Def Jam: Icon is the an upcoming fighting game, the third in Electronic Arts's Def Jam-licensed hip hop video game series. The game is being developed by EA Chicago, developers of Fight Night: Round 3 and is the first Def Jam game not to be developed by Aki Corporation. This installment purports to look and sound like a cutting edge video while offering the "intensity and drama" of a big budget film. The game is scheduled for release onto the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Story
Very little information about the game's storyline has been revealed, but it reportedly involves the player's created fighter founding his own record label. Soon after, the player's fighter fights various hip-hop artists, gaining more fame and publicity in the process.
Features
Def Jam: Icon will reportedly be much less professional wrestling-oriented than the previous games, Def Jam Vendetta and Def Jam: Fight for New York. Producer Kudo Tsunoda has said that he did not feel that wrestling and hip-hop went particularly well with each other. However, early previews of the game have revealed that throws and environmental damage will remain in the game.
The developers have aimed to make the music and the environment a much larger factor in the fight. The environments will include rooftops, streets, gas stations and other locales, as opposed to the wrestling rings or arenas of the previous Def Jam titles. In addition, the producers are promising massive levels of interactivity within each environment. Fighters will bleed and show visible signs of their injuries as fights progress and as the player's character gets hurt.
The music will actually affect the environment. Different events will occur on the beats of each song - some of which are dangerous. For example, a column of fire might shoot up from a ruined gas station on every "bass hit" of a song's chorus. Other changes will be purely cosmetic: hubcaps on cars will spin and twinkle to the beat of each song. The developers are even considering adding more damage to a fighter's punches and kicks if they occur "to the beat" or making a rapper stronger if one of their songs is playing. By listening to the beat of the song and then timing a throw, the player can toss his opponent into an environmental hazard just as it goes off.
Characters
Pharrell will also be included in Def Jam: Icon as the player's tutorial guide. Some Bhangra singers will also be in this game.
Confirmed fighters
Big Boi (confirmed through promotional screenshots)
Ludacris (confirmed through promotional screenshots)
T.I. (confirmed through promotional screenshots)
Ice-T (confirmed through PSM3 Magazine and screenshots)
Method Man (confirmed through a Game Informer article and screenshots)
Redman (confirmed through a Game Informer article)
Paul Wall (confirmed through a Billboard.com article)
The Game (confirmed through a Billboard.com article)
Chamillionaire {confirmed through Billboard.com article}
Fabolous
Rumored fighters
Xzibit (supposedly confirmed through PSM3 Magazine)
Nelly (mentioned in the November issue Of Game Informer)
Eminem (supposedly confirmed his inclusion during an interview With XXL Magazine.)
Lil Jon (mentioned by Big Boi in an interview with Kotaku.)[1]
Young Jeezy
Rick Ross
Christina Milian
T-Pain
Lil Keke
Isley Brothers
Slick Rick
Bobby Valentino
Kanye West
Mic Little
Lil Flip
Warren G
Nicole Wray
LeBron James (Supposedly will be known as "King James" in the game)(Mentioned on his website)
Young Gunz
Terri Walker
Notorious B.I.G.
Andre 3000
Lloyd Banks
Jim Jones
Rick Ross
Rihanna
Sean Paul
Jamie Foxx
Ne-Yo
DMX
Cassie
will.i.am
Tupac Shakur
Akon
Diddy
Yung Joc
Young Dro
Fergie
Nelly Furtado
Trina
Oprah Winfrey
Timbaland
Bow Wow
Pastor Troy
Juelz Santana
Fighters confirmed not to be included
Jay-Z (confirmed this himself through an interview)
Flava Flav (confirmed through XXL magazine)
Lil Wayne (confirmed through an interview with PS3 magazine)
Confirmed soundtrack
It is rumored that Def Jam: Icon will feature a customizable soundtrack.
Ludacris - "Get Back" - The Red Light District (2004)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Def_Jam:_Icon