3/19/07 3:00PM

Def jam: ICON is EA's newset in the rap star fighting game series. In this latest iteration, the fighters have the option to start scratching on an invisible turntable to switch the background song to one of their own. The environments in the game are keyed to the beat of the song, so for instance, a car will bounce and swing at the fighters or a gas station pump will explode to the beat. In this case a refrigerator is keyed to the beat. Your best startegy in the game is to use the "wikka" powers as Greg and I have dubbed it, to change the song and hopefully hit your opponent with an explosion or a refrigerator door. This can be really fun to do. The only qualms we have with the game is that their create a fighter option seems somewhat less customizable as games in the past, and most of the options as far as the face are concerned seem to be keyed to making african-american characters. Not that we think this is a terrible thing as I am sure there are plenty of games out there where the create a character is geared more towards caucasions, but what we'd like to see is equal creation for all sides. Just a thought I suppose. On the plus side, we love the fact that the game has no power bars or special meters or anything cluttering the screen really, just the characters and the background. Okay, this news post is long enough, I should stop.

Wikka Wikka,

Nate