Def Jam Rapstar: a music video game unlike all the others?

Article written by: Andre Sanchez
Posted on: July 23, 2009

You might remember Papappa the Rappa:

or maybe DJ Hero (coming this fall)

No matter what your experience with music related games, Def Jam Rapstar, is supposed to set the new standard. And the shills at the E3 video game boutique have been emphasizing that Def Jam Rapstar would not be another “Get On Da Mic”.

In order to engage their audience in a more innovative way, the game designers went back to the drawing board and major changes were made. First up, the music.

Even though the game isn’t just karaoke, music is obviously the core of the experience to appeal to a hip hop enthusiast audience, and so Def Jam Rapstar features music from over 30 years of hip-hop from a variety of major artists, not just those with the Def Jam label. In demos, it’s reported that monster hit songs such as T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” and “Live Your Life,” Young Jeezy’s “Put On,” Kanye West’s “Golddigger,” Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize,” Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “They Reminisce Over You” and Flo Rida’s “Right Round”, were available. So far not a bad selection at all!

The visuals are simple and place emphasis on the music and the beat.

Similar to SingStar, music videos will play in the background during the performance and a sleek black and gold interface allows players to scroll through the video library, watching clips until finding one they want to perform. No set list has been revealed as of this writing.

Custom beats will also be available, mixed by prominent hip-hop talent. Freestyle mode  allows users to show off their raw talent to the beats, but even better…the community aspect is to be reckoned with!

Def Jam Rapstar will integrate the use of the Xbox Vision Camera or PlayStation Eye. This will allow players to create and share their own music videos, and become the closest thing possible to a real Rapstar. After adjusting the camera to drop out the background, players can edit the video to change the location or even add props.  Nothing is stopping them from creating a set, complete with carefully chosen attire, real backup dancers and more. A player’s style and swagger are key elements into gaining them recognition in the Rapstar community.

The web aspect is where the real selling point, and tribute, to hip-hop culture can make or break this game. Every video uploaded is tagged by location and paired with a score. This lets the community easily search out the hottest rap star in from anywhere in the world. Better yet, the top contenders in any location can challenge each other to rap battles.  It’s even possible to have an email sent to you when someone beats your score; so far, it seems their goal, to facilitate interaction between local hip-hop communities, will work, on a global scale I don’t see this going THAT big anytime soon, but if the competition is heavy in this game, the potential is there.

Defjam Rapstar will be released on the Xbox and Playstation platforms and is due out winter 2010.

Would any of you be interested in getting this game when it comes out?