Video Game Vintage Title: Def Jam Rapstar

Def Jam Rapstar

Def Jam Rapstar is a rapping game developed by 4mm Games. The game was released on October 5, 2010 in the United States of America , and released on November 26, 2010 in Europe. An official launch event was held at New York's Hudson hotel on October 6, 2010 to celebrate the game's U.S. release. As of October 5, 2011, the community site has been shut down with no official word on when or if it will be reopened, causing major features of the game to be inaccessible.

Def Jam Rapstar Gameplay

Rapstar is essentially a rap themed karaoke game. The game uses radio versions of all its tracks to secure a T rating by the ESRB. Players are not penalized for cursing, but it is not a required part of the game.

There are two modes, either Career or Party modes. The Career mode is in five stages. Each stage has eight tracks for the player to master, including a New Song Challenge which is unlocked as the player progresses through the stage. The Party mode allows players to simply pick an individual song and perform it.

The Xbox 360 version is compatible with the Kinect sensor if you live in North America, specifically with the sensor being used as an alternative to the Xbox Live Vision camera.

The PS3 version is compatible with the PlayStation Eye Camera.

Reception

The title received lukewarm reviews. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions have a score of 74 & 75 on Metacritic. IGN scored the title a 7.5 out of 10 rating. They really praised the party aspect of the title as well as online features, but criticized the censorship of swear words. Gamespot gave the title a 7.5 out of 10 rating. They praised the songs, video editing tools, intriguing community web site and the creativity of the freestyle mode but criticized phrase-mapping issues and the uselessness of the bouncing ball. Eurogamer awarded the title with a 7 out of 10 rating. Stating that it isn't a game for everyone but those who find interest should find enjoyment. Gametrailers gave the title a 7 out of 10 rating. Calling it a solid singing game. Gameinformer scored the title a 7.75 out of 10 rating. Stating that it offers enough to be different from other karaoke games on the market. Giant Bomb gave the title a 4 out of 5 star rating. They praised the freestyle mode and all that comes within it. They also stated that hip-hop fans would really enjoy this title.