Defiance

Defiance does more things right than you might initially think. The MMO shooter does take its sweet time until it gets going, but the collecting of weapons and the massive battles kept me engaged even when not doing some quest. It's a surprisingly eclectic title, that managed to do away with my skepticism and that still holds my attention, even after many hours of play. If the team behind this one doesn't let up, Defiance could realize its immense potential – even without a TV show to back it up.

Either way, Defiance gives off a bad first impression, but it still holds up well on its own with continued play.

Quotation forthcoming.

While Trion has to be held accountable for the severe problems at launch, the truth is that the game’s experience is strong enough to shine through them. Unless you need an artificial goal like a level cap to work towards in an MMO, Defiance offers some of the best fun you can have online.

Only time will tell if the game linked to a TV series shtick will pan out, but for the time being, I am glad Trion is taking the risk.

As of now the game is crawling with bugs but developers eradicate them very ably. There’s something charming in Defiance and I will keep playing it. [CD-Action 06/2013, p.72]

The shooter portion is rock solid, but battles are generic and without real challenges. The game is still buggy and the first patches didn’t bring any new highlights or motivating content.

It’s a good thing the fundamental gameplay is addictive, because the missions are tedious.

Defiance is an enjoyable game, which needs to be polished to really shine. The shooting-mechanism works great and shooting with and against other Ark Hunters is great fun. The game has some downsides but there aren't major errors. The connection with the series still has to prove it self and that is something only time will tell.

Launching MMOs is always difficult, doing it on PC and consoles (and TV!) at the same time is almost impossible. But in the end Defiance defies early critics and lands some good punches: the smooth surfacing PvE and PvP FPS mechanics are intriguing enough to turn a blind eye on not-so-cutting-edge A.I. and visuals. Just give Trion a chance.

The game has a special charm to it that is hard to describe. I was never bored while playing, but I was never blown away either. It’s very standard in most aspects, but the dynamic quests and Shadow War PVP really help the game shine.

Defiance lacks the humor of Borderlands but retains all of the gun-hunting and combat that made that game great but the bugs and interface issues are a problem. Patches will surely address these but that does not take away from the fact that the game suffers for its week-one presentation. Even with the solid core to pick it back up, it may be difficult to convince people to come back. If you can get through its shortcomings, Defiance is well worth a look.

With more polished graphics, fewer bugs and a better AI, Defiance could aspire to even more ambitious goals. Perhaps the right upgrades will come shortly, but now you have an imperfect MMO although courageous and, above all, one that is pretty fun.

Defiance does enough new that you won't be disappointed providing you know what you're in for. There's something compulsive about its quest grinding, but at the same time they do lack the variety and depth of world necessary to make an MMO everlasting.

As far as MMO launches go, though, Defiance has been surprisingly smooth for the most part. In the end, the game is off to a decent start, but it faces some inherent hurdles that could hold it back from being what one can tell it’s meant to be.

Myriad fixable problems mar a unique multiplayer experience. May improve with time. [June 2013, p.82]

The core shooting mechanics are engaging enough to keep you coming back, and its intriguing episodic ties have the potential to keep ark hunting interesting in fresh, original ways.

Defiance may have functioned as an interesting way (read: gimmick) to promote a series on SyFy that may have a shot at stabilizing the network’s bipolar ratings, but as a game, it’s barely playable.

Defiance is a really fun game despite its numerous rough edges. But can that fun overcome its mediocrity? That would likely be up to each individual gamer. If you’re hankering for an online PvE-centric shooter that’s out of beta, Defiance may be for you. If you’re a mega-fan of the show and like to game, it’s also probably a no-brainer. But if you’re looking for a polished and complete experience to rival other MMOs on the market, you might be better off waiting to see if Trion can remedy the problems marring Defiance’s launch. If the blogs from the studio are any indication, Defiance could wind up being a diamond in the rough. But it’s going to take some time to get there, and hopefully it will before we all forget it exists.

Defiance fails in the difficult task of merging a TV series and a video game in a convincing and engaging way.

While its story and graphics are uninspired, its sci-fi setting and skill-based combat are a refreshing change from its pointy-eared, min-maxing, level-grinding brethren.

It has not been the best launch, but still Defiance has potential to improve. The core mechanics are good and it can be a really fun game. Long term, it could become something really interesting.

Defiance is the B movie of massively multiplayer games: rickety and unrefined, yet a good time all the same.

Defiance is a pretty average game that may only survive the test of time based on the popularity of the TV series.

Even with its blemishes, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had in the creaking world of Defiance 1.0. Its creators have banked on the "fun shall overcome" school of game design which, with exceptions, Defiance achieves. I only wish it didn't have to overcome quite so much.

A competent MMO shooter marred by a lack of polish, whose TV tie-in ambitions only seem set to cause problems.

If Trion can introduce better quest design, this will be a winner. [June 2013, p.88]

Defiance lands on Earth with a significant number of flaws: Pay to Win PvP, average graphics, repetitive gameplay... But the base looks solid for a brighter future, especially if you decided to watch the Defiance TV series and if you are hooked by this universe.

Defiance lacks in many essential aspects that make a modern MMO game great, but it somehow manages to be addictive and quite enjoyable. You won't find anything entirely new here, but give it time and we're certain that it will get better and better.

Defiance is an interesting mix between an MMO and a FPS, fun to play and with many things to do. Too bad for the poor AI and a certain lack of variety.

It’s just not very good. Rare well-designed quests are overshadowed by a host of others that feel phoned in, and though the fundamentals of shooting are competent, weak enemy AI makes the PvE combat a bore.

Defiance is a game that actively flaunts bad gunplay in the player’s face, has no real progression to speak of, lacks cohesion of design in both mechanics and art, and is missing the most important part of an MMO: variety.

We appreciate the attempt to bring new ideas to the genre, but they don't really fit well together. Still, if you're looking for a action multiplayer-based game this could be an option.

Defiance suffers from a number of small problems that could be fixed with a patch. With countless bugs and the lack of a cover system among others, Defiance fails due to its youth rather than from really bad development quality, lots of good concepts and ideas thrown in the game - but most of those are so badly used. For now in the state of a promising beta, Defiance is still an average MMO that lacks player interactions or a Third Person Shooter with a linear gameplay and lots of bugs. The price to pay for an MMO with no monthly subscription? We were expecting more from the studio that made Rift, moreover when that game costs 50€ plus the season pack which make it a very expensive beta.

Defiance may be an ambitious project. Linking an online action game with a TV-series is a smart idea but one that here mostly comes of as a mere gimmick. The story is unengaging and the action mediocre and monotonous. Not to say anything about the myriad of bugs that utterly destroys the experience.

Not exactly the cross-media revolution that was promised, but there's a decent (if flawed) third-person shooter inside this light MMO structure.

A bigger problem still is the absence of a motivation to work with other players. Objectives are usually thinly disguised fetch quests or encounters where you must defend a character, usually Cass, against waves of enemies.

Simple action, a boring story: This tie-in to the TV show is mostly irrelevant, although the approach sometimes is interesting. But even without bugs and with better visuals Defiance would have problems in giving other online action games a run for their money.