E3 Preview: Def Jam Rapstar (Multi)
If anyone has listened to the podcast, or followed some of my writing here on Aeropause, it should be well known that I am a huge fan of rap music. Sure I was a simple white guy from the suburbs, but there is something about rap music that spoke to me with its coarse lyrics and hard bass-lined beats. So when I heard about Def Jam Rapstar, I frantically wrote emails to our Konami contacts asking for any and all information about the game. I mean, here was a title that was going to let me rap with some of my favorite artists, and film it for all of the Internets to see. It was like a dream, and after seeing the game in action, I was not disappointed.
The simple way to explain Def Jam Rapstar is that it is essentially a Singstar experience dedicated to hip-hop and rap music. Def Jam Rapstar goes deeper than that, because I feel that it captures the feel of the music better. The problem with Singstar and rap tunes is that it never seems to measure the vocals properly, while Lips makes it far too easy to gain huge scores due to the way it handles rap notes. 4mm Games overcomes this limitation by creating a new proprietary vocal measurement system that is designed around rap music and how vocal notes are handled. It looks at lyrical accuracy, along with your pitch and the timing of your rap to score your performance. Gone are the days of just making noise into the mic in rap songs to get a score, as you need to get your voice on pitch and know the words. This should make you sound a little more like Slick Rick when performing Children’s Story instead of an idiot just humming your way through a song to get 100% accuracy.
Social interaction is another key component of Def Jam Rapstar as a new Rapstar portal will be available for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 users that will allow those of you with Xbox Vision and Playstation Eye cameras to capture your performance and upload it for the world to see. From the Rapstar portal, registered fans will be able to rate performances of other people, and of course, have their own performances rated by that same community. Community participation and a social environment is what moves a rhythm game to a higher level. I feel that this is where Singstar really hit its stride, and Def Jam Rapstar looks to build upon that foundation for fans of the game.
But what is a rap game if you cannot prove your own skills by freestyling a rap off the cuff. I mean, who doesn’t want to have their own Shaq moment, dropping lyrical bombs with their own flow? Well, Def Jam Rapstar is going to have a freestyle component, with several guest mixers putting together some beat tracks so you can drop your own lyrical prose. Sure, this component may not be for everyone, but I like the idea that if I can put a few lines together in my head, I will now have some beat tracks to drop knowledge on my friends and family.
Finally, the last mode that we covered in our presentation were the multiplayer modes. Right now, we have two modes for local multiplayer, Battle Mode and Duet Mode. In Battle Mode, you will take on another player and see who can get the better score in a song, while Duet Mode has two players working through a song together to build up a high score. I was a little disappointed that these modes do not really expand on what is currently available in other vocal rhythm games, but I am not sure if there is anything else you can do. Also, nothing was mentioned about online duels, so I am not sure if that is being kept under wraps, or if they just want to get the core mechanics right and hope to put that in a sequel.
With all of that information in place, here comes the biggest letdown for the game, and while I know why it is happening, it is a bit of a letdown for fans of the rap scene. Def Jam Rapstar is looking to ship with a Teen ESRB rating, and if you know rap music like I know rap music, this means that the tracks in the game will have to be radio edit tracks. On the surface, this may not seem like a big deal, but if you listen to Dre and Snoops CD version of “Nuthin But a G Thang” and then listen to the radio edit, they are almost two completely different versions of the same song. I would love to see some sort of download pack that would allow you to get the real tracks, but that would mean creating two lyrical charts, and more, being impractical. Maybe they will build in some sort of system that will “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” when you say the real lyrics, kind of like an inside thing for those that are in the know. Maybe not, but it would be cool to see it happen. Also, while we only have a partial list of artists, it is missing some notable artists, like Eazy E, Too $hort, Dana Dane, Run DMC and more. Now I am sure that we will see downloadable tracks for this title, but they do have to have some of those classic artists in the game to hook old school veterans of rap music. I need to have my “Gucci Time” from Schoolly D, or “Boyz in tha Hood” from Eazy E to feel satisfied by a rap music game.
Overall, I love what 4mm Games has put together with Def Jam Rapstar. From the tracks, to the scoring mechanism to the social interaction, it is all coming together in a nice package. Mix in a few more old school artists and a wink to the uncensored lyrics and I think rap fans will have a game that they will be able to play for many months down the road.
Tracks from Def Jam Rapstar Known So Far:
- 2 Pac – I Get Around
- 50 Cent – I Get Money
- Biz Markie – Just A Friend
- Das Bo – Turlich, Turlich (German Exclusive)
- Dizzee Rascal – Fix Up, Look Sharp (UK Exclusive) – I hope they bring this one to the States.
- Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg – Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang
- Drake – Best I Ever Had
- Ice Cube – Today Was a Good Day
- Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx – Gold Digger
- Kool Savas – Futurama (German Exclusive)
- Lil’ Wayne – A Milli
- Notorious B.I.G. – Juicy
- NTM featuring Lord Ko – Ma Benz (French Exclusive)
- Outkast – So Fresh, So Clean
- Oxmo Puccino - Mama Love (French Exclusive)
- Pete Rock and CL Smooth – They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)
- Redman and Method Man – Da Rockwilder
- Salt-N-Pepa – Push It
- Sefyu – Molotov 4 (French Exclusive)
- Sido – Mein Block (Beathoavenz remix) (German Exclusive)
- Slick Rick – Children’s Story
- T.I. featuring Rihanna – Live Ya Life
- Tinchy Stryder featuring N-Dubz – Number 1 (UK Exclusive)
- Tinie Tempah – Pass Out (UK Exclusive)
- Wu Tang Clan – C.R.E.A.M.
- Young Jeezy featuring Kanye West – Put On
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