10 Video Games That Had No Right Being This Good - Commenter's Edition

2003’s Def Jam Vendetta brought something truly intriguing to the wrestling genre. Well, several things. Ludacris, DMX and Redman were just three of them. Hip hop legends breaking each others’ bones in the ring (yes, that was a mechanic) was a thrilling sight to behold indeed, though it has come to be remembered more as a unique novelty than for its virtues as a wrestling title outright.

Its sequel, Def Jam: Fight For New York, might never have happened. It did, though, and it expanded the fighter roster, vastly improved the depth of the gameplay by allowing players to select from custom styles, and even introduced a long and gripping narrative to proceedings (something unfortunately lacking in most fighters to this day).

As the title suggests, the story revolves around battles for popularity and control of New York’s clubs. The story is unrelenting, well implemented in the bouts, and all around surprisingly good, as is the package itself. Few games take the player on a ride like this one, which was quite the pleasant surprise: This was probably the last place players expected to find a engrossing plot.