The game features several rappers, including Lil' Kim, Snoop Dogg, Method Man & Redman, Slick Rick, Memphis Bleek, Lil' Flip, Scarface, Ghostface Killah, Fat Joe, Mobb Deep, Ice-T, Xzibit, Capone-N-Noreaga Ludacris, Crazy Legs, Busta Rhymes, Bubba Sparxxx and Sean Paul as well as the voices and likeness of other celebrities, such as Henry Rollins, Christopher Judge, Carmen Electra, Baby Chris, Jacob Arabo and Kimora Lee Simmons.

Additionally, Def Jam Fight for NY emphasizes the use of the game's various environments and the surrounding crowd to cause damage.

A fighter with a good set of clothes, extensive tattoos, or laden with jewellery can often fill their momentum meter in just a few moves.

A character can be made to submit by putting them into submission holds until the health bar of a single body part is depleted.

Additionally, each fighting style has a unique way to knock out opponents in danger: streetfighters can attack with a strong punch; wrestlers can perform a strong grapple; kickboxers can complete a kick-combo; submission experts can force the enemy to submit with grapples; and martial artists can perform flying attacks.

Winning matches unlocks clubs and the fighters defeated, as well as their Blazin' Move, and often the jewelry they may wear.

Created characters can have the jewelry of Sean Paul, Crack (Fat Joe), Xzibit, Crazy Legs, Lil' Flip, Def Jam Recordings, Roc-A-Fella Records, State Property, and many others (except for some particular signature pieces such as the medallions worn by Flavor Flav or modify it like Ghostface Killah's Sun God Plate Gold and Diamond piece), the fighters may be used in Battle Mode, while their moves and jewelry may be purchased and used by the player.

The Hero hooks up with one of four female fighters (Cindy J, Kimora Lee, Lil' Kim and Shawnna), after getting into a fight with their boyfriend, Nyne.

Uninjured, the Hero chases them to a subway station, where he fights and potentially kills Trejo while the rest escape.

Following D-Mob's arrest, Blaze, the Hero and their remaining crew, beat many of Crow's fighters and take back several clubs.

As his empire is chipped away, Crow makes multiple attempts to threaten and convince the Hero into quitting or joining his crew, to no initial avail.

Confronting Crow at his headquarters, the Hero is supported by the remainder of D-Mob's crew, having his name cleared by Blaze.

Furthermore, certain 3 or 4 player arenas have reduced crowds due to storage limitations imposed by the console's optical disc format.

The research they have done shows that veteran gamers were familiar with the game control system yet new players were intimidated by the complexity that has been used since WCW vs. nWo: World Tour that first appeared on the Nintendo 64.

So they turned the concept on its head by filling the gap to make the fighting game more interactive and less predictable in order to keep it fresh and accessible for beginners and veterans alike".

[27] GameSpot's Alex Navarro praised the game for improving nearly every aspect from its predecessor, including the new fighting styles, character creation, and interaction with weapons and environments.

Criticism generally befell on the game's camera view and frame rate issues that are found in all console versions.

[28] It received runner-up positions in GameSpot's 2004 "Best Fighting Game" and "Best Licensed Music" award categories across all platforms.

[29] Maxim gave it a score of eight out of ten and said: "Should the lyrically challenged feel left out, you can create your own brawler outfitted in ice courtesy of celebrity bling supplier Jacob the Jeweler.

[21] The Sydney Morning Herald also gave the game four stars out of five and said that "the fact that it's got the deepest story ever seen in a fighter simply adds to the realistic feel of the brutal combat within".