Defiance

 PC
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 661 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 353 out of 661
  2. Mixed: 123 out of 661
  3. Negative: 185 out of 661
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  1. Mhuang1985
    Apr 3, 2013
    8
    Pros: Great shooting mechanics, enormous weapon variety and kit customization. Instanced PvP and PvE are great fun.

    Cons: Quests are repetitive, annoying crafting interface. Currently at 250 EGO (max EGO aka level is 5000), put maybe at least 12 hrs into this game since release. Shooting mechanics are great which is VERY important for a game like this, quests are a little boring    Pros: Great shooting mechanics, enormous weapon variety and kit customization. Instanced PvP and PvE are great fun.

    Cons: Quests are repetitive, annoying crafting interface.

    Currently at 250 EGO (max EGO aka level is 5000), put maybe at least 12 hrs into this game since release.

    Shooting mechanics are great which is VERY important for a game like this, quests are a little boring but pretty much standard fare for a MMO (tbh, it doesn't bother players like me who spam Esc through all the cutscenes and don't read a goddamn thing because we play for the sake of progression). Both instanced PvP and PvE sessions have been great fun. There are "damage meters/scoreboards" so you can see how you stack with your friends.

    Solid game, add +1 rating if playing with friends.    … Expand
  2. MMOCritique
    Apr 2, 2013
    8
    Defiance is a game/TV series tie-in with a deal between Trion Worlds and the Syfy channel. The game is set in a futuristic post apocalyptic Earth. The player is an Ark Hunter who has survived a starship crash. An Ark Hunter is a specialist in survival, combat and tracking. The players aim is to salvage arktech and use it in their goal of protect the Earth from the creatures created by aDefiance is a game/TV series tie-in with a deal between Trion Worlds and the Syfy channel. The game is set in a futuristic post apocalyptic Earth. The player is an Ark Hunter who has survived a starship crash. An Ark Hunter is a specialist in survival, combat and tracking. The players aim is to salvage arktech and use it in their goal of protect the Earth from the creatures created by a failed terra-forming of Earth.

    Defiance gives a completely fresh and new to the MMO-Shooter genre in the fact that it focuses primarily on Player versus Environment (PvE) content. There is a large amount of content that the player is able to experience within Defiance, in a very large open world environment. Their dynamic content is extremely fun to play, using the RIFT content and twisting it to fit this new environment. The ground breaking link between game and TV show is a very interesting idea and it will be great to see how this progresses.

    I feel that the overall gameplay of Defiance is extremely polished and fun to play. It makes it easy for someone who is used to MMO’s who doesn’t normally play shooters feel right at home. MMO’s are my favoured genre and I found it easy to get in to and enjoy Defiance, not typically being a shooter player. This could be due to the simple and easy to follow tutorial in the game.

    However, there are certain shooter features which are sorely lacking in Defiance, prominent ones being the lack of a prone option, as well as no active cover options, like hugging and popping out from behind a wall. Addition of one or both of these would be a valuable addition to the game and could make the game play even more interesting. Furthermore, I personally dislike the camera view, I have never been fond of the ‘over the shoulder’ camera as to me it makes aiming feel wrong, and doesn’t seem like you are really aiming as the character, I would feel more comfortable with a true third person camera angle, from behind the character, or first person. The UI also feels rather clunky and less than intuitive on PC, having clearly been built primarily with consoles in mind.

    The fact that Defiance is being released on PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 will allow for people of both the MMO and shooter fan bases all coming together in a single game. Though, of course, these platforms will all be playing separate from one another. I would expect that the consoles will see more of the shooter fan base, and as such more Player versus Player (PvP) action. However, on PC I would expect that the game will be played more by the MMO fan base, and as such I would think that the PvP experience would be a little sparser.

    Having said that, Defiance has two options available to aid with initiating PvP, there is the typical small scale instanced battles that MMO players will be well attuned with, as well as a large open world PvP option known as the shadow war. The shadow war allows players to fight one another and claim control of territory, the more people who join the battle, the larger the area of combat becomes. Also, as more people join the shadow war more vehicles become available for use, some of which will include weaponry to aid in combating your adversaries. This could be an extremely fun way to play PvP and fight against your fellow players, rather than alongside them.

    I feel that Defiance is a great game and should at least be given a chance by both the MMO players and shooter players out there. It really is revolutionary to the genre, linking the game in with a TV show and all of the dynamic content available. It is also very refreshing to see an MMO-Shooter which focuses on PvE rather than PvP. I look forward to seeing how this progresses, and whether both the game and TV show will be able to endure together.    … Expand
  3. MilkANdWookies
    Apr 2, 2013
    8
    A few hours in and I am glad to say I am pleasantly engrossed thus far, The massive co-op quests that are a constant in the world are my favorites thus far. I played beta on Xbox and I am now playing the PC version it is much better looking graphically, from a control stand point it seems it was made more console friendly. Overall I would say it is worth giving it a go.
  4. asmoron
    Apr 2, 2013
    9
    An engaging sci-fi story with the wild enjoyment of Borderlands only with 1,000 friends instead of four. If you're the type of person to get caught up in fevered loot-hording, third person action and large scale PvE and PvP give it a shot.
  5. Fereldin
    Apr 3, 2013
    8
    Having beta tested and played MMOs for close to a decade, alongside the obligatory 'A' Solo titles like Skyrim, Borderlands 1 and 2 DLCs, Far Cry series, all the Bioshocks I feel I can contribute a good sense and feel for Trion's Defiance.

    Any launch of an MMO has issues. Star Wars:The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, heck even World of Warcraft vanilla, were not perfect on day-1 of retail    Having beta tested and played MMOs for close to a decade, alongside the obligatory 'A' Solo titles like Skyrim, Borderlands 1 and 2 DLCs, Far Cry series, all the Bioshocks I feel I can contribute a good sense and feel for Trion's Defiance.

    Any launch of an MMO has issues. Star Wars:The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, heck even World of Warcraft vanilla, were not perfect on day-1 of retail release. Either the launch or pre-order advance play launches were so packed, you couldn't log-on, or many of the difficult to reproduce beta bugs, exposed to 10,000x the players, actually did surface as major game play bugs and impeded enjoyment and playability. This is the nature of MMOs it's always a work in progress, and only get better with time. We can't compare this barely '1.0' title to an almost-nine year old WoW with about 100 person years of development time and tweaking or other similar titles. One must know, going in to a new MMO, that you're an investor and a pioneer. You are investing in a title that, in due time, will mature and improve. If you're not keen on this investment, then likely the best route for you is to continue to play the mature titles, and come back to this after several months of patches.

    I for one, am a believer, and an investor I gave some cold hard cash to support the developers, as I they have earned by trust and respect with their other fun and refined titles, such as Rift. I would be quite tickled if 'some other mmo' out there competed for my time and dedication, instead of sinking yet more hours, days and years into World of Warcraft.

    Sure, it's hard to re-invent the wheel; but why fix something that isn't broken. The wheel is fine, but we can work on better tires, better axles, better suspension, and rims. That is where I see Defiance, Guild Wars 2, Planetside 2, and other titles. They offer some changes and mix things up; Alright, so it's still all about the quests, and turn-ins, grinding and killing mobs, loot drops, money drops, and we buy and sell, but Defiance isn't trying to re-invent MMOs, they're offering some extra features that enhance the generic.

    I'm going to wait and see how future patches change, tweak, perfect it; meanwhile, I have no issues providing Trion some remuneration for their hard work, and motivate them to keep improving it. Much like SW:TOR a fairly horrid product initially, and it felt like a beta 4-months into Retail with no end-game content, but after a year and its f2p conversion and micro-transactions, it's actually pretty good now. Besides, WoW has micro-transactions, but they're tied into links from the Launcher app, to a web store portal.

    Microtransactions and free-to-play is likely the model to come for the foreseeable near-future; until another model surfaces. WoW is the Apple of the gaming world; they are bucking the trend and generating earnings where the other 90% of their respective industry does not and are operating at a loss. The wheel will likely be re-invented at some point; for anti-gravity hover pads or some such. For now, i'm pleased to be a part of the re-invention; and I like seeing what developers are coming up with, to buck the trend.    … Expand
  6. Maeldun81
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    One of the rare MMO's that actually grips you in the story, flawless launch so far which you never see in mmos ever. Nice customization, weapons, loving the vehicles.
  7. lollermittens
    Apr 2, 2013
    9
    If you've been waiting for a new and refreshing MMO experience, look no further, TRION Games has done it again.

    Background: long-time WoW player (4-5 years); played RIFT for about 5 months; SWTOR for about 4 months; TSW for about 1 month. Too many others to list. TL;DR: I have vast experience when it comes to MMO and would consider myself a hardcore player (30 hrs+ per week). I'm    If you've been waiting for a new and refreshing MMO experience, look no further, TRION Games has done it again.

    Background: long-time WoW player (4-5 years); played RIFT for about 5 months; SWTOR for about 4 months; TSW for about 1 month. Too many others to list. TL;DR: I have vast experience when it comes to MMO and would consider myself a hardcore player (30 hrs+ per week).

    I'm simply going to go over what I feel are the most important factors that people look for in an MMO:
    1. Gameplay: the hitboxes are accurate. Not 100% accurate but if I'm aiming for a headshot with the sniper rifle/AR/shotgun (yep, shotgun), it registers the hit accurately. This was my biggest fear that TRION developed an MMOFPS where the FPS part would be horrible. How does it feel? Well, imagine the accuracy of Gears of Wars 2 and 3 weapons with even more accurate hitboxes when you're landing hits. Basically, skill does matter in Defiance and you're simply not required to press 1, 2, 3, E, A or whatever to get your combos off since you're not restricted by the cooldowns of the skills you place on your hotbar. It's a very solid experience all in all and I'm very happy that the game, at the very least, is functional in the MMO department.

    2. RPG-elements: a question that still remains on everyone's lip is "does this game have the typical depth expected of a good/great MMORPG?" Surprinsingly enough, it *seems* like it. Now, I want to emphasize on the "seem" a bit: I played the game for about 12 hours now and I've only maxed out three "skills" (one which increases your critical damage when you're crouched, another which increases the damage you do against monsters who are rushing towards you, and another that increases drops when I perform critical kills) which you then assign into "perks" slots. Take the perks that you'd find in your typical over-the-shoulder third-person shooter, sprinkle a bit of RPG-flavored stats on them, and voila, you've created enough depth to give me at least a solid month of playtime. And when I say solid month, I'm expecting to be playing this game 4-6 hours on a daily basis and even longer on weekends. Before you start the game, you're given the choice of 4 powers that will be assigned to your 1 key: Cloak (makes you invisible); decoy; run faster and deal more melee damage; and, last but not least, an ability that increases your shooting damage by 10%+ for a few seconds.

    You will be inquired to pick a power during the tutorial but the "EGO" perks are designed in such a way that you should be able to unlock all skills (although you can only use one at a time) after a few months of playtime. In terms of gearing up, you'll have access to a primary and secondary weapon slot as well as the possibility to spawn a vehicle wherever you want (even in some indoor areas surprisingly), put on armor, and a grenade. You can add mods to your weapons such as recoil reduction, increased crit dmg, and the standard stuff. Ultimately, the possibility for in-depth gearing up is there and the weapon selection so far is enormous.

    3. Longevity: I mentioned the game's longevity during the RPG-elements section and I'm confident that this game will provide me a solid month's of game time at the minimum. For a casual player, a "solid month" would provide easily minimum 2 months of gameplay. There's a lot to go through and explore. And if you live in the Bay Area like I do, it's very refreshing to "explore" the game world which is closely integral to real-word Bay Area.

    Conclusion: last night was the first time in an MMO that I was able to cover my friend in "real-time." We weren't "in combat;" monsters were popping left and right like a shooter; my friend had to dash across a parking lot to turn off an alarm and from a windowsill, I was providing sniper fire which allowed him to make it through the parking lot and complete the quest. This was the FIRST TIME I experience a "real-time" quest with dynamic monsters that created a refreshing experience.

    Defiance borrows heavily from GoW, Borderlands, Rift, and traditional MMO elements. TRION successfully fused all these elements together and have provided a very, very solid game in return.

    If you're still on the fence after reading my review, answer the following questions with a 'yes' or 'no;' if you answered 'yes' to more than two questions, honestly, just do yourself a favor and go buy the game (also no monthly subscription is required which is a huge plus): do you like Borderlands 1 or 2? Do you like Gears of War 1/2/3? Do you like Rift/WoW/The Secret World/Guild Wars 2? Do you like crisp/accurate shooters with hitboxes that register correctly?    … Expand
  8. scipion41
    Apr 2, 2013
    8
    Très bon jeu. Rien de très innovateur, la l'exception de l'univers dans lequel on nous plonge qui est, tout même très intéressant. Cependant, le gameplay est solide et les cartes du monde sont immenses. Bref, jusqu'à maintenant, j'aime beaucoup
    J'ai très hâte de voir le "show" qui y est attaché.
  9. XenoCypher
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    Defiance is everything that The Secret World SHOULD have been, with more. It has a compelling story with characters that evolve through-out the missions, giving them the feeling that you "know" them to some degree. The ability to drive around in cars, trucks, and quads gives the game an added fun factor with all of the cool things you can do with them (like crazy jumps and 360's).

    The    Defiance is everything that The Secret World SHOULD have been, with more. It has a compelling story with characters that evolve through-out the missions, giving them the feeling that you "know" them to some degree. The ability to drive around in cars, trucks, and quads gives the game an added fun factor with all of the cool things you can do with them (like crazy jumps and 360's).

    The Arkfall system is very akin to Rift's in RIFT and award every player doing the missions there, without the need to be in a group. Even the main missions (quests), do not require you to be grouped to get credit, which is pretty awesome.

    There is so much to love about this game, that it is hard to list it all. It is worth trying for yourself.    … Expand
  10. RosaV
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    Everything Tabula Rasa should have been. An immersive MMO with tight shooting mechanics and compelling missions. There is a lot of game here, and it's a blast!
  11. Joshy
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    Most innovative MMO in a LONG time, not just another stupid WoW clone. And the fact that it's tied in with the show and your character could end up being IN the show.....that's just neat as hell. Awesome weapons and vehicles also. Smooth gameplay and good graphics also.
  12. JoseTadeuChagas
    Apr 9, 2013
    10
    This game promisses but not deliver, a crappy pc port, trion do not respond tickets when they respond they say the problem is resolved when it is not. If you intend to buy pass this one out.
  13. uforoboso
    Apr 7, 2014
    9
    Defiance is how Grand Theft Auto Online should be. Everything is smooth, people cooperate in the free roaming world instead of griefing and killing you, while PvP is possible in the PvP events, as it should be! The world is nice, the graphics are good, shooting, driving physics are good. A lot of content makes you want to roam the world more and more. I don't like sci-fi at all, butDefiance is how Grand Theft Auto Online should be. Everything is smooth, people cooperate in the free roaming world instead of griefing and killing you, while PvP is possible in the PvP events, as it should be! The world is nice, the graphics are good, shooting, driving physics are good. A lot of content makes you want to roam the world more and more. I don't like sci-fi at all, but Defiance is the exception I like to make.… Expand
  14. jimbofletcher12
    Apr 10, 2013
    8
    This is one of the best mmos out at the moment i know that's not saying much but its fun got good shooting and just all round a good fun game i wish there was customization at the start like hair Armour color etc but i think its a great game
  15. Pakchoi118
    Apr 10, 2013
    8
    I really enjoyed the openness of this game, jumping from one quest to another while other people helping me take on some grotesque alien boss! It may take a little while to actually get into, but once you get in the action it becomes a great deal of fun. The only reason i was slightly dissapointed with the game was due to the awful patcher which reduced my download speed far beyond of it'sI really enjoyed the openness of this game, jumping from one quest to another while other people helping me take on some grotesque alien boss! It may take a little while to actually get into, but once you get in the action it becomes a great deal of fun. The only reason i was slightly dissapointed with the game was due to the awful patcher which reduced my download speed far beyond of it's usual rate. I think overall it took me 12 hours to download after 3 failed attempts.… Expand
  16. GottFaust
    Apr 3, 2013
    8
    Lets get the cons out of the way: Limited graphical customization, dated and poorly implemented graphical tech (lacks most modern features), low resolution textures, clunky movement, terrible animations, amazingly bad UI (to log out you have to press escape, hold space, select an option from a radial menu, select an option from a menu bar, and then you can actually click the log outLets get the cons out of the way: Limited graphical customization, dated and poorly implemented graphical tech (lacks most modern features), low resolution textures, clunky movement, terrible animations, amazingly bad UI (to log out you have to press escape, hold space, select an option from a radial menu, select an option from a menu bar, and then you can actually click the log out button.), and bad voice acting. Now, after that what could possibly be good about the game? The answer is: everything else, most importantly the game play. The game is a very fun experience. Think borderlands on a massive scale. Loot drops are prevalent, instanced to each player (which is a good thing as it stops loot rushing), and interesting. Enemies are varied and interesting. The weapons are fun and flashy (outside of your standard shotgun/pistol/rifle guns). The powers are useful and unique. The weapon customization is in-depth, but not obfuscated. The story is interesting (bad voice acting and animations aside). The art itself is amazing (even if the technology that renders it isn't). The back-story and lore to the world is creative and very detailed. I could keep going, but I think you get the picture. Will you like this game if you value graphics and presentation above all else? No. Will you like this game if you enjoy solid gameplay, a good story, and a world with detailed lore to back it? Yes. Overall: Gameplay 10/10, Story 8/10, Graphics 6/10, Animations 3/10, Sound 6/10, Voice Acting 5/10, UI 4/10, Weighted Total (gameplay out-weighs most everything else) 8/10.… Expand
  17. Sargonnas
    Apr 5, 2013
    8
    I'm content with Defiance so far and as a long time Rift player it is obvious Trion cares and wants to make great games even if there are a few hiccups along the way. It will be interesting to see how the tv show and game work around each other, and I think my only question, that's too soon to answer at this point, is whether this game will hold peoples long term interest. The PC releaseI'm content with Defiance so far and as a long time Rift player it is obvious Trion cares and wants to make great games even if there are a few hiccups along the way. It will be interesting to see how the tv show and game work around each other, and I think my only question, that's too soon to answer at this point, is whether this game will hold peoples long term interest. The PC release has been pretty smooth overall and I have not run into any major issues so far.… Expand
  18. NachtkindFX
    Apr 4, 2013
    8
    Defiance is fast and fun. But it is not like a Borderlands MMO, Guild Wars 2 styled, it's something in between. This game is average... not meat not fish, but fun. It needs more deeps Items and details (world).
  19. cyrigal
    Apr 4, 2013
    8
    Defiance is an MMO that is based on the t.v show also named Defiance. In the game, you play as an ark hunter who's role is to salvage arkteck from arkfalls. Arkfalls are random events that happen across the map, very similar to the rifts in the game rift. Defiance also features a campaign with voice acting (hit and miss) and cut scenes.

    Graphics- Compared to other mmos defiance isn't    Defiance is an MMO that is based on the t.v show also named Defiance. In the game, you play as an ark hunter who's role is to salvage arkteck from arkfalls. Arkfalls are random events that happen across the map, very similar to the rifts in the game rift. Defiance also features a campaign with voice acting (hit and miss) and cut scenes.

    Graphics- Compared to other mmos defiance isn't making any leaps in graphical fidelity. However, it runs well maxed out a radeon hd 6770 1gb. from my 15+ hours of game play I noticed very very few graphical errors. Overall, I think they could have pushed the details of the pc version a little further, but its not a big concern.

    Sound- Some gun sounds sound a little pop gun-ish. Also there have been a couple sound errors where it would keep playing the fight music long after Ive finished fighting.

    Bugs- So far in my 15 hours of playing the only bug Ive encountered was getting stuck twice. There is no unstuck command but logout/login fixes it. Other than that Ive only noticed a few animation hitches.

    Support- Don't worry that because its multiplatform it'll only get 3 patches a year. So far, there have been 3 patches since Tuesday to fix up a few bugs.

    Microtransactions- Yep, the normal deal, lockboxes(which are really easy to get with in-game currency), xp-boosts, cosmetics, vehicles, inventory slots.

    Subscription- nope, 1 time purchase. Buy and play like guild wars.

    interface and controls- Well, this game has an great map features including waypoints that highlight the shortest route. the rest of the interface is very easy to get a grasp on. Another thing to comment on is the native controller support, Its a big deal to some.

    Gunplay- Defiance does not share the same combat mechanics of a traditional mmo( tab to lock on, press 2,3,5, and 2 again, enemy dead yay) instead, Defiance shares many similarities to third person shooters. you shoot people or mutants in the head for criticals, and hellbugs have a variety of weakspots to exploit.

    Gun Progression-Guns in defiance are very cool, and there are 1000's. The more you use a type of weapon (ie shotgun or pistol) the better your character is with that weapon type. ranking up a weapon type gives you flat bonuses to crit damage, recoil reduction, etc. Also, there is a synergy bar for each individual gun that gives you additional bonuses to that weapon. Another feature in defiance is the ability to mod your gun with attachments. the different attachments are stock, magazine, barrel, and scope. Keep in mind some weapons can only have the stock and barrel modded, while some might only let the magazine get modded.

    Character progression. Your EGO or Environmental guardian online alters your DNA to make you fight better. Basically you kill things=xp, missions =xp and so on. you get ego points from xp and this are used to either enhance your active ability (overcharge, blur, cloak, or decoy) or to invest some points in a heaping load of passive sub skills. you can only have a certain amount of passive skills equipped at a time, kind of like the secret world but not really.

    Arkfall events, Holy cow- Random events happen in defiance called arkfalls. this is when ark teck falls from the sky from all the space debris in orbit or something. Anyway its not instanced and anyone can jump in and help at any time. which is insane. its not uncommon to see 60-70 people at one arkfall boss.

    Shadow war- Epic scale (64v64) pvp. only tried it once and it seemed to be a 20 v 20 unbalanced capture the point mode. it was alright.

    Missions- sadly, This is where Defiance is lacking. the missions even though voiced can feel repetitive, especially the side missions.

    Im running out of space so I have to skip a bunch.

    All in all, I would recommend this game to loot junkies, mmo players, and team players. If you're looking for a great single player experience go play the witcher series (If you haven't you should be beaten)

    8/10 for bringing a straight up shooter to the mmo genre. It has potential.    … Expand
  20. Zezzix
    Apr 4, 2013
    8
    Defiance is for the shooter/adventure crowd, and its just so happens its a MMO as well. If this game was without the depth of an MMO it would be a 5/10. No crafting system but that's cool, since all I want to do is kill mobs and get loot. The atmosphere reminds me of Age of Conan not as good but close, the game play is very close to Gears of War but watered down to give you a more MMODefiance is for the shooter/adventure crowd, and its just so happens its a MMO as well. If this game was without the depth of an MMO it would be a 5/10. No crafting system but that's cool, since all I want to do is kill mobs and get loot. The atmosphere reminds me of Age of Conan not as good but close, the game play is very close to Gears of War but watered down to give you a more MMO experience but very addictive. The story is of a RPG caliber, engrossing and fresh.

    The character customization leaves much to be desired. Voice acting needs work, graphics and sound needs polish, with all its cons Defiance will be sorted with nurture patches and I am glad I've bought and now playing this marvel of a game.

    I became so tired of the standard MMORPGs currently available, Defiance is a most welcome change, now just to try and have my friends join in on the action.

    Most importantly its fun and addictive.    … Expand
  21. NastyN8
    Apr 5, 2013
    9
    For a newly released MMO, Defiance feels pretty good.

    Visuals are above average for an MMO. The landscape is beautiful in some areas and quite dull in others unfortunately. Some areas of the game just seem to be endless rolling hills. Story missions are well thought out and often very fun and interesting with cut scenes to put things in context. However, the side missions are quite    For a newly released MMO, Defiance feels pretty good.

    Visuals are above average for an MMO. The landscape is beautiful in some areas and quite dull in others unfortunately. Some areas of the game just seem to be endless rolling hills.

    Story missions are well thought out and often very fun and interesting with cut scenes to put things in context. However, the side missions are quite the opposite. Side missions mostly consist of "go here and click on this" and seem to exist for the sole purpose of putting you into a firefight.

    The combat is WAY more involved than most MMOs and actually requires some skill with aiming and good decision making. I was pleasantly surprised with how different encounters can feel from one to the next, even though you may be fighting the same type of enemy. The Co-op mission, I find, are the funnest type of combat.

    Progression seems slower than most MMOS but this is because defiance does not have a traditional leveling system. You can add perks to your character through the EGO system, but most of the meaningful upgrades you will find are new weapons and some of them (such as BMGs, detonators, and injectors) are quite interesting.

    There are a few bugs and some polishing that needs to be done. Although in many ways Defiance does feel like a completed game, I still think it was rushed out a bit to release before the TV show did. I feel confident that future patches will resolve some of the minor bugs soon because Trion has always been a very hard working developer.    … Expand
  22. evilthief
    Apr 4, 2013
    9
    Great game, can't wait for the show. Launch has been solid thus far, have had no issues with connecting. Looks nice, feels nice, and can only get better with time. I hope Trion really holds on to this one and stays with it, it's not perfect.... but it still has so much potential. I knew my life wouldn't be complete unless I bought this.
  23. st_sgibbs
    Apr 4, 2013
    9
    This game is fun! I can't wait to see how it unfolds as the show starts and how it's claimed to be a transmedia experience. It's worth the money, I'm addicted to it and no way is it feeling like you are reaching a cap fast. I can understand the concern of repetitive side missions even using same dialog, but its just like ME3 and fun to break away from episode or main missions. TheThis game is fun! I can't wait to see how it unfolds as the show starts and how it's claimed to be a transmedia experience. It's worth the money, I'm addicted to it and no way is it feeling like you are reaching a cap fast. I can understand the concern of repetitive side missions even using same dialog, but its just like ME3 and fun to break away from episode or main missions. The graphics is great though character models are a little rough in the face. I have complete faith the developer will continue to enhance it. they have shown a lot of care with continuous patches and upgrades already. It has the content, it just depends on if you choose to seek it out.… Expand
  24. Justing
    Apr 4, 2013
    10
    innovative MMO in a LONG time, not just another stupid WoW clone. And the fact that it's tied in with the show and your character could end up being IN the show.....that's just neat as hell. Awesome weapons and vehicles also. Smooth gameplay and good graphics also.
  25. Kracket
    Apr 16, 2013
    9
    Interesting world, addicting combat, horrendous UI, lackluster questing. This game is Borderlands mixed with GTA mixed with Rift. Once the UI and bugs are fixed, this game will be pretty fantastic. Even with it's flat characters, console-created menus and a few unexpected problems, I am having an exciting time in the world of Defiance. I bought it for 42 bucks from greenmangaming and IInteresting world, addicting combat, horrendous UI, lackluster questing. This game is Borderlands mixed with GTA mixed with Rift. Once the UI and bugs are fixed, this game will be pretty fantastic. Even with it's flat characters, console-created menus and a few unexpected problems, I am having an exciting time in the world of Defiance. I bought it for 42 bucks from greenmangaming and I have already gotten my money's worth. Consider checking it out.… Expand
  26. Kinyajuu
    Apr 11, 2013
    9
    Engaging story, if you don't skip through it all like I know some do. Quests are go here, defend this, grab this, etc. typical MMO style missions. Still very very fun. If you like third person shooters this is certainly worth a try. Very fun, blew by 8 hours without even noticing. Some of the action kills you find yourself doing gives you a feeling of being very badass. All in all, TrionEngaging story, if you don't skip through it all like I know some do. Quests are go here, defend this, grab this, etc. typical MMO style missions. Still very very fun. If you like third person shooters this is certainly worth a try. Very fun, blew by 8 hours without even noticing. Some of the action kills you find yourself doing gives you a feeling of being very badass. All in all, Trion does a great job of balancing shooter with MMO.… Expand
  27. Mavor
    Apr 12, 2013
    9
    Post apocalypse. Aliens. Modern day weaponry to super high tech alien weaponry. Weapon modification (statwise and visually). Awesome 'Mad Max' style chunky vehicles. Large selection of cosmetic outfits to earn. Fun storyline. Excellent atmosphere. Sandboxy world. Super hella fun gunfights! So much room to grow!

    Horizontal character progression ie: no grinding out levels to use that new    Post apocalypse. Aliens. Modern day weaponry to super high tech alien weaponry. Weapon modification (statwise and visually). Awesome 'Mad Max' style chunky vehicles. Large selection of cosmetic outfits to earn. Fun storyline. Excellent atmosphere. Sandboxy world. Super hella fun gunfights! So much room to grow!

    Horizontal character progression ie: no grinding out levels to use that new awesome weapon you found, its already your level when you find it. Loot in the game is similiar to games like the Stalker series where a given weapon type doesnt do more damage as you level up instead it gets better as you mod it and earn character perks to further increase your combat efficiency not by doing more base damage, but by getting more rounds on target and into those critical hit spots! Finding the same named rifle at high level that you did at low level will not increase its base stats instead it has a higher chance to come with more or all mod slots unlocked already and is more likely to come with multiple built in bonuses and Synergies.

    Defiance takes some skill to play its not a 'select target, begin hotkey rotation' game. Its a reflex based thrid person shooter that is just plain old fun to play and the fact that you can play it with the rest of the world just makes it even cooler.

    Like just about any MMO game these days its got its share of bugs. Many are avoidable others can hit you without warning. Trion has a massive patch coming first of the week that addresses nearly all of these and more.

    My main character is nearly 1500 EGO level and I must say I cannot wait to see whats in store for this game down the road. I know some have found issue with the game from what I see its mainly that the game isnt what those folks expected it to be, which is disappointing Im sure, but it happens. Some folks say theres not enough content right now at release the thing is, this game is a sandbox theres no direction you have to go in if you dont want to. I can spend hours roaming around the world just doing whatever and its just plain FUN!

    If an energetic third person shooter with a post apocaplyptic landscape crawling with alien weirdness and memorable characters sounds good to you dont wait, pick up a copy!    … Expand
  28. Fros7bite
    Apr 13, 2013
    10
    If you like Guild wars 2's pay model, Plantside 2's giant map, Borderlands gun play style, then you will love this game to no end. There is plenty of progression with fixes and updates everyday. With the addition of the show and a major content patch in the first week of release, I can only see a bright future.
  29. toaddy07
    Jul 15, 2013
    10
    best game i ever played a open world borderland expirenc with over 100 players if you ahve played border alnds you must play defianc if youre a fan of the TV series this is a most get
  30. mindw0rk
    Feb 6, 2015
    9
    Fun game. It doesnt have alot of depth, gameplay is mostly focused on shooting aliens and doing simple missions. But mechanically it is well done. I like the feel of shooting, that there are tons of varied weapons. Storyline tied to TV show is also interesting feature.
    If you seeking for MMO that doesnt require being online alot, and want just to login casually to shoot stuff, Defiance is    Fun game. It doesnt have alot of depth, gameplay is mostly focused on shooting aliens and doing simple missions. But mechanically it is well done. I like the feel of shooting, that there are tons of varied weapons. Storyline tied to TV show is also interesting feature.
    If you seeking for MMO that doesnt require being online alot, and want just to login casually to shoot stuff, Defiance is great game for this.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

38
#38 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
91
#91 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 40
  3. Negative: 2 out of 40
  1. Level7.nu
    Sep 10, 2013
    50
    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.
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  2. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 5, 2013
    89
    It’s an addictive game that seems to become even better as you play. If it keeps getting the right support and if the tie-in with the TV series proves successful, we might have a game that will keep us occupied for a lengthy amount of time. [May 2013]
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 4, 2013
    60
    If Trion can introduce better quest design, this will be a winner. [June 2013, p.88]
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