the storyline of the previous two games was dumb and "not realistic".... this one is vindictively worse. This almost feels like you're being punished for wanting the "story mode" in a "fighting game" to be rewarding. Much hype is flying about the levels and how you have tons of interactivity. The reality makes the hype seem sort of like touting the usefulness of fertalizer bombs in Oklahoma... Though the levels "pop" with lights and colors, they are all, in the end, boring. all flash and no soul. And with only 8 levels, you'll get over them pretty quick.(its been less than a day, and Im sick of them...but YMMV.) In reality, there is almost NO level interactivity... that is to say that YOU, the player, dont have much say in when or how you interact with the environment. Sure you have controls to make stuff blow up... but most "hazards" have such a narrow area of effect, that it will feel all but random if you get to hit when you want to (before the other guy evades it all together) It would be safer to say that the Level interacts with you. as long as we mean "interferes", when we say "interacts". you are constantly getting knocked out of combos, out of holds, off your block, in the middle of countering, and even while scratching... just from random quirks of the game's hit boxes. I'm giving this game a 4: 3 points for having, conceptually, an interesting Idea. 1/2 a point for execution and 1/2 a point because I cant beat the crap out of T.I. or The Game in FFNY… Expand
  4. TedShaw
    Jul 17, 2009
    1
    I picked this game up since I was a big fan of Fight for NY on the original xbox. Unfortuntly, this game has litterly no similarties with its predocessor. The gameplay is godawful, and the controls are no better.

    Instead of the fun, fast gameplay from Fight for NY, Icon has slow, fight night style 2-on-2 fighting. This game is unplayable. I litterly could not win a match because of    I picked this game up since I was a big fan of Fight for NY on the original xbox. Unfortuntly, this game has litterly no similarties with its predocessor. The gameplay is godawful, and the controls are no better.

    Instead of the fun, fast gameplay from Fight for NY, Icon has slow, fight night style 2-on-2 fighting.
    This game is unplayable. I litterly could not win a match because of how godawful the controls are.    … Expand
  5. Drew
    Mar 17, 2007
    4
    Initially, I was wowed by Def Jam Icon. I was a big fan of the previous two games, not because of the stars, but because of how solid the games were. And Icon definitely seemed solid. It wasn't like the other games. That didn't matter to me. More, it was about the music, how the beats could just devastate your opponent by smashing them around and wrecking everything. It was Initially, I was wowed by Def Jam Icon. I was a big fan of the previous two games, not because of the stars, but because of how solid the games were. And Icon definitely seemed solid. It wasn't like the other games. That didn't matter to me. More, it was about the music, how the beats could just devastate your opponent by smashing them around and wrecking everything. It was awesome. But then something changed. It was probably me. The problem with the game, I discovered, was that the fighting was absolutely broken. The concept is great on paper, and initally works well. Soon, the player discovers that no matter what blocking you do, no matter how you defend yourself (by rolling or punching or grappling), the only thing that really matters is the song. If your song isn't on, you better change it. And if you can't change it, then too damn bad. There is no defense. No strategy. The entire game devolves into a throwing match where the winner doesn't know the beats, but tosses his opponent into the same old type of environmental hazard, and watches the guy fly across the arena. The small arena. Graphically, the game looks great. Blood and bodies fly. Lighting is cool, like a music video, with special filters applied. But no matter how you spin it, the game is about playing. And playing this just plain sucks.… Expand
  6. ShaunL.
    Mar 19, 2007
    4
    I must say I am very disappointed with this game. The previous two titles were great in the whole concept. Which should have carried over to this one. All of the moves, and fighting styles are completely transparent. Yeah, you can choose different "styles" when entering a fight but they are all the same. No special attacks, no building strengths in each individual fighting style, and no I must say I am very disappointed with this game. The previous two titles were great in the whole concept. Which should have carried over to this one. All of the moves, and fighting styles are completely transparent. Yeah, you can choose different "styles" when entering a fight but they are all the same. No special attacks, no building strengths in each individual fighting style, and no real entertainment value. I bought this game and finished it the same day I spent hard earned money for it. The graphics are next-gen and very well done, but a good game shouldn't stop there. If EA and Def Jam wanted to do something different with the third installment of "Def Jam" or whatever you would call it, they have succeeded. In doing this they have successfully made this consumer think twice before purchasing Def Jam 4.… Expand
  7. unknownshino
    Apr 16, 2012
    2
    I slowly died inside when i played this game. It's so slow and the animations are not what it was. Def Jam Fight For NY was a really great game and now they gave us this? Okay maybe the game is fun for an hour? The only thing i was happy about is that Lil John was in the game not more.

Awards & Rankings

93
#93 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2007
42
#42 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2007
57
#57 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 48
  3. Negative: 2 out of 48
  1. GameDaily
    70
    Too bad the slow-as-molasses combat (and too-savvy computer-controlled opponents) keep this fighter from rivaling classics like "Tekken," "Street Fighter" and "Soul Calibur," but the innovative use of music, as both an aesthetic and a weapon, adds depth.
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  2. Pelit (Finland)
    80
    A beat 'em up that is both pretty and a lot of fun with interesting music-related gameplay ideas. The controls are a bit too complicated for a beat 'em up, though. And where has the 4-player game gone? [Mar 2007]
  3. The A.V. Club
    67
    Even if you don't own every Ludacris album, watching the rich environments rattle to the music is reason enough to give this a play. Just don't expect much depth from this beat 'em up.
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