An iconic can o' whoopass

One of the biggest madmen in gaming is EA's Kudo Tsunoda (who most recently brought us Fight Night Round 3), and wejust had the opportunity towitness the latest Tsunoda whirlwind when he stopped by to show off DEF JAM: ICON. Kudo's enthusiasm overthe gamecan't be contained, and after seeing the game in action, we don't blame him one bit. This beat-based brawler adds some fresh new nuances to the tired fighting game genre.

Tsunoda was quick to tick off developer EA Chicago's three main goals with DEF JAM: ICON:

1. Completely infuse the hip-hop lifestyle into the gameplay (not just slap it on like window dressing).

2. Innovate in the stagnant fighting genre by incorporating the environment into fights.

3. Introduce a "stylized realism" (as opposed to photo-realism) similar to the effects found in the film Sin City and really make use of next-gen art.