Rapper's Delight

As hip-hop fans know, every MC worth their weight in iced-down pinky rings and oversized gold chains is quick to spit game about "platinum hits."

Nonetheless, something tells us hyperkinetic, blinged-out one-on-one brawler Def Jam: ICON, coming this March from Electronic Arts for PLAYSTATION®3, isn't quite what they had in mind.

"We wanted to do something different," shrugs Kudo Tsunoda, general manager of EA Chicago and executive producer on the title, by way of explanation. "Being hip-hop doesn't just mean wearing your hat to the side and saying everything's all 'dope' or 'wack.' It's about doing what you do to the utmost and showing off your own style and flair – something most developers fail to take into account."

The solution, according to his team, also responsible for the critically-acclaimed EA Sports™ FIGHT NIGHT series: Build a unique fighting game where environments literally bounce and pulsate to the thundering bass of chart-topping background beats. And, of course, reward players for executing head-snapping techniques in time to the sounds of speaker-rattling joints like Ghostface Killah's "The Champ" or Paul Wall's "Sittin' Sidewayz," letting them more effectively maim opponents by mastering move timing – not simply mashing buttons.

Artists themselves are further placed at the heart of the action, with 25 playable lyricists like TI, The Game and Bun B offered from a roster of 38 total licensed characters. Heads can even look for a special cameo by label founder Russell Simmons. "The vast majority of games just pay hip-hop lip service," says Tsunoda. "We wanted to put the focus back on its most famed musicians and personalities, as well as positive elements of the culture (e.g. the music, clothes, lifestyle, etc.) as best we could within the given framework."

No surprise then: Customizable soundtrack features let you load any MP3 into the game – even country or house music – and knuckle up to your favorite jams. What's more, "DJ control" features are additionally offered, allowing aspiring mix-masters to use the SIXAXIS™ analog joysticks like turntables to switch tunes mid-fight and hopefully tip the odds in their favor.

Thank the 100-plus programmers, artists and designers who swear they've labored over the last two years to make the adventure as true to the spirit of hip-hop as humanly possible. "We take a method acting-type approach to game-making," laughs Tsunoda. "You've got to immerse yourself in the subject matter to truly understand it."

For Def Jam: ICON's creators, a pasty-white, energy drink-addled crew of misfits, this didn't just mean hanging out with musicians firsthand and becoming involved in Chicago's burgeoning rap scene. It also meant physically scanning every featured chart-topping artist's face and body with high-tech equipment to make sure their likenesses were  accurate… and a spate of in-studio voice recording sessions. ("A gargantuan effort," Tsunoda admits. "It's not like making sure his virtual alter-ego looks and sounds 100% perfect is Ludacris' top priority on any given day compared to, say, making music.")

Don't forget attending personal speeches by Def Jam co-founder Kevin Liles either. Plus, of course, digitizing piles of officially-branded clothes and gear ("which [fashion labels] sent tons of over… one of the perks of the job," Tsunoda chuckles). And, naturally, consulting with the rappers regarding their characters, moves and more...

"My digital double looks just like me," confesses Big Boi, member of legendary Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast, who swears his love of all things interactive. "From my tattoos down to my boots, they got it perfect." A huge fan of gaming ("I'm sick with that PlayStation®2, and trying to cop a PLAYSTATION®3 as we speak"), the Bully- and Madden NFL 07-loving virtuoso claims Tsunoda and co. did a great job of keeping it real.

In addition, he further says the game's an ideal fit: "It's a natural evolution of hip-hop… just a real fun way to escape and put the smack down on someone that makes sense within the [cultural context]." As for the thumping 3D environments, he makes no bones about his feelings either, stating that "it's the dopest sh*t I've seen in years."

At the very least, the title offers the chance to make all your champagne-soaked music biz dreams come true, with the single-player storyline casting gamers as aspiring record label owners. The deeper you progress into it, the more standout acts you'll discover, songs you must release and rivals that require a serious ass-whooping.

"If you hang out with rappers," Tsunoda offers by way of explanation, "you'll notice they don't really engage in constant shootouts or scrap for cash in seedy clubs. We thought we'd go with something a little more realistic."

It's an approach that many software publishers would do well to take to heart, he asserts. "We try to build [virtual outings] that make you feel like you're in the game, not just sitting on the sofa," says Tsunoda. "There aren't any typical fighting game conventions here, like power bars or artificial limits on how many times you can use special moves during a brawl – it's unnatural."

More importantly from a PLAYSTATION 3 owner's standpoint, the ambitious game maker further claims there's been little innovation in the fighting genre for years – a situation he aims to remedy. "We want to make a title that can go toe-to-toe with any Tekken®, Dead or Alive or Street Fighter®, but offer even more depth and directional controls," Tsunoda boasts.

It's a fairly cocky take for an outfit that's just inherited one of the industry's most beloved rock 'em, sock 'em outings, for sure. And, naturally, whether or not he's ultimately succeeded remains to be seen by millions of rhyme-addicted PlayStation® enthusiasts worldwide. Even so, at least one hardcore enthusiast remains wholly convinced the latest episode in EA's award-winning franchise is going to knock the competition out of the box.

"There can be only one," says Big Boi. "It's a straight takeover: Past hip-hop games don't compare. Def Jam: ICON's coming out of the gate swinging, and when the dust settles, it'll be the reigning champ. That's on the for-real."