William Wiley, Student at Columbia College Chicago, Def Jam: The Gauntlet

Def Jam: The Gauntlet is a 3D Action/Fighting game serving as a reboot to the Def Jam fighting series. The fighting system will be based on MMA fighting but still hold to the arcade-brawler style the series is mostly known for.

Story Mode

The story mode will feature the player character returning home from military service and learning that their younger brother owes a ridiculous amount of money to a gangster. The PC then cuts a deal for their brother's life by participating in a underground MMA tournament called "the Gauntlet" under the gangster's sponsorship and win the whole event to clear the debt.

Character Customization

Players will have access to an extensive character creation mode which they can choose their body type, facial features, race, voice, and (for the first time) gender. After earning cash, players can buy clothes, accessories, tattoos, and hairstyles to customize their appearance.

Training

Players will be able to learn up to four of seven disciplines that will augment their character's overall fighting style into a unified hybrid form. Each discipline has their own specialty, many of which can be used for a knockout under certain conditions and/or deal extra damage.

These seven styles include:

Boxing - Specialty in Punch Combos

Jiu-jitsu - Specialty in Grappling Attacks

Judo - Specialty in Ground Attacks

Wrestling - Specialty in Submissions

Muay Thai - Specialty in Clinch Attacks

Karate - Specialty in Flying Attacks

Taekwondo - Specialty in Kick Combos

After every match, players will gain skill points which can be spent on attributes that augment their character's effectiveness:

Strength - Effects the amount of damage from punches and kicks

Speed - Effects how fast players can move and attack

Agility - Effects the ability to counter/break grappling and submission holds

Endurance - Effects overall health

Defense - Effects resistance to attack damage

Players can also purchase finishing moves to uses during their Blazin' Mode. All finishing moves can be unlocked through story progression, but usable only after purchase an only if the player has the necessary prerequisite fighting discipline(s) learnt.

Characters

Like past games, The Gauntlet will feature music and likenesses of today's biggest hip hop, R&B, and rock recording artists as either fighters or supporting characters.

Fighting Matches

Fighting in very much arcade in nature with over-the-top attacks and abilities. The way to win matches in either through knock out or submission by employing a mix of hard and light punches, kicks, and grapples. In combination, these become the basis for counters, running attacks, ground attacks, clinch holds, and/or submissions.

Players can gain momentum, which is used to fill the Blazin' Meter by performing successful attacks and interaction with the environment/crowds. When the Blazin' meter is filled, players can enter Blazin' Mode, where they can perform finishing moves for massive damage or for a K.O.

The fighting venues in the game will feature interactive environments, where the players can perform environmental attacks against walls, clutter, a crowd of spectators, or by climbing and jumping off of high surfaces for flying attacks.