AKI games always delivered. Def Jam Vendetta delivers the perfect crossing of zeitgeist from the rap world to the wrestling ring at a time when those two were enjoying significant overlap. Not far removed from the time when Dennis Rodman, Karl Malone and Mike Tyson were falling over themselves to be involved in the wrestling business, Def Jam Vendetta finds a cross section of an audience invested in both rap and urban culture as well as the outlandishness of the squared circle.

Snappy fighting gameplay that mixes elements of Street Fighter-esque skill with Tekken's fast-paced gameplay and Mortal Kombat's over-the-top nature and storyline, Def Jam Vendetta is a profoundly unique experience. An engaging storyline for a fighting game with recognizable pop culture faces and pleasant arcade beat-em-up controls, I spent many hours as a kid playing both with my friends and against the AI. A semi-branching storyline also gave the game some replayability that was unique in the genre at the time.

While I'm sure most of this review is thick with nostalgia glasses, there's a reason why people still clamor for the return of this franchise today.