I can't wait to get my hands on Def Jam Icon for my Xbox 360. It comes out tomorrow and I have it reserved. The demo has actually been available over Xbox Live for maybe a month, but I didn't want to ruin my anticipation by playing a version that's probably not as good as the final product. I've read some of the impressions others have had of the demo, and most of them weren't good. The most common complaint was the slow pace compared to traditional fighting games like Tekken. Some of the official reviews have been out for the last week, even before the game has hit the stores. So far it's got an average of 76, which is slightly better than mediocre. The good news is that the biggest, if not the only complaints the reviewers had about Def Jam Icon still has to do with its slower pace and the "limited" combos each fighter has in his arsenal. What they're really trying to say is that they're ticked off about not being able to throw 20-punch unblockables and not being able to "juggle" your foe in the air as you tee off on him with numerous blows. You see, most fighting game enthusiasts thrive on getting an unfair advantage over their opponents by memorizing endless strings of button presses that result in the most lethal combos that the other fighter can't defend against. While I'm sure sooner or later everyone will discover some sort of cheap exploit in Def Jam Icon to beat other players with, it is not the same as being able to memorize a dozen unblockable combos that will almost guarantee a player victory every single time. Def Jam Icon has more than its fair share of throws, slams and punch combos, not to mention the environmental hazards, but is designed to have a more realistic feel, in a Hollywood action film sort of way. The fights are gritty and the pace is slow enough for REAL strategy to be applicable, as opposed to the hyper-paced fighting games where players actually count frames to get the advantage. In traditional fighting games such as Virtua Fighter or DOA, individual attacks are rated by how many frames it takes to complete the animation, and the "strategy" revolves around being able to recognize a specific attack along with its frame rating and then countering with a maneuver that takes fewer frames to complete, trumping the other player's attack. The player who drinks the most cans of Redbull usually wins. Not so in Def Jam Icon. You fight. Your success depends on your ability to adapt to your opponent's style and strategy. There's no nonsense of this pile of garbage known as "frame advantage." The fight lasts long enough for you to correct your mistakes. There's an element of fairness in the fighting system of Def Jam Icon that is completely absent in ALL other fighting games. That's what the reviewers are really complaining about. Fans of Soul Caliber, Virtua Fighter, DOA4 and Tekken can kiss where the sun don't shine. Def Jam Icon is THE REAL DEAL.