BossLogic Makes Def Jam: Fight For NY Fan Poster

Back in 2014, Icon developer Michael Mendheim spoke to Complex about the failure of that title. “The reviews were definitely mixed and I think the biggest problem with that title was that we didn’t stay true to the previous titles,” he began. “We let down some of the fans of Def Jam Vendetta and Def Jam: Fight for New York.”

“Here was our problem: we tried to innovate too much. It was an existing brand with an existing fanbase that was in love with the previous games. If you look at something like Mortal Kombat, they don’t really change the mechanics of that game,” Mendheim continued. “They keep it the same game but change the story, add new technology and new moves, but Mortal Kombat fans know exactly what to expect when they make their purchase. Most importantly, they’re always delivered what they want.

“Unfortunately we didn’t do that on Def Jam Icon. The other problem was that while the positives with “Buildings With Bass” and art direction were very fantastic, they didn’t lend themselves well to the core gameplay mechanics. What happened is that the fighting became sluggish. When you have these super realistic characters and animations—which worked great for Fight Night as a boxing-sim—it doesn’t work for a fighting game because it isn’t fast enough. One of the biggest knocks on the product were the sluggish fighting controls. And the fans were correct,” he concluded

Would you like to see another Def Jam game? Let us know in the comments!