15 Most Criminally Underrated Video Game Franchises Of All Time

13. Def Jam

Where to start? Def Jam: Fight for New York

Speaking of the best things gaming has ever seen, the second Def Jam, Fight for New York, was a perfected brawler so fun to play, it remains a cardinal gaming sin that followup, Def Jam ICON completely killed the franchise.

Following from Def Jam Vendetta's more wrestling-based gameplay - itself a fun, OTT alternative to any of the Smackdown titles of the time - FFNY introduced more fighting game-style controls, weapons, environmental finishers, the likenesses and voices of top-tier rappers (Snoop Dogg as a martial arts master, anyone?) and a sense of impact that remains unprecedented.

Like Celebrity Deathmatch done by a veteran studio making the most of EA's substantial budget and pulling power, Def Jam Vendetta and Fight for New York were certainly both anomalies, but in the best way possible.