Since Def Jam: Vendetta hit consoles several years ago, there has been no better series in which to wage hand-to-hand combat as a real-life hip-hop superstar fighting other real-life superstars. Okay, I guess the Def Jam series is the only one out there that does that. Regardless, the series has always offered solid fighting games with engaging combat and stellar production values. Now the next title of the series, Def Jam: ICON, is hitting store shelves. The game is the first entry to hit the Xbox 360, and it makes the leap in style with the deepest and best-looking entry ever. Def Jam: ICON is a great entry to the series, offering fluid controls and an awesome new music system.

Def Jam: ICON’s main gameplay mode is the Build a Label mode. In this mode, you can create a character using EA’s extremely deep facial customization features, and have him build his own hip-hop empire. You begin by busting heads for your boss and working as an enforcer. However, you soon will gain hip-hop artists and gaining control over the distribution of the songs that they release, budgeting the marketing, radio play and PR appearances for each track. Depending on how you handle them, they’ll garner you money and keep your artists happy. You’ll also have to distribute funds for handling certain damages that they make, greasing the proper palms to keep them out of trouble.

Of course, the fighting system is pretty deep as well, thanks mainly to the great new control scheme and the music system. The dual-analog system works a lot like the one in Fight Night Round 3, where the right analog stick is used to perform certain moves like roundhouse kicks and strong low blows. The right stick is also used as a block modifier, which can help out when performing reversals. You use the face buttons as well for high and low attacks as well.

The music system is a really cool addition to the formula. The environments move to the beat of the music, and at certain points of the song playing, they’ll make “booms” that will affect certain areas of the stage. Speakers will pop and hurt either you or your opponent, as will exploding gas pumps. You’ll be able to spin invisible turntables in order to set off the stage, sending your foe flying. The music system is a great addition to the game and feels right in place with the focus of the Def Jam series.

One of my personal favorite modes is the My Soundtrack mode. While on the surface it offers standard one-on-one exhibition matches for one or two players, it does more than that. You can play custom music either from your Xbox 360 hard drive, a USB device, or stream it from your PC during fights, and the environments will respond as though it were the game’s original soundtrack, essentially turning your 360 into the coolest music visualizer ever.

Def Jam: ICON is a sharp looking game. The character models are almost scarily realistic, resembling their real-life counterparts to a T. However, as great the character models are, the environments truly steal the show. They are pretty diverse, with spots in a club, on a rooftop and at a gas station. The environments pulsate with the music, tearing at their own seams as they bounce and breaking down, creating hazards like falling lights and burning gas pumps to make the game a little rougher on the playing field.

Of course, as music factors into the gameplay in fresh new ways, the soundtrack had better be up to snuff. Luckily, the score delivers, with hard-hitting hip-hop tracks with heavy baselines from a myriad of artists, such as Paul Wall, E-40, The Game, T.I. and so on. The voice acting is also quite well done, featuring the cadre of hip-hop artists as well as well known actors like Anthony Anderson rounding out the cast.

Def Jam: ICON is a solid game, as well as the best entry to the series yet. It offers deep simulation features, solid controls, and great music elements, making for an experience that any fighting fan would be glad to have in their gaming library.

Gameplay: 9.0
Def Jam: ICON utilizes the innovative dual-analog control scheme from Fight Night Round 3 to give you a great deal of control over your fighter’s moves. Also, the music system is a fantastic touch adding to the However, outside of the fighting elements, the game gives you many options for expanding your hip-hop empire, giving you four hip-hop artists as the single-player mode progresses to make money off of. The one downside of the single-player mode is that it feels pretty linear, as you only have one way to progress through the storyline.

Graphics: 9.5
Graphically, Def Jam: ICON is a fantastic looking game. The fighters bear the official likenesses of their real-life counterparts, and look eerily realistic. The environments steal the show, though as they pulsate with the music, breaking down as the beats literally rip them up.

Sound: 9.5
The game’s music system puts game audio in a brand new light, making it an integral part of the action. The whole game seems to course in line with the music in a synergy that hasn’t been done, but definitely should be replicated. The soundtrack consists of a veritable who’s who of hip-hop all-stars, with cuts from heavy-hitters like Ludacris, E-40 and T.I., and the voice acting is also very well done.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.0
ICON is far and away the deepest entry to the Def Jam series, giving you control of a hip-hop empire beyond the fighting. The simulation elements are a great touch as you can manage personal elements like dating, as well as putting the right amount of your budget (and ass-beatings) behind your stable of hip-hop artists to keep the cash flow coming.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The online modes are pretty standard fare. You can do one-on-one ranked matches and custom battles against human opponents.

Overall: 9.0
Def Jam: ICON is a great entry to the series, combining a fluid control scheme, pulsating environments, and cool simulation features for the most comprehensive Def Jam title yet.