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. Fore
    Oct 28, 2013
    8
    Not your tank/dps/healer mmo. You need skill to play as your shot goes where you are aiming at. Gear is not as important as your ability to hit the target.
    Big complaint is the clumsy UI and lack of chat. Lack of chat is not bad considering you wont be exposed to chuck norris jokes or gold seller spams.
    At $10 this game is a steal. Try it if you are into FPS games.
  2. Reaper70
    May 10, 2013
    8
    Hi, So I have been playing Defiance for a few hours and I think it is very good. The graphics are average but the atmosphere and combat work really well. After reading mixed comments about it I thought I would see for myself and I am glad I did. If you like Borderlands or rift then you should try this game. It doesnt really feel like an MMORPG but it certainly is unique. Fri May 10 2013
  3. HighwayUK
    May 31, 2013
    8
    Wasn't quite sure what to expect from a shooter based MMO, most of the stuff the game does is pretty good... the controls are sharp, the gunplay is very well done, weapon modding etc is reasonable, driving vehicles around is also mostly done well, the game plays like a mix of LOST PLANET with BORDERLANDS... and for me that's a good mix. My biggest concern is how much of the old MMO fetchWasn't quite sure what to expect from a shooter based MMO, most of the stuff the game does is pretty good... the controls are sharp, the gunplay is very well done, weapon modding etc is reasonable, driving vehicles around is also mostly done well, the game plays like a mix of LOST PLANET with BORDERLANDS... and for me that's a good mix. My biggest concern is how much of the old MMO fetch quests remain in this game... despite a large amount of random quests, it doesn't quite hit Guild Wars 2's grade of fluid, but the combat is certain damn fun and would stand up as well as a single player title. I'd give them more time to get more content into the game, but they been busy fixing most of the bugs so it's forgivable.… Expand
  4. Krakn3dfx
    Apr 18, 2013
    8
    Defiance is a game that sits in a tough spot. It's probably the first real MMO shooter on the market that has made an effort to bring a solid PvE campaign to the table, as well as maintaining a fleshed out PvP system. Neither is perfect, but both are enjoyable, despite their shortcomings. The game launched with a lot of issues, like most MMOs, but Trion Worlds has clearly been working hardDefiance is a game that sits in a tough spot. It's probably the first real MMO shooter on the market that has made an effort to bring a solid PvE campaign to the table, as well as maintaining a fleshed out PvP system. Neither is perfect, but both are enjoyable, despite their shortcomings. The game launched with a lot of issues, like most MMOs, but Trion Worlds has clearly been working hard to patch those issues out. It feels like a game that was pushed out early to mesh with the premiere of the TV show, which is probably the case. If Trion has shown anything with Rift tho, it's that they're willing to put the work in fix problems and enhance their games.

    I have been enjoying Defiance a lot, the enemy AI isn't great, but it's no worse than most MMO enemy AI either. The combat mechanics have a very Borderlands-like feel to them, which is great, and the weapons feel adequately powerful for what they are. The crits sense, the leveling feels good, and the perks are nice. Hopefully the game does well enough long term to justify keeping it running, because I think it gives a lot of us something we could enjoy, an online massive multiplayer shooter that isn't just everyone trying to kill each other, but work together.    … Expand
  5. Sinnfury
    Apr 30, 2013
    8
    The game was a mess at the launch but since coming back on this week I can see they have fixed a lot. There are still a whole bunch of problems but if they keep it up the game will be what I expected it to be. Side quests can get a little boring sometimes though and the feeling it's a single player game needs to be sorted.
  6. 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
  7. 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).
  8. stimpy77
    Aug 3, 2014
    8
    After several hours in one day's sitting, I'm impressed. I'm not a stranger to MMOGs, I've played AC, WoW, DoD, LOTRO, Neverwinter, EVE, Rift, more recently Firefall, .. and actually Defiance is like a breath of fresh air. It has a really good recipe, and while I've come across people complaining about bugs, I think the build I'm playing must be after quite a few fixes because I haven'tAfter several hours in one day's sitting, I'm impressed. I'm not a stranger to MMOGs, I've played AC, WoW, DoD, LOTRO, Neverwinter, EVE, Rift, more recently Firefall, .. and actually Defiance is like a breath of fresh air. It has a really good recipe, and while I've come across people complaining about bugs, I think the build I'm playing must be after quite a few fixes because I haven't really come across any real glitches. (Come to think of it, I did have to log out and log back in in order to reset a mission that didn't complete, and do it again in order to restore a mission that was taken over by other players' work on another mission in the same area. Recalling this, I am forced to bump down from a 9 to an 8.)

    Defiance does try to be a lot of things at once -- MMOG, RPG, FPS, etc -- but at this first round of gameplay I think it manages to pull it off pretty well. It's refreshing to see the kind of variety in shooter action that other MMO FPS's lack, while enjoying some of the RPG elements that one can only experience in solo games or in RPGs, like a proper skill progression system. The sound, graphics, physics, et al are really quite spectacular, too, in my opinion, perhaps not raising any bars individually but definitely setting a new bar for their stable combination.

    I do miss the necessity of revealing areas of the map by way of adventure, it seems when in Map view the user can see everything, all the landmarks, all the current events, everything, and I don't know that like that, but this is coming from my recent experience with Firefall and SIN uplinks. in Defiance I had difficulty sensing progression via the map. The flip side, however, is that side quests and both an "episodic" and "main" campaign were all locally visible on the map with their markers, and that gave me a sense of variety.

    This game feels proper. We are a spoiled crowd, notice the negative reviews are all spoiled by the specific bars set by specific features but no game has ever really tried this recipe out to accomplish both RPG and FPS so well. I'm impressed. Well done.    … Expand
  9. 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
  10. thatfool
    Apr 18, 2013
    8
    This game does have issues. Not as many as on Xbox 360, but there definitely are technical glitches and there are some questionable design choices. I still think it is fun, perhaps surprisingly so. I've spent more time with it than with many games I'd subjectively think of as better games, but that weren't fun to keep playing after I was "done".

    Defiance's biggest selling points are    This game does have issues. Not as many as on Xbox 360, but there definitely are technical glitches and there are some questionable design choices. I still think it is fun, perhaps surprisingly so. I've spent more time with it than with many games I'd subjectively think of as better games, but that weren't fun to keep playing after I was "done".

    Defiance's biggest selling points are that they nailed the gunplay, and that you can effortlessly switch from soloing around to playing with others. Almost everything you do in the open world is automatically public, for example, if you're on a mission and some other player is on the same mission, you'll work together to complete it (similar to dynamic events in Guild Wars 2). Defiance also has its own clone of Rift's rift events, called ark falls, big events where you'll often see dozens of players. And if you want to play one of the co-op maps (basically, dungeons), all you need to do is sign up for either one you want to play or a quick match and the game's matchmaking will put you in a group and teleport you to the map. The same applies to competitive maps, and shadow wars, Defiance's open world based PVP system. Due to Defiance's shooter mechanics, matchmaking is less limited than in many MMOs. There are no classes, and there is no need to group characters by level. This means matches are usually made quickly and I often don't even have time to exit the matchmaking screen and do something else while I'm waiting for a match to fill.

    Defiance also includes some features that are rare in MMOs. There are checkpoint races. There are timed shooting challenges where you need to reach specific goals with one specific weapon. And for some people it might be interesting to know that you can play it with a controller and seamlessly switch between mouse+keyboard and controller if you want. The TV show tie-in is also something it does differently than other MMOs, although I think that one is a bad idea for a game that should be able to stand on its own feet. Removing pre-TV show content after the first two weeks so that some missions are now inaccessible to new players was a terribly misguided move for a game where those were the only real side missions with an actual story.

    I did mention glitches. There's one annoying one that can lose you items if you add mod slots and then zone or log out. There's a few pursuits (achievements) that can't be completed. Sometimes, your last perk slot gets unequipped because the game thinks you just unlocked it *again*. There were more at release, but many have already been addressed in 3GB worth of patches.

    The UI could be less console oriented too, although my main gripe with it is that it's just missing a few short cuts for mouse users. It's not unusable with keyboard/mouse, e.g. they didn't forget making buttons clickable or anything like that, it's more like you'd want a context menu in some certain places that wouldn't be useful with a controller but are kind of expected by mouse users. Chat could really do with a movable and sizable window instead of the barebones system they have now.

    All in all I'm rating it at 8. For starters, it actually works, which is more than what you can say about certain other recent titles. The main game play mechanic, shooting stuff with guns, is amazingly fun. It does a lot of other things right, too. Driving your cars around the bay area is fun. Races are fun. Automatic grouping for missions is fun. Matchmaking is quick and easy. They have some things to fix about the UI on PC, they need to re-think their content strategy, and they desperately need to add content that doesn't use one of the two predominant environment styles that are in the game. Objectively that may sound more like a 7, but I'm also basing my score on how much I've been playing Defiance since it came out, and it's currently shaping up to be the best value for my money I got from a video game in 2013. I've played games that offered a better or more well-rounded experience this year, but often one that was also over much sooner.    … Expand
  11. Allions
    Aug 31, 2013
    8
    Ok let's start this review with a central statement: Defiance is not a classic MMO.
    It's more accurate to define it as an Online Action TPS. The MMO component is present but you should not buy it thinking it as a classic MMO. There are no classes, gear is limited to weapons, shield, grandes, outfits and headgear is only for costumizing the character. The game is quite fun in solo, and    Ok let's start this review with a central statement: Defiance is not a classic MMO.
    It's more accurate to define it as an Online Action TPS. The MMO component is present but you should not buy it thinking it as a classic MMO. There are no classes, gear is limited to weapons, shield, grandes, outfits and headgear is only for costumizing the character. The game is quite fun in solo, and very funny with friends. There are big boss battles with many other players (hundreds), there are vehicles and a lot to explore. the story is OK, not great and a bit repetitive, but it's ok. I always wanted a game like this after Tabula Rasa closed, and this is quite a lot better of TR.
    I payed the game 10 euros, and it's well worth them. I reccomend to buy it at this price is and absolutley great game.    … Expand
  12. kendrickdk
    Apr 16, 2013
    8
    The game installed in about an hour and has run perfect so far. One of the most bug free installed in recent memory. I've played this for 2 days now and have become addicted. It's basically like a fps (a good one) in an antisocial MMO. I say antisocial because no one talks to each other. Your basically playing an MMO where you run in groups and kill like crazy. Love it.

    The    The game installed in about an hour and has run perfect so far. One of the most bug free installed in recent memory. I've played this for 2 days now and have become addicted. It's basically like a fps (a good one) in an antisocial MMO. I say antisocial because no one talks to each other. Your basically playing an MMO where you run in groups and kill like crazy. Love it.

    The interface needs work and the inventory system needs work but other than that it's great.    … Expand
  13. ValorousJames
    May 26, 2013
    8
    I purchased this game with little hope for it. I have now put in over 200 hours of game-play. I have to say I had no idea it keep me coming back to it this much. It is a very flawed game; the story is kind of lame, enemies get repetitive as do missions, graphics are muddy at best, and voice acting is terrible at best. That all sounds horrid, but let me tell you the good parts shineI purchased this game with little hope for it. I have now put in over 200 hours of game-play. I have to say I had no idea it keep me coming back to it this much. It is a very flawed game; the story is kind of lame, enemies get repetitive as do missions, graphics are muddy at best, and voice acting is terrible at best. That all sounds horrid, but let me tell you the good parts shine through all this. Great shooting mechanics, good mmo elements that don't require a lot of hassle, good customization, and just general fun. The fluid nature of the world with other players crossing paths with you is very intriguing and draws me back more than anything. I won't say it is a great game, but I think it is an interesting move in a direction I think will be huge once it catches on. This is not for everyone, I feel it is very much dependent on personal preference as to whether you will enjoy Defiance or not, but if you liked Borderlands or really like the 3rd person perspective there are far worse places to go for a good time.… Expand
  14. TheDozarian
    Apr 14, 2013
    8
    Anything that is tied to SyFy starts me out skeptical. I wanted to have high hopes for this title when I first heard the concept. When I heard that it was Trion developing it, I wanted to believe that it could be as good as Rift is. The end result was that when I initially got my hands on it (Beta 3), I was expecting very little. Thankfully, I was surprised by what I got.

    After the beta    Anything that is tied to SyFy starts me out skeptical. I wanted to have high hopes for this title when I first heard the concept. When I heard that it was Trion developing it, I wanted to believe that it could be as good as Rift is. The end result was that when I initially got my hands on it (Beta 3), I was expecting very little. Thankfully, I was surprised by what I got.

    After the beta ended, I couldn't help but find myself wanting to play it more. And I have a host of other MMOs that I'm currently enthralled with. So when it went live, I went ahead and picked it up. I've watched the trailers for both the game and the show and I must say that I'm impressed... so far.

    That being said, I'm enjoying the gameplay, if not the story as well. It's a setting that both appeals to me and has been vastly under-served thus far. I like it. At least give it a shot before you dog it. It might just be your thing, too!    … Expand
  15. Nataraja
    Apr 23, 2013
    8
    The simplest way to describe this game is Rift without all of the plethora of spells and abilities and stripped of tab targeting and skill based combat added in. Trion has managed to take the dynamic events that made Rift so much fun to play and made it a skill based 3rd person shooter. The PvP is solid and enjoyable and the Coop maps essentially instances/dungeons are well done,The simplest way to describe this game is Rift without all of the plethora of spells and abilities and stripped of tab targeting and skill based combat added in. Trion has managed to take the dynamic events that made Rift so much fun to play and made it a skill based 3rd person shooter. The PvP is solid and enjoyable and the Coop maps essentially instances/dungeons are well done, quick, challenging and fun. There is a lot of content to keep you occupied, especially if you don't mind the standard fetch quests. There are also faction reputation, Ark Falls, Emergencies, Special Events, The Shadow War (open world objective PvP) and TONS of side quests, skill challenges, etc. For a Buy to Play (B2P) game like Guild Wars 2, this is a pretty attractive game. I really enjoy it and the graphics are great voice acting gets better as the story progresses and it stays in safe territory without a lot of innovation. Basically its Rift's event and world system, Mass Effects competent and enjoyable 3rd person shooter combat, and cutscenes that are short and to the point. Could only give it an 8 because its so mainstream though with no real risks involved.

    If you are tired of having your MMOs flavored with tab targeting and medieval themes then I would suggest trying Defiance.    … Expand
  16. 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.
  17. gimpyjosh
    Apr 23, 2013
    8
    This game is FUN to play. I am confused as to a lot of the 0-2 reviews. I think a lot of people played it for five minutes, got bored, and tossed it before the game got to the level where combat became challenging and interesting.

    The game starts out in "Easy" mode. This means the only enemies you run into are mutants that stand still and shoot at you. This is so those of us with less    This game is FUN to play. I am confused as to a lot of the 0-2 reviews. I think a lot of people played it for five minutes, got bored, and tossed it before the game got to the level where combat became challenging and interesting.

    The game starts out in "Easy" mode. This means the only enemies you run into are mutants that stand still and shoot at you. This is so those of us with less experience in shooters have a chance to learn the controls. If you keep playing, the game gets harder, and therefore more interesting. You have to consider how to approach a group of enemies. You can't always charge in, stand in one place, and shoot people. Now you have to take cover. Now you have to try to eliminate shielded enemies first. Now you try to snipe their heavy damage enemies first so you can then deal with the peons.

    This is an MMO. If you don't have the patience for server downtime and bugs, you MUST WAIT a few months before buying it. I waited two weeks, and by then the game now has almost no server downtime, I have no lag, and the game runs flawlessly. The few minor bugs I ran into are not game breaking, and I know they will fix them all in a future patch.

    The worst part of this game is the dialogue. It appears to be written by a seven year-old boy that just saw his first boobie. In one line, a character says "Who is this pretty girl and why is she mad at me?" Yes, there are hundreds of groan-worthy lines like this strewn throughout.

    The second problem I have with this game comes from the synergy the game has created with the TV show. It seems the story and info you run across in the game world are intentionally vague, generic and leave out details as to the lore of the world. They developers are worrying too much about treading on the TV show's toes to tell an interesting story which explains and shares the intricacies of this alien infested, war torn world. In future content, I really hope they get that out of the way and try to tell a deeper story that includes more depth into the characters and areas we explore. Right now it just feels like a big empty sandbox and the only people your mute character (good choice... I love playing a game where I get to watch other people talk and make decisions) run into have nothing interesting going on.

    My final problem with the game is the lack of information. Certain things seem to continue to go on unexplained. How do you unlock the coop missions? No one knows. It appears to be random at best. How do you modify your equipment? Just keep pressing buttons and you might figure it out. But, if you happen to have any of the equipment EQUIPPED, you will NEVER understand it, because it doesn't give you an error message telling you to first unequip the item before modifying it... Dear lord, do they WANT people to play the game? The only reason you would need to have it unequipped is because there is an arbitrary ten minute timer to add a mod slot to an item, during which you CAN NOT USE THE ITEM, and neither can you even use the weapon modding system during that ten minutes... This seems like a poor choice. Make me pay to add the slot, but don't stop me from playing the game to perform such an arbitrary task.

    Play the game for the combat. That's the fun part. Despite all the flaws, it is hella fun to ride around on my 4wheeler, killing aliens, and saving the world from mutant freaks.    … Expand
  18. 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
  19. Zackis
    Apr 24, 2013
    8
    I have played and enjoyed the game since launch. Glitches have been relatively minor for me, but prevented a higher rating. Login was fast, no que's were encountered, and the game installed easily on an i7 w 16GB of RAM and a 660Ti without any issues.
  20. GuruChaz
    Apr 11, 2013
    8
    After playing this game since release and in its current state, I'm giving it an 8. I have no doubt that over time, Trion will get this game up to a 10. The Arkfalls have been some of the most fun at this point. The main story quests are good and the side quests are fairly good but can get a little repetitive. I think the only thing I really don't like about the game is that the AIAfter playing this game since release and in its current state, I'm giving it an 8. I have no doubt that over time, Trion will get this game up to a 10. The Arkfalls have been some of the most fun at this point. The main story quests are good and the side quests are fairly good but can get a little repetitive. I think the only thing I really don't like about the game is that the AI seems a bit helter skelter. If I'm hiding behind bushes and snipe someone, all of a sudden every single person around the one I sniped knows where I am and starts bum rushing. That doesn't seem right. Beyond that, I think with more quests, more interesting Arkfalls, and more multiplayer events, this game would be perfect. I have never really played an MMOFPS before but if that's what this is then I kind of like the idea.… Expand
  21. Greatrock
    May 29, 2013
    8
    Its been a few weeks since I bought the game, and I'm still playing it casually. The launch went fairly well for a modern MMO, and I see new content added each week. Lots of different encounter types combined with plenty of weapon types keep the shooter atmosphere from becoming too stagnant.
  22. ANTI-
    Apr 6, 2013
    8
    Borderlands meets Fallout 3 meets Rift.
    Pros:
    -fantastic gameplay -some of the best combat I've ever experienced in an MMO -no subscription fees -looks great on high settings -PvP is very fun, especially Shadow Wars -4 man instances are superb -some fun vehicles to cruise around the map in -Arkfalls (world events) -tons of tons of weapons to customize and use Cons: -bugs, a    Borderlands meets Fallout 3 meets Rift.
    Pros:
    -fantastic gameplay
    -some of the best combat I've ever experienced in an MMO
    -no subscription fees
    -looks great on high settings
    -PvP is very fun, especially Shadow Wars
    -4 man instances are superb
    -some fun vehicles to cruise around the map in
    -Arkfalls (world events)
    -tons of tons of weapons to customize and use

    Cons:
    -bugs, a lot of them, mostly minor ones but its quite frustrating to deal with
    -will seem short in its current state if you aren't into pvp
    -some features painfully broken (voice chat) or lacking (text chat) or missing
    -limited storage, no bank outside your inventory, Trion trying to get you to buy extra inventory space    … Expand
  23. 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.
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. Sawsparrow
    Apr 14, 2013
    8
    Very addictive game! A must to have if you are the kind of guy who play with friends or clan. The graphic is not exellent but the map is big and no big load of the maps
  30. omgitsturtles
    Apr 12, 2013
    8
    When you reda reviews for this game all I ask is that you scroll down and read the comments. Many of them have very valid points that I agree with completely, however the feedback from gamers has been mostly positive. Like many mmos before it defiance had several bugs, glitches and server issues at launch. These issues get ironed out in time and the game changes drastically as you play.When you reda reviews for this game all I ask is that you scroll down and read the comments. Many of them have very valid points that I agree with completely, however the feedback from gamers has been mostly positive. Like many mmos before it defiance had several bugs, glitches and server issues at launch. These issues get ironed out in time and the game changes drastically as you play. The developers have been nothing if not fourthcomming and humble about every issue and have shown great strides and dedication in only a weeks time. The people on here leaving bad reviews more than likely had not delved more than a few hours in or partaken in any of the great pvp or instances that gradually unlock. Trust me, the game really opens up after only a few hours and you can be swept up in it easily. With limitless content, a dedication to free patches and free dlc gameplay this game is more than worth your money. It isn't perfect by any strectch, but we mustnt forget that the key factor in video games is the fun factor and I honestly can't recal having thismuch fun with a game in years… Expand
  31. theRoodieDoodz
    Apr 15, 2013
    8
    Defiance is a nicely balanced shooter. Although it can be repetitive, (no more that any typical MMO) the amount of content is staggering. This will only be expanded with the five promised DLC packs. The complaints of bugs and glitches are rampant, but very concentrated. Trion seems to be consistently updating and improving their game.

    If you enjoy shooters and/or MMOs then this is a    Defiance is a nicely balanced shooter. Although it can be repetitive, (no more that any typical MMO) the amount of content is staggering. This will only be expanded with the five promised DLC packs. The complaints of bugs and glitches are rampant, but very concentrated. Trion seems to be consistently updating and improving their game.

    If you enjoy shooters and/or MMOs then this is a safe buy, even at it's full $60 price tag. The game seems that it will appreciate with age.    … Expand
  32. HockeyBalboa69
    Apr 17, 2013
    8
    I am surprised at how much fun this game actually is, I was little hesitant at first but I am now hooked. Sure it gets some things wrong like the UI and lack of social interaction (especially on PC) but when you do get a group of people together or even start chatting with clan mates, it really works. Arkfalls are incredible to take part in, watching hundreds of Ark Hunters blasting awayI am surprised at how much fun this game actually is, I was little hesitant at first but I am now hooked. Sure it gets some things wrong like the UI and lack of social interaction (especially on PC) but when you do get a group of people together or even start chatting with clan mates, it really works. Arkfalls are incredible to take part in, watching hundreds of Ark Hunters blasting away at the same objective is a sight to be seen. The solo quests are enjoyable and even more so when a random Ark Hunter who happens by just stops to help you out because he/ she can is brilliant. The weapons and shooting mechanics are great and the EGO customisation is terrific. I think it is unfair the comparisons that this game has to other proper MMO's, I personally wouldnt classify it as an MMO, Im not sure there is a specific classification for this, it fills the middle ground between single player and MMO, and I think it does it quite nicely. I am sure in time with new features to be added (hopefully a revised UI and chat screen for PC) this game will be even more incredible than what it is and I cant wait to see what Trion does with this game… Expand
  33. Drewzbooze
    Apr 26, 2013
    8
    I gave this an 8 its a fun entertaining game. Its funny to read reviews that blast it for graphics and voice acting, ha Borderlands was no visual gem either... Plot is very sci fi adventure, I love the idea of this game its very close to great.. its no 10 and thats because of the Perks and weapons lacking depth and or game changing ability... The missions dont feel like a grind untill youI gave this an 8 its a fun entertaining game. Its funny to read reviews that blast it for graphics and voice acting, ha Borderlands was no visual gem either... Plot is very sci fi adventure, I love the idea of this game its very close to great.. its no 10 and thats because of the Perks and weapons lacking depth and or game changing ability... The missions dont feel like a grind untill you want to turn the game off then you realize your never standing around doing nothing. Im not a big MMO guy I hated WOW I played Guild wars for an hour and lost interest, this is not like those games at all... Its not some overly crammed game that requires your hourly attention and constant concern. Its for me a single player game online where other players are there but I just go thru the quests and have fun.. Driving my FLIPPEN 4 wheeler around!!!… Expand
  34. jkost78
    Apr 28, 2013
    8
    I have had alot of fun with this title, yes there are bugs but dev's seem to be acting very quickly to fix issues and also have removed quests/mini games cause of bugs within them and say why they did it. It's nice cause many other games leave those in. the launch had some serious issues but those seem to be long gone just a few quests/mini games that are still gone due to the devs fixing them.
  35. TheParentTrap
    Apr 30, 2013
    8
    For something so bold to be taken on, and have it actually succeed in any way is something for the books. Defiance is a game connected to the show, but as of right now not much connecting is going on. We were able to play the episode missions until the first episode aired. Which I think was a good move, others might disagree. But that's about all the connecting that has been going on,For something so bold to be taken on, and have it actually succeed in any way is something for the books. Defiance is a game connected to the show, but as of right now not much connecting is going on. We were able to play the episode missions until the first episode aired. Which I think was a good move, others might disagree. But that's about all the connecting that has been going on, I haven't heard or read anything about when the new episode missions will be coming. Could be halfway through the season or at the end of season one completely. Regardless of the storyline, the actual gameplay is brilliant in my book. Fun and intuitive (if you have a controller) I couldn't get a grip on it with a mouse and keyboard. Maybe it was just me, but I was not a fan of the way they set up the controls for the PC. If I didn't have a gamepad I would have been upset. The multiplayer that can be joined whenever in the middle of the main of the game is great. Shadow wars are a blast. The main story is decent. A lot of the same type of quests over and over but it was fun all the same. It actually engrossed me and made me want to keep playing until I beat it and most of the side missions. Which is a huge factor for me. Arcfalls are a damn good time. I love getting together with other players and killing tons of hellbugs or raiders. Bottom line the game is good, not great. Connection to the TV-Series still has to be proven. Gameplay is a good and shooting mechanics are amazing.… Expand
  36. leonardoshane
    Jun 28, 2013
    8
    It has a engaging story with plentiful side missions. I feel as if there is not enough tie in to the show as advertised. It has an enormous map on the consoles, but on the PC it is very small for an MMORPG. The game has plenty bosses (Arkfalls) but they feel repetitive because it is the same boss constantly. PvP in the game is very underrated because there are varied maps, many weapons,It has a engaging story with plentiful side missions. I feel as if there is not enough tie in to the show as advertised. It has an enormous map on the consoles, but on the PC it is very small for an MMORPG. The game has plenty bosses (Arkfalls) but they feel repetitive because it is the same boss constantly. PvP in the game is very underrated because there are varied maps, many weapons, and great gameplay.… Expand
  37. Dennarb
    Nov 11, 2013
    8
    This is one of those games that did not live up to its full potential, it is fun,and for someone who is new to MMOs a great experience, but if you are an avid MMO player this might not be the best idea, but for 10$ this game is great.
  38. Kurama17
    Nov 21, 2013
    8
    I think that most of the problems that people talk about when they have one with Defiance have been fixed. I waited to pick the game up until it went on Steam sale and it is one of the best game buys I have made in a long time.

    I read all about everyone saying that there is this bug or that bug, but I have about 50 hours of gameplay now and only ran into 1 which was corrected by    I think that most of the problems that people talk about when they have one with Defiance have been fixed. I waited to pick the game up until it went on Steam sale and it is one of the best game buys I have made in a long time.

    I read all about everyone saying that there is this bug or that bug, but I have about 50 hours of gameplay now and only ran into 1 which was corrected by relogging. There are many little tiny things with the game that I wish were changed but it doesnt take away from the running around and shooting that is Defiance. They are small things with like menu navigation or how loadouts work. But it doesnt take anything away from gameplay.

    With the price sitting at 9.99 and no monthly fee, all i want to know is... Can you afford not to try it?    … Expand
  39. player6587
    Aug 15, 2014
    8
    Yes! This game is completely amazing with stunning graphics and such absorbing story line. I was amazed and i am addicted to it! Of course, the game is not perfect with such bugs and poor customer service, otherwise i would rate 10 for a such perfect game.
  40. korantano
    Jul 11, 2014
    8
    This game is pretty fun only if you have some friends to play with it seems. I had a group of three i played with and had a hell of a time. The plot is crap, but it really doesn't matter to me because i had so much fun just finding the best guns that i could use. Its a great game, i logged about 90 hours without any of the DLC so that shows how engaged i was.

    TL;DR Good if you have    This game is pretty fun only if you have some friends to play with it seems. I had a group of three i played with and had a hell of a time. The plot is crap, but it really doesn't matter to me because i had so much fun just finding the best guns that i could use. Its a great game, i logged about 90 hours without any of the DLC so that shows how engaged i was.

    TL;DR Good if you have friends, plot was bad    … Expand
  41. HamsterPrincess
    Jan 6, 2015
    8
    I love the show but, frankly, the game could be better. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, but with series like that it had bigger potential. I hope they'll surprise us in the future.
  42. Zetra-inc
    Apr 3, 2015
    8
    Все было бы просто замечательно, если бы... Была локализация в России. Отечественных сообществ конечно хватает, но для ознакомления с игрой новичку трудно привыкнуть к тому, что скипаешь почти все заставки. Конечно нужно бы подтянуть английский со школьной скамьи, но мы не о том.
    Игра хорошая, сериал средненький, но очень атмосферный и они вполне друг друга дополняют.
    Вроде прокачки    Все было бы просто замечательно, если бы... Была локализация в России. Отечественных сообществ конечно хватает, но для ознакомления с игрой новичку трудно привыкнуть к тому, что скипаешь почти все заставки. Конечно нужно бы подтянуть английский со школьной скамьи, но мы не о том.
    Игра хорошая, сериал средненький, но очень атмосферный и они вполне друг друга дополняют.
    Вроде прокачки нет, а всё равно гриндишь...    … Expand
  43. Swampy
    Apr 7, 2013
    7
    This game does have bags of potential; whether it lives upto that potential in the longer term is an entirely different story however.

    On the face of it, it is a 'not too deep' entertaining and casual third person shooter set in a persistant world.. and it makes a pretty decent job of filling this niche. The problem is it's a bit of a one trick pony, and there's very little else to    This game does have bags of potential; whether it lives upto that potential in the longer term is an entirely different story however.

    On the face of it, it is a 'not too deep' entertaining and casual third person shooter set in a persistant world.. and it makes a pretty decent job of filling this niche. The problem is it's a bit of a one trick pony, and there's very little else to occupy your time other than running around an 'killing 10 mutants'.

    The game world is very small, and even the most casual of MMO players will probably rattle through all the current content within a few days, so this game is going to live or die by the amount of DLC that becomes available and the quality of the associated TV series.

    Graphically, it's not bad, but it's not great either.. and the world in which we are meant to play is pretty uninspiring, usually shrouded in a grey haze! There are scant in ame options for graphical optimisation on PC either!

    The social aspects of the game are next to none-existant, in fact I'd go so far to say the way this game/UI is designed makes it pretty antisocial. Which brings me onto the UI.. it is a poor console port that is tedious to navigate on the PC.

    Additionally there are (at the time of writing) still many bugs within the game, some of which are verging on game breaking.. again the speed and quality of fixes is going to go a long way to determine this game's long term future; and Trion has show that it can be pretty agile when it comes to fixing up things.. but I'm not sure if the millstone of console versions is going to affect their ability to respond quickly.

    Despite all the negatives however, as I said right at the top the gameplay itself can be pretty entertaining so long as you're in the market for a bit of lightweight escapism and not Battlefield 4 realism...

    On a final not I have to say the physical Ultimate Edition for PC is amazing to behold, if Trion had executed the actual game as well as this edition they'd be onto a sure fire winner!    … Expand
  44. karmasleeper
    Apr 14, 2013
    7
    First the good. Shooting is fun, controls are responsive, I have not encountered any lag spikes that make the game unplayable or unresponsive both during solo and group PvE and during massive co-op events with hundreds of people on screen. Quest variety is standard MMO fare but this is really to be expected. Tons of weapons variety which is great, but the weapons are not veryFirst the good. Shooting is fun, controls are responsive, I have not encountered any lag spikes that make the game unplayable or unresponsive both during solo and group PvE and during massive co-op events with hundreds of people on screen. Quest variety is standard MMO fare but this is really to be expected. Tons of weapons variety which is great, but the weapons are not very customizable. Weapons have upgrade slots and things like stocks and barrels improve certain qualities of your gun. The problem is, unless you have a super rare weapon mod, the improvement is inconsequential and has no tangible effect. If you encounter players doing the same quest as you, they won't interfere with your progress. Instead, you can enter the quest midstream so to speak and help other players finish, or other players can stumble along and lend you a hand if they choose. This makes grouping seamless and a lot of fun. Random events are dotted all over the landscape and those are often fun to complete. Fun arcade like or time attack challenges with leaderboards are also a nice diversion. Co-op missions are few but well constructed and fun to play. Now for the bad. The arkfall events, where hundreds of players, in the open game world a la Rift, work together to complete big challenges or bring down tons of enemies, are fun and yield good experience and loot, EXCEPT the mechanics behind completing them really suck. The more people there are, and yes, there will be tons of people heading toward these events, the harder the enemies are to kill. So your dude with his +5 shotgun of kickass that normally takes a couple blasts to down guys will now take dozens if not hundreds of rounds to down that same low level enemy. Instead of scaling the number of enemies for large scale encounters, the game simply rockets the HP of enemies to absurd heights. PvP is also a mixed bag. On paper, it sounds nice TDM and Battlefield style domination game modes, but it's super unbalanced because everyone is entering combat with their +3 assault rifle and spray n' pray. There are only 4 active skills, one of which you choose at the start of the game. This becomes your bread and butter similar to how each character in Borderlands had one active skill. You have a lot of freedom in how to craft your character, but characters fail to feel distinct as many of the passive bonuses you invest in are either useless or too context sensitive to be useful. Sometimes, the passive bonuses simply clash with the best, least frustrating ways to play, encouraging play styles that seem counter productive. Truthfully, I'm a bit disappointed having purchased this at launch for full price. Wait for a drop and or more content.… Expand
  45. Chomag
    Apr 2, 2013
    7
    This game is average. It's more of a co-op multiplayer shooter than an MMOFPS. If you wanted MMO features, I can only tell you that these are in small numbers and pretty much bare bones. If you wanted your classic MMO just with shooter features, you will be sorely disappointed.

    The "quests" aren't taken from NPCs in towns (there aren't even any towns, just some peaceful areas amongst    This game is average. It's more of a co-op multiplayer shooter than an MMOFPS. If you wanted MMO features, I can only tell you that these are in small numbers and pretty much bare bones. If you wanted your classic MMO just with shooter features, you will be sorely disappointed.

    The "quests" aren't taken from NPCs in towns (there aren't even any towns, just some peaceful areas amongst the battlefield that is the rest of the map) but they are spread across the map and they're always about activating some things or killing enemies or both. Thing is these quests become very quickly very repetitive and boring. Also, you can do the same quest multiple times as enemies will respawn rather fast after you completed it (which, imo, is very lame and breaking the immersion). The game is FILLED with visual glitches, such as players disappearing from in front of you and reappearing, which looks quite bad when you got a lot of players blinking as you approach them.

    This game is pretty mediocre for our time. I'd say it's actually a more complex Global Agenda than an MMO.    … Expand
  46. Mutini
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    Bottom Line: Game play: EXACTLY like Borderlands(with a slower, "not funny" story), Theme: EXACTLY like Rift(except you are chasing Ark falls instead of Rift openings). If you like the idea of crossing Rift with Borderlands then this is the game for you. And the game can be plenty of fun-for awhile but then it becomes repetitive. All you do is drive from one objective to another, shootBottom Line: Game play: EXACTLY like Borderlands(with a slower, "not funny" story), Theme: EXACTLY like Rift(except you are chasing Ark falls instead of Rift openings). If you like the idea of crossing Rift with Borderlands then this is the game for you. And the game can be plenty of fun-for awhile but then it becomes repetitive. All you do is drive from one objective to another, shoot the bad guys, do the deed and turn in the quest; Over and over and over. Having said that, the gun play is spot on and sniper shots are excessively satisfying-its just that that's all you ever do. I played Alpha and Beta. I don't think its worth 60 bucks but when the price becomes reasonable(around $20 maybe-or maybe it will simply go F2P) I probably will purchase it. Defiance isn't a bad game, its just nothing new or earth shattering and not even close to being worth the price they are asking for it right now-or $100 for the digital omg lol!… Expand
  47. keefbaker
    Oct 31, 2013
    7
    The experiment of game and tv show kind of works.. initially is really gripped me but through time interest has waned. However I got a large number of hours in before I got bored. Lack of a cover system given the type of game it is is a shame but Arkfalls are fantastic fun.
  48. philtothetop
    Aug 7, 2013
    7
    I was really interested in this game when it came out and finally decided to get it and to try it out after all of these critics. Well, it isn't bad but it doesn't feels like a top notch game either. Gameplay-wise, the controls are somewhat questionable and the default key-binding is weird as well (it doesn't matters anyway because you can rebind pretty much everything). The story is okay,I was really interested in this game when it came out and finally decided to get it and to try it out after all of these critics. Well, it isn't bad but it doesn't feels like a top notch game either. Gameplay-wise, the controls are somewhat questionable and the default key-binding is weird as well (it doesn't matters anyway because you can rebind pretty much everything). The story is okay, but the overall game is engaging. Be careful, IT IS repetitive.… Expand
  49. NE_Dave
    Apr 18, 2013
    7
    Defiance is a multiplayer online game, but not yet a RPG, despite claims of Trion Worlds. However, with the ties to the SyFy television show, the game is keeping my interest far longer than a standard FPS game which is only about killing one another. The over the shoulder firing system is similar to Fallout's system, another plus for someone like myself with poor reflexes. Still, the gameDefiance is a multiplayer online game, but not yet a RPG, despite claims of Trion Worlds. However, with the ties to the SyFy television show, the game is keeping my interest far longer than a standard FPS game which is only about killing one another. The over the shoulder firing system is similar to Fallout's system, another plus for someone like myself with poor reflexes. Still, the game does lack polish in some areas, and yes, quests are fairly repetitive at this moment. The hope is, however, the game will be adding content beyond 'shoot the raider/dark matter/bug/mutant' standard currently in the game. Role playing elements, to get more in depth with the characters is another area needing a huge improvement, but promised.

    Many of the reviews here have been critical of bugs, but I find few in the PC version of the game compared to what has been said about the consoles. Do, though, play this game with a controller if at all possible. It is very controller friendly compared to other MMOs which have attempted it previously.

    I'd like to rate this higher, but with elements missing to make it a RPG, and with the repetition, I have to hold back until I see the DLC adding more races and missions.    … Expand
  50. mrbigtime
    Apr 17, 2013
    7
    Well, if you want to buy this, prepare yourself. it is not awesome. nor it is not so bad. but wish its money was a bit cheaper. i think it doesnt worth its current money. i paid and iam a bit disappointed.

    still, shooting mechanics are well done, physics are ok. sounds and visuals r good. if you can buy it cheaper it is a good game.
  51. Pureray
    Apr 3, 2013
    7
    This game I find to hardly be worth 60$ since it plays like global agenda and/or firefall which are free. The show I intend to see how the game will effect the show or is the media just saying that to make the game seem more interesting to be playing.
  52. Rigermortis
    Apr 3, 2013
    7
    Defiance is okay as an FPS, and okay as an MMO and certainly not worth the $60 box price premium for a game in either category. It is however better than okay as a PC game on the whole as it is a first time effort at packaging the two genres together in a premium marketed package. It’s probably even better on a console.

    With this in mind the price point is fair and it is definitely    Defiance is okay as an FPS, and okay as an MMO and certainly not worth the $60 box price premium for a game in either category. It is however better than okay as a PC game on the whole as it is a first time effort at packaging the two genres together in a premium marketed package. It’s probably even better on a console.

    With this in mind the price point is fair and it is definitely worth a go for any fan of each respective genre looking to mix things up a bit.

    I’ll start with the bits that need work:

    1. All components of the game individually feel generic which is surprising for a game based on such an original concept. It is fun to play because it combines so many elements like a playground with lots of different rides that you’ve ridden all of before. You can play on one “ride” for a little then when bored of it go to another “ride”. There is plenty to do though none of it is really compelling for long stints.

    2. For a game that ties into a TV series it surprisingly has a very generic and simplistic story line with a lack of interesting character development. All story characters are very predictable and 2 dimensional. The story plotlines are linear.

    3. It is not as buggy as a typical FPS on release, about as buggy as a typical Box priced MMO on release, and much more buggy compared to other Trion titles on release i.e. Rift.

    4. Bugs include character movement and turning lockups, Leaderboards not scrolling, screen flicker, and various mission bugs.

    5. It has a UI that makes Windows 8 look intuitive on Desktops! I couldn’t work out how to change hair colour in character creation, or how to log out while in game. There aren’t a lot of UI customization options either.

    6. Character customization is more varied than I originally thought however every combination looks downright ugly in my opinion. Everyone has a massive jaw and an under bite, and noses look mashed onto characters faces. Animations are off putting as well. Characters look ugly and move ugly.

    7. It’s very difficult to socialize; general chat doesn’t work, you can only find players in your area.

    8. Combat lacks features like using cover etc. what little combat features the game has a very good and fun to use but it needs more. It doesn’t have the many keybinds and button mash options MMO’s have and doesn’t have the multiple “twitch” actions available to most modern FPS games.

    9. You can’t change view distance or angle.

    Things that keep me playing for now:

    1. I like the EGO system (similar to talent builds in other games) it’s very customizable compare to both MMO’s and FPS’.

    2. I really like the vehicle aspect, driving is a blast, and you can use vehicles to run over enemies. There are also driving time trials which have a small leaderboard associated (I spent hours on this).

    3. The Arkfalls are good fun and if expanded upon (like in Rift) can be excellent.

    4. The potential exists for this game to outgrow its faults and become very fun and engaging for the long haul. It needs the above mentioned addressed but what it has in terms of gameplay is very fun.

    5. It’s great to be able to switch between MMO tasks and FPS tasks, and then chill out playing “Daytona” style timed runs all within the one game.

    6. Weapons behave as they should with good detail. The same weapon type will have a different look and feel i.e. the “scope view” looks different depending on the weapon used even if it is the same type but a different “make”

    7. I like the buy box DLC model, and the fact that you can purchase all items with “virtual currency” earned in-game as well as cash shop so it’s not technically “Buying to win”.    … Expand
  53. Chaostheory1980
    Apr 12, 2013
    7
    The game is itself quite fun but the lack of a noticeable improvement overtime is a little disconcerting (regarding the leveling process as it is more rep than levels). As long as you don't use the rocket launcher (as it seems to not be very good unless u want to destroy a group of basic hellbugs) the weapons are fun but don't seem to have a huge visual or audio impact but the streams ofThe game is itself quite fun but the lack of a noticeable improvement overtime is a little disconcerting (regarding the leveling process as it is more rep than levels). As long as you don't use the rocket launcher (as it seems to not be very good unless u want to destroy a group of basic hellbugs) the weapons are fun but don't seem to have a huge visual or audio impact but the streams of hot lead you pound into the enemy trying to hit the weak areas will hold your attention. The cars I find quite fun especially jumping them and plowing though enemy ranks. A few things that other games would have done for realism have not been done here and it makes thing convenient and fun. (Can spawn car at a whim and takes no falling damage). For an open environment game I have no qualm with the graphics the serve the style and setting well. The games lack of direction is also a good point I believe meaning you do what you want when you want and even do things on the way to those things. Things do get a little repetitive but that is a norm for modern games to some degrees not that it is an excuse. The AI can be a little dumb but will still kill you if you let your guard down. Controls. K&M is best for the headshot precision junkie the controller is best for the cars and using the roll feature. I use both myself. I would say the game is a solid 7 and I am hoping that when the tv series airs a lot more stuff will become available that is currently missing so as not to spoil the tv series too much before it starts. I personally have skipped any show related scenes just in case on my first character but we will see. I think a 7 is a good score from my 30 hours of play. 0 is ridiculous but so is a 10.… Expand
  54. NecrOdium
    Apr 14, 2013
    7
    PC Gamer said "A competent MMO shooter marred by a lack of polish, whose TV tie-in ambitions only seem set to cause problems. My question is, how can PC Lamer say this when the TV series has not started yet. I wouldn't listen to a magazine critic that scores base on how much advertisement a game company spends on them. The game it self is decent. Hard to say untill the TV series starts.
  55. Shax
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    The graphics could be better but I guess they could be considered good for a mmo. Before I started playing this game I was worried since it's my first mmo since World of Warcraft. WoW basically took over my life and became a part time job for me. Defiance has none of time killing traps that WoW is rife with. There are no mobs or mats to farm. No farming period really. You can play solo ifThe graphics could be better but I guess they could be considered good for a mmo. Before I started playing this game I was worried since it's my first mmo since World of Warcraft. WoW basically took over my life and became a part time job for me. Defiance has none of time killing traps that WoW is rife with. There are no mobs or mats to farm. No farming period really. You can play solo if you want. No dungeons to raid and no guildies to have to contend with over loot drops.

    The game is worth buying at full price I definitely think you will get your monies worth.    … Expand
  56. MikeStone
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    Defiance is a good game with a lot of potential, but also many issues. All in all I would give it a 7/10.

    What I like: - Its fun to shoot things - I haven't really seen a better MMOTPS - PvP was pretty good until the hackers started to take over - Arkfalls were great until the hackers started to take over. - Great Co-Op missions - Interesting story - TV Show tie in (and the show    Defiance is a good game with a lot of potential, but also many issues. All in all I would give it a 7/10.

    What I like:
    - Its fun to shoot things
    - I haven't really seen a better MMOTPS
    - PvP was pretty good until the hackers started to take over
    - Arkfalls were great until the hackers started to take over.
    - Great Co-Op missions
    - Interesting story
    - TV Show tie in (and the show is actually good!)
    - No loading time unless you fast travel
    - Up to a few hundred of players on screen at a time with no lag

    What I hate:
    - Slow patch progress
    - Lack of weapon progression
    - Crappy modification system
    - Everything is very expensive and you can buy lockboxes using cash (so you can buy powerful gear, making it P2W).
    - No working chat system
    - Crappy tutorial I had to go outside the game to get into on BASIC game mechanics
    - Lots of bugs, exploits and hackers
    - Lots of server downtime
    - Lack of incentive to PvP or PvE after you finish the main story
    - Very little content. Around 50 hours to "beat" everything
    - No cover or blindfire system in a TPS

    If you want to find out more about Defiance, be sure to check out Lex's great Defiance guide http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=136738681

    Given enough time, I can see Defiance becoming a hit, as it is it's probably not worth it unless you are a huge TPS fan, or love the show (which I am).
    If you can pick this up for around $30, don't hesitate but at $60, it's simply not worth it.    … Expand
  57. TDK1140
    Jun 19, 2013
    7
    This game is pretty underrated. It takes a while to get into, but it's a really interesting game once you get into it. Of course there are flaws and glitches, but the game is still very entertaining.

    Pros: - TONS to do aside from the main story (side quests, arkfalls, sieges, etc) - Combat system is great - Takes quite a while to overpower the enemies in the beginner areas - The    This game is pretty underrated. It takes a while to get into, but it's a really interesting game once you get into it. Of course there are flaws and glitches, but the game is still very entertaining.

    Pros:
    - TONS to do aside from the main story (side quests, arkfalls, sieges, etc)
    - Combat system is great
    - Takes quite a while to overpower the enemies in the beginner areas
    - The customization is alright
    - Tons of loot
    - Co-op is great
    - Driving around is fun

    Cons:
    - Some enemies and concepts are ripped straight from Borderlands 2
    - Main story is extremely short
    - Not very many boss fights
    - Difficulty in the main story rarely increases, then instantly gets about 3x harder at the final boss
    - Would be a lot better with more melee combat
    - The world is kind of small (driving end to end on the map probably takes 5 minutes)
    - PvP is pretty bad (except for Shadow War)

    Overall, the game was able to suck me in for 40 hours so far though I haven't played it in nearly a week. With some work, this game could be great. Hopefully the DLC will make some improvements.    … Expand
  58. Kaylee
    Jul 14, 2013
    7
    I am a huge fan of Firefly from way back, and so am excited about the Defiance TV program. I was also very excited to learn about the Defiance MMO game. While I am not a regular player of MMOs, I have had a long presence as an educator (I teach Chinese language and culture at a major Australian university) and social user in Second Life (I accept any flaming that occurs at this point asI am a huge fan of Firefly from way back, and so am excited about the Defiance TV program. I was also very excited to learn about the Defiance MMO game. While I am not a regular player of MMOs, I have had a long presence as an educator (I teach Chinese language and culture at a major Australian university) and social user in Second Life (I accept any flaming that occurs at this point as inevitable). I have also created a Chinese language task-based learning environment in SL complete with NPCs that can interact in Chinese character text chat, so while I can't make much expert comment on Defiance as an MMO user, I thought I could contribute a couple of initial observations of the virtual world as I have experienced it so far.

    The environment world (landscape) from my perspective is very realistic and fantastically detailed. I love that aspect. It is also big and open, and apart from very steep inclines that the physics won't let you go up, you can go just about anywhere. This is a big plus for me as I hate being constrained by game-pathways which prevent you from exploring the environment. The the player avatars and the various different kinds of NPCs are also very high fidelity and movements, albeit it rather limited, are very fluid and realistic. Having a degree of customizability is also a plus, and for me increased customizability would be a huge bonus in the future if it happens. I have only driven one vehicle (the basic quad bike) but it is fun and for a novice like me quite easy to control. Having first person view while on/in a vehicle would be great and make driving feel even more realistic (maybe I have missed this option?).

    I initially enjoyed some of the quests challenges, and while I am normally not into shooter type games, I did enjoy picking off the bad guys from a distance and mixing it with the hell bugs close range (not the really big ones though not skillful enough to defeat one on my own). I can see huge potential in this virtual world MMO, but some things are still missing for me. I mostly felt very alone in this post-apocalyptic world. Sometimes it frightened me (especially with the infected zombie crowd) and I wished I had someone covering my back. I really felt/feel the lack of social interaction in the environment. I did try a couple of times to talk to some other players but never got a response. Maybe this is the nature of these kinds of MMOs, which I am not knocking. Its just that coming from SL where activities can be very social it felt extra isolating for me in Defiance. When I first went into SL the thing that struck me was the number of people ready to mentor me on anything I didn't understand. I know I can read the forums on Defiance (I do for extra hints), but I miss that human to human (or Irathient to Irathient) interaction. For me this is the big attraction of the TV program the interaction between the characters in Defiance, and as such was a big disappointment. As a language educator I naively thought I might even be able to learn practice a little of the Irathient language while in the virtual world environment, which I know is not everyone's cup of tea, but for me it would have been fun and much more immersive.

    I also miss having a safe location (the city of Defiance for example) where I can take some time off from the constant tension of fighting out in the badlands and simply wander around shops and buy trinkets for my character or items that would be useful for the game, or simply interact with or watch other players interacting with each other, or catch up with online friends. I would also like to be able to interact with artefacts in the environment even more, even something simple like being able to put my gun down and sit on a chair in a bar or on a porch would be fantastic. I guess my view of things is too coloured by my time in SL, although I have heard other MMOs/virtual worlds (like WoW) do have this element.

    I guess also as a non-regular MMO player I am expecting too much or expecting things that are different from what other MMO players want. However, I think the combination of great battles combat quests challenges with free-style non-combat exploration and social interaction in safe zones where maybe there is a bit of an economy would be real winner in some circles. A player sandbox for creating things (whether it be weapons or clothing or other items) would also be fantastic, would help support an economy and would take some of the burden off the creators of Defiance in terms of creating new content.

    Linden Labs have had a fairly rock road developing SL over the years, but they have stuck to their guns and it is getting better over time (for those of us that enjoy using it). Hopefully Trion will stick with the development of Defiance and we can look forward to even bigger and better things in the future.    … Expand
  59. zombiechan
    Sep 20, 2015
    7
    Not a bad game game, keeps me entertained. It feels like a Borderlands MMO. The largest issue I have with it is that its a little buggy and lag can be really bad. Overall though, it's not bad for a f2p game, but I did expected better from Trion.
  60. mehhem
    Apr 22, 2013
    6
    I like Defiance. It's fun. You find lots of guns. A lot of them look the same, and seem the same, but rarity differs. The AI is easy, but some bosses with more health and harder hitting weapons are difficulty. Their AI is the exact same as the easier mobs. The driving is cool. Is it worth $60? I bought it, and I would again. The game needs some work like every other game. TheI like Defiance. It's fun. You find lots of guns. A lot of them look the same, and seem the same, but rarity differs. The AI is easy, but some bosses with more health and harder hitting weapons are difficulty. Their AI is the exact same as the easier mobs. The driving is cool. Is it worth $60? I bought it, and I would again. The game needs some work like every other game. The quests are boring. Go here, tag that, revive this guy, (all with the "E" button). I think if it had a subscription cost most people wouldn't stick around, but since it's buy once and play I think people will stick with it for longer than the initial month.… Expand
  61. Cytheria
    Apr 18, 2013
    6
    It's a reasonable enough shooter, with a fantastic new IP to work with, and what promises to be a fun tie in with a fresh new tv show to boot.
    It has a certain allure that will draw you back to it again and again to play, but you won't know why.
    I wish I could score the game higher at the moment, as I've really fallen for it, but I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible. In it's    It's a reasonable enough shooter, with a fantastic new IP to work with, and what promises to be a fun tie in with a fresh new tv show to boot.
    It has a certain allure that will draw you back to it again and again to play, but you won't know why.

    I wish I could score the game higher at the moment, as I've really fallen for it, but I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible.

    In it's current state, the game is unfinished. The story is short and the play area is deceptive in its scale it is pretty big, but you'll feel like its only a small region or level from a different game.

    In game communications, regardless of their form, are bugged or inoperable. Users report items going missing all the time, whilst others are swapped out entirely when patches are applied. The in game AI is pretty poor, and its spawn size, rather than actual "skill" or "intelligence" that is used to confer a sense of difficulty.

    A few features players expected never happened, most notably in game weather effects. The in game UI experience is pretty poor and doesn't always make sense (to log out you need to access the settings menu, which in itself is buried inside your main loadout/inventory screen)

    There is an issue with gated content, where some, real time limited, events are only accessible after completing a certain proportion of the PvE campaign.

    There is currently no clear sense of character progression, as in attempting to balance new players against old, Trion have opted for a system which see's players farming for "ego" perk points to upgrade abilities by a couple of percent, and very samey items which rely on mods to help players tweak them to perform in a way that appeals to their play style. What this basically means for the average casual player is that your character will always feel pretty much the same, and whilst they might change outfits once in a while, one user is pretty much interchangable with another. With items playing such a large role in your character development, it's also worth noting that with the lack of an auction house or storage, its very hard for individual players to actually collect together the mods and equipment needed to build their own "perfect" loadout, and with limited inventory space, most players end up either salvaging items they collect for parts or selling them to npc vendors rather than trying to sell them on to people because the alternative is a bit too awkward for most to want to worry about. (namely post on the forums and hope you can arrange to someone that wants the item you want, and that they are on the same server, the same platform, and in the same sort of timezone)

    Arkfalls and random in game events add a slightly chaotic mix to the equation, and something different to do. They're similar to the "Rift" events from Trion's earlier game Rift, but sadly feel like a poor reflection of the original. Similarly, the majority of the quests are pretty lackluster generally typical MMO "fed ex" and "kill 20 of these" type fare. Which is a real shame, as some of the "bigger", scripted events have some excellent narrative work, and really shine. Unfortunately, the few good quests just make you look at the bad ones that make up the majority and see how much better they could have been.

    Lack of reliable/usable comms renders the "Multiplayer" element of this mmo pretty much redundant. Unless using 3rd party tools to communicate with friends, you're going to have a hard time meeting anyone in game, and one random player with an assault rifle is interchangable for any other. Added to this problem is the fact that the main story quests dont work well with groups and generally force you to play solo, mean that what community feeling there is, is heavily forced.

    As a stand alone game, the lack of community immersion is made worse by the fact that a lot of the back story development has actually been left to a handful of in game collectible voice recordings and the TV show. The whole transmedia idea is fantastic, all most players know about the game world has come from information about the TV show, leaving it feeling like all those nasty movie tie in games we've seen over the years that do nothing to actually stand on their own two feet and instead just rely on making money from fans who already know and love an established IP.

    On top of all this are the day 1 bugs we've all come to know and love with new mmo releases, in this case already exasperated by a launch schedule that was rushed in order to tie in with the TV series. Unfortunately, so far, patches have failed to be applied at all to one platform (PS3), and on the remaining 2 (PC & XBOX) have generated an all new collection of bugs and problems for players, whilst in far too many cases, not actually correcting the bugs they were intended to fix anyway.

    I hope it gets better, but atm, its just a mediocre attempt at a TV tie in.    … Expand
  62. Diablo92
    Dec 14, 2013
    6
    I'm not the kind thats fit out for games similar to this but I checked it out and thought it was pretty neat. I'm a little nervous about these MMO types since I was never properly introduced to it and everything in it, so for that I am completely unexperienced in these games in every single way. I hope someday I will get into these games. Very cool game though still. 6/10
  63. SimpleMethod
    Jul 13, 2013
    6
    I bought Defiance yesterday for the Steam Summer sale, and I'm happy with my purchase. That being said, I bought it for $13. I also specifically waited 3 months so they could iron out a lot of bugs, and I still had a ridiculous struggle logging in the first time. The core gameplay is pretty interesting, though. The problem is just a lack of polish. This game doesn't feel finished, whichI bought Defiance yesterday for the Steam Summer sale, and I'm happy with my purchase. That being said, I bought it for $13. I also specifically waited 3 months so they could iron out a lot of bugs, and I still had a ridiculous struggle logging in the first time. The core gameplay is pretty interesting, though. The problem is just a lack of polish. This game doesn't feel finished, which is a shame. Still, if you're looking for an MMO to play with friends for a bit, I suppose you could do worse.… Expand
  64. Aredyl101
    Apr 17, 2013
    6
    This game has quite a bit going for it: a unique world, large assortment of weapons, quite a few modifications for those weapons, and large variety of random encounters.

    Sadly, quite a few bugs mar this game, from patching to almost every aspect of playing. Errors during downloads of patches, random moments of getting disconnected, unable to enter instances properly (either not    This game has quite a bit going for it: a unique world, large assortment of weapons, quite a few modifications for those weapons, and large variety of random encounters.

    Sadly, quite a few bugs mar this game, from patching to almost every aspect of playing. Errors during downloads of patches, random moments of getting disconnected, unable to enter instances properly (either not entering them or getting tossed into an instance with a full group), overpowered weapon/perk combos (shotgun stealth in PvP is still very common, even resulting in 1 shots after a nerf), nerfs to gains in currency, constant weapon reloading bugs, etc.

    Shooter fans can find quite a bit of gameplay that will outweigh the numerous bugs, but the average MMO or Sci-Fi fan may be turned off by the large issues. Until the dust settles, I can't give this game anything above a 6.    … Expand
  65. AidanM
    Jun 12, 2013
    6
    Let me just say this: its fun. The competitive and Co-op mix of Multiplayer is very welcome to me. While many MMOs have fairly fun PvP, the PvP in this game is actually fun stand alone, kind of like the kind you would get in some kind of high-quality deathmatch. Otherwise, it has a good weapons system, some (though not enough) fun bosses and a solid and entertaining Co-op. However, its 60Let me just say this: its fun. The competitive and Co-op mix of Multiplayer is very welcome to me. While many MMOs have fairly fun PvP, the PvP in this game is actually fun stand alone, kind of like the kind you would get in some kind of high-quality deathmatch. Otherwise, it has a good weapons system, some (though not enough) fun bosses and a solid and entertaining Co-op. However, its 60 dollars. That's a pretty big deal breaker because the game doesn't have the story or production value to be a Bioshock Infinite or any spectacular game that really blows your mind. That being said, I do just keep coming back, as much as i tell myself the game is ripping me off.… Expand
  66. Seryin
    May 26, 2013
    6
    I already hate when games with no history or budget are released at 60 bucks, so when Defiance was finally released and had massive problems and bugs on launch day followed by horrible reviews and ratings, I dropped the game clean off my radar. However, Trion Worlds has recently began facing massive layoffs and Steam just had a "free weekend" for Defiance.
    Now, I just thought this would    I already hate when games with no history or budget are released at 60 bucks, so when Defiance was finally released and had massive problems and bugs on launch day followed by horrible reviews and ratings, I dropped the game clean off my radar. However, Trion Worlds has recently began facing massive layoffs and Steam just had a "free weekend" for Defiance.
    Now, I just thought this would be my chance to try a bad game and rip it apart in a review, but I am not sure if it was because I went into the game with such low expectations or what, but I was pleasantly surprised. The game actually had some decently enjoyable shooter mechanics. I spent 15 hours in defiance and it was not at all as horrible as I thought it would be.
    However, the game was still unable to hide its serious lack of content for a game that claims to be an mmorpg. The quests are all repetitive and get boring fast. There is really no "mmo" feel to this game. Very little cooperation or grouping is needed. Customization is narrow, and I felt extremely lost with some of the menu features like gun modding.
    However, the actual gameplay, or gun-play, and the world itself, was solid and has the potential to be built upon.
    I came into Defiance with guns drawn and ready to obliterate it. But it actually had some potential to be something much better. I give the game 6 points. Great gunplay and world FOR AN MMORPG, but I still have not seen the MMORPG part of the game. Just that they know how to mimic a lame rpg quest. So it is only half a game unless they add massive amounts of things to do.    … Expand
  67. ColdKill3r
    Apr 2, 2013
    6
    The game is not the best game out there. But you can have lots of fun with it. I really like how you can play with many other people at once, but I haven't yet found anyone with some spare time to talk. I do hope we can create parties, which I am not sure whether we can or cannot.
    The game menu isn't very good, though. The information we need aren't there. The voice acting is quite bad,    The game is not the best game out there. But you can have lots of fun with it. I really like how you can play with many other people at once, but I haven't yet found anyone with some spare time to talk. I do hope we can create parties, which I am not sure whether we can or cannot.
    The game menu isn't very good, though. The information we need aren't there. The voice acting is quite bad, specially because the characters mouth barely moves while they are talking.    … Expand
  68. Gannon
    Apr 4, 2013
    6
    I'm not going to waste a lot of my time explaining how mediocre this game is but the user score needed to drop drastically. I don't know what game these other folks are playing but the defiance i am playing is currently a 7 at best. It has A lot of potential but everything seems so rushed. The graphics are a slight step up from ps2 quality, even turned all the way up on PC. The drawI'm not going to waste a lot of my time explaining how mediocre this game is but the user score needed to drop drastically. I don't know what game these other folks are playing but the defiance i am playing is currently a 7 at best. It has A lot of potential but everything seems so rushed. The graphics are a slight step up from ps2 quality, even turned all the way up on PC. The draw distance is so low that you will occasionally drive into random objects while in a vehicle. Character customization is lacking, and for some reason there are only two playable races, which is clearly an indication that this game was rushed to be out before the show for maximum sales, as the Castithan race, which is incredibly similar in features to Humans, albeit albino looking, are not a selectable race. Story wise that may make sense as the Castithans that are part of the Votan are only made up of their higher caste. The story seems to be written decently enough, it's just hard to be interested in it because of the shoddy graphics. So far the game is nothing like Borderlands. Sure the game has a ton of guns, a huge world to explore, but the combat still needs some fine tuning. Hit boxes are pretty solid but on occasion I've missed a shot or two that should have been guaranteed head shots from a stationary target only about 15m away, while sniping. All the guns you can get have the potential to be modded, which adds a little mor depth to the loot. Driving is fair with most vehicles except for the special dodge challenger. If you have received one of the Dodge challengers in game, just avoid using it. For some reason that car doesn't really drive; It does its own thing and glides. In-game chat is terrible at the moment but it is currently being fixed. The game is worth a try, but definitely not at full price in its current form. That may change as certain tweaks are added to the game.… Expand
  69. Kharax
    Apr 7, 2013
    6
    Well, yes it is a good game. In what means? The quests are put together in a very fast-paced manner. You have a lot to do, all the time. You are always playing multi-player, and you find yourself in a quest, together with other people WHO are fighting for the same cause. Players are not killing each other, the concept of the game is good, the graphics, especially the characters are veryWell, yes it is a good game. In what means? The quests are put together in a very fast-paced manner. You have a lot to do, all the time. You are always playing multi-player, and you find yourself in a quest, together with other people WHO are fighting for the same cause. Players are not killing each other, the concept of the game is good, the graphics, especially the characters are very well drawn, but there are a lot of repetitions and the modifications of weapons (in which the game is very proud of) is not put together in a fun way. It is unnecessarily complicated. The AI of the villains is not bad, the inventory is a little too small for a game like this. But the story is good, the physics are average, the villains have better than average complexity, you do not really think that a huge price is not really worth paying for the game. For 29.99, it could be ok.… Expand
  70. RexOrmunde
    May 3, 2013
    6
    This is a fun third-person shooter game. It almost feels like someone redesigned All Points Bulletin, or Borderlands, into a post-apocalyptic MMO. The highlights are the randomized world events, using vehicles to run over your enemies, and being able to switch 'classes' by unlocking all the available abilities and picking your own combination of them. The problems however are, the lack ofThis is a fun third-person shooter game. It almost feels like someone redesigned All Points Bulletin, or Borderlands, into a post-apocalyptic MMO. The highlights are the randomized world events, using vehicles to run over your enemies, and being able to switch 'classes' by unlocking all the available abilities and picking your own combination of them. The problems however are, the lack of content, the removal of 'old' episode content, a confusing sense of progression, and bugs such as the group, clan, and/or friend system spontaneously not working. The game has a great concept and is fun to play, but the game needs a lot more polish.… Expand
  71. TomWolf
    Apr 1, 2015
    6
    "I am giving Defiance a 10 only to counteract the negative reviews that have been posted here, it should be about an 8."

    Well, I'm giving Defiance a 6 to counter your vote down to the 8 you are supposed to give it! You are not supposed to counter other peoples votes, you are supposed to give your own opinion and let that work together with every one elses.
  72. game_over
    Aug 23, 2014
    6
    **AVOID**

    Horrid network issues with very poor support and rude(snarky) responses from Trion make this a game to avoid. Trion developers are evidently Armchair Wannabe developers. Trion is not staffed to support multiple games, I would avoid all of them. It is only a matter of time until a game you bought and paid money and time for will go belly up and become unplayable.    **AVOID**

    Horrid network issues with very poor support and rude(snarky) responses from Trion make this a game to avoid.

    Trion developers are evidently Armchair Wannabe developers.

    Trion is not staffed to support multiple games, I would avoid all of them. It is only a matter of time until a game you bought and paid money and time for will go belly up and become unplayable.

    ***Here were my original thoughts before recent intermittent network issues became widespread and long term:

    This is a solid mmofps with good shooting mechanics that is generally fun to play. You get a vehicle right out of the gate that allows you to move around in the large open world. The game allows you to easily play with friends regardless of level (hello auto scaling and port to player), which I wish more mmo games allowed. There is a huge variety of weapons and many options for customization of weapons and skills. Think of this as a borderlands mmofps, without the humor. The crafting and inventory interface could definitely be improved.    … Expand
  73. LeeFoo
    Apr 15, 2017
    6
    Harder to play with others; finding players close to or equal to character level, UI settings are very complex. There is a lack of content(quests,rewards etc.) to find the best weapons to use for maps or even for PVP. Overall good but requires a lot of time in order to customize the characters. Just doesn't look as active even with a moderate community playing. Chat system is really quietHarder to play with others; finding players close to or equal to character level, UI settings are very complex. There is a lack of content(quests,rewards etc.) to find the best weapons to use for maps or even for PVP. Overall good but requires a lot of time in order to customize the characters. Just doesn't look as active even with a moderate community playing. Chat system is really quiet with just players selling items/weapons in announcements.… Expand
  74. Noobverest
    Jun 6, 2014
    5
    Defiance is a game that appears to be new, innovative and interesting in the first hour. As you play on, you realize that the world of defiance is composed of one not-so-very-large map which can be easily explored in a single day.

    The game play is repetitive, for the first hundred or so EGO levels that you gain, it may seem fresh and exciting, but as you play on you realize that from    Defiance is a game that appears to be new, innovative and interesting in the first hour. As you play on, you realize that the world of defiance is composed of one not-so-very-large map which can be easily explored in a single day.

    The game play is repetitive, for the first hundred or so EGO levels that you gain, it may seem fresh and exciting, but as you play on you realize that from level one hundred to level five thousand, you will be doing the exact same thing, over and over again.    … Expand
  75. Hadrijan
    Apr 6, 2013
    5
    Overall the game is mediocre at best, not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but not very good either.
    The thing that probably bothers me the most as a PC player is the absolutely terrible user interface.
  76. Vorch
    Apr 17, 2013
    5
    If you want to buy it, you can find it for less than 40 bucks online.

    The show looks good...the game is pretty "meh" at the moment. * Combat is good, but it's standard TPS. * Quests get repetitive REALLY quick (run to point, kill spawns, hold E, repeat) * Menus need some work * Mods give weapons a custom feel. * Game has nearly NOTHING to do with the show (so far) I bought the    If you want to buy it, you can find it for less than 40 bucks online.

    The show looks good...the game is pretty "meh" at the moment.

    * Combat is good, but it's standard TPS.
    * Quests get repetitive REALLY quick (run to point, kill spawns, hold E, repeat)
    * Menus need some work
    * Mods give weapons a custom feel.
    * Game has nearly NOTHING to do with the show (so far)

    I bought the game because I trust Trion. I'd wait 3-6 months to see where this one goes.    … Expand
  77. Livnthedream
    Apr 5, 2013
    5
    The entire game boils down to mediocre at best, which makes it really not worth the price in my book. The ui is atrocious. It is super wonky and just feels bad on a mouse and keyboard and has no ability to customize. Weapon balance is all over the place, and with how drops work how powerful you are is based more on luck than skill. Graphics are a mixed bag, some effects are cool, but theThe entire game boils down to mediocre at best, which makes it really not worth the price in my book. The ui is atrocious. It is super wonky and just feels bad on a mouse and keyboard and has no ability to customize. Weapon balance is all over the place, and with how drops work how powerful you are is based more on luck than skill. Graphics are a mixed bag, some effects are cool, but the texture quality is really poor and some decent AA would have gone a really long way. The "storyline" missions do not make any sense. You get to meet the main characters from the show in the opening cut scene, then as you run into them half the time they act like they just met you, not to mention it sets it up pretty early that even though you are some random guy off the street and they just plugged a computer in your head and still have not been trained how to use it you just happen to be worth squads of well trained marines. The game is fun, but very much not worth full price, especially when they are selling the advantages they are in the cash shop.… Expand
  78. Bawbzor
    Apr 3, 2013
    5
    Mediocre 3rd person shooter with limited MMO content. The user interface is a blatant console port and is very awkward to use with the mouse and keyboard (chat system practically non-existent). The story is pretty forgettable and you will finish all the quests within a couple of days if you play a lot.

    I haven't been able to find any standout features in this game that would make me    Mediocre 3rd person shooter with limited MMO content. The user interface is a blatant console port and is very awkward to use with the mouse and keyboard (chat system practically non-existent). The story is pretty forgettable and you will finish all the quests within a couple of days if you play a lot.

    I haven't been able to find any standout features in this game that would make me want to play it over the plethora of other MMO's on the market. Hopefully the show will be more interesting.    … Expand
  79. Shadex
    Apr 6, 2013
    5
    Pro's: Attractive world design, interesting story, good voice work, television show link
    Con's: Minimal repetitive content, badly designed social/chat system, heavily tilted toward very expensive cash shop purchases especially for a PvP game.
    A very rocky start marred by a stealth launch and a seemingly endless stream of issues, even for an MMO. Very expensive initial out of pocket as    Pro's: Attractive world design, interesting story, good voice work, television show link
    Con's: Minimal repetitive content, badly designed social/chat system, heavily tilted toward very expensive cash shop purchases especially for a PvP game.

    A very rocky start marred by a stealth launch and a seemingly endless stream of issues, even for an MMO. Very expensive initial out of pocket as well for a title that will be routinely charging for episodic material. Suggest monitoring for a while to see if title stabilizes and if either it or the TV series survives.    … Expand
  80. Old_Skewl_Gamer
    Apr 5, 2013
    5
    I pre-ordered on the last day before release. This game is NOT worth its $60 asking price. $20-$30 max; especially with its F2P cash shop. It definitely will be at this level by the STEAM Summer Sale and more like $5-15 thereafter. It has some interesting elements for a shooter, I'm not really in to coop shooters so some of it is new to me. I can't shake the feeling that it's RiftI pre-ordered on the last day before release. This game is NOT worth its $60 asking price. $20-$30 max; especially with its F2P cash shop. It definitely will be at this level by the STEAM Summer Sale and more like $5-15 thereafter. It has some interesting elements for a shooter, I'm not really in to coop shooters so some of it is new to me. I can't shake the feeling that it's Rift lite though, lots of the same textures and similar artwork in places none of the awesome skill trees or anything. Terrible Console UI, *TONS* of bugs (loses keybinds, crash to desktop, disconnected from server constantly, have to turn off voice comm manually EVERY TIME YOU PLAY). PvP Is decent, maybe a little twitchy for my taste, matchmaking is okay and it's still new enough to have fast matches. You can level via PvP which I like. Arkfall events Rifts. The blatant Dodge Charger product placement is repulsive. This game is okay for a quick play, running over npcs in vehicles is fun for awhile. Cheesy single-player game style cut scenes. Main story line is pretty lame. Kind of reminds me of SWTOR here with out the "choices"; worse voice acting. Borderlands/Fallout this is NOT. I have an enormous amount of MMO experience; this isn't an MMO.… Expand
  81. Wilcar
    Apr 6, 2013
    5
    I have been playing for a couple of days now and i have seemed to have finished the main story (which was fun i rate that a 8/10) BUT all that is left is repeatable quests and shadow wars (team pvp) to level to 5000 ego?! the game starts out pretty fun but QUICKLY becomes boring you basically do the same type of quests over and over and over.. hostage rescue..clear out enemies.. collectI have been playing for a couple of days now and i have seemed to have finished the main story (which was fun i rate that a 8/10) BUT all that is left is repeatable quests and shadow wars (team pvp) to level to 5000 ego?! the game starts out pretty fun but QUICKLY becomes boring you basically do the same type of quests over and over and over.. hostage rescue..clear out enemies.. collect pieces of stuff etc etc.. and the icing on the cake is enemy A.I is really bad.. i feel really let down because it looked so good in previews that i even pre-ordered it… Expand
  82. MuffAlorJr
    Apr 17, 2013
    5
    Story was ok, wasn't too engaging, the world was pretty cool, i liked the third person and it was pretty fun to play with friends, now this is just for me i hope, but there was a crap ton of lag and errors. And by errors i mean ones that caused me to wait 14 hours for it to download that sten stop and start over again, it made me really made, but that was just for the beta, so i was fineStory was ok, wasn't too engaging, the world was pretty cool, i liked the third person and it was pretty fun to play with friends, now this is just for me i hope, but there was a crap ton of lag and errors. And by errors i mean ones that caused me to wait 14 hours for it to download that sten stop and start over again, it made me really made, but that was just for the beta, so i was fine with that, i mean i am sure alot of people were playing it, so i waited for the release, and i stood in line for 3 hours to get the game, and when i buy it.... SAME ERROR, and i was mad, but i gave it yet another chance and said "alright maybe alot of people are playing it" so i waited about a week, same thing but it finally worked a couple days later, and took 14 hours to download, and stayed there for 28 because it had to restart again, gameplay was stiff and not worth 60 bucks, it's terrible, but i guess if you want you can wathc the show that they have on scifi that i thought was cool.… Expand
  83. Baelelzebub
    Apr 22, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Defiance is one of those trend setting games. It will set a precedent as the first MMO/TV show. A great GIMMICK, I've watched the TV show, I've played through the story and then some of the game. The show is far more enjoyable.

    I have spent over 40 hours in game, customizing guns, co-oping with friends, joined in a shadow war and some regular PvP as well as lots of arkfalls and of course completed the story mission. But I open up Defiance apprehensively every single time. Sometimes I'm disconnected from PvP 2 or 3 times and give up. Sometimes my weapons vanished while zoning into a co-op. And sometimes it was just asking myself how many ark-falls am I going to do before I get bored.

    Defiance at the start is exciting, I crash into a strange new area. Then about 2 hours in you decide everything looks the same, so lets try a co-op. 3 hours in you realize they retooled solo mission dungeons as co-op dungeons(and the rewards aren't very good). So one decides to try the challenges, and then you see someone's score of over 100k and decide okay let me try, and find its far harder than it should be to even get a reward like one of those bad carnival games. So then on to racing, then you notice your hands are on a keyboard and mouse and decide to pass(even on a controller they are not too exciting....you are racing a time, like those ghost races in Mario Kart). So on to the story missions.....(you can finish them within about 7 hours)....done. Side quests and area quests are retooled story missions hooray! Go do this and collect or kill that. Now onto the bread and butter, ARKFALLS! Shoot EVERYTHING! You are presented with waves of enemies regardless if that's the objective or not and sometimes you go to several locations shooting the same stuff and then you find one big boss where you exploit weak spots and then destroy the summoned minions and then exploit weak spots...Rinse, repeat until dead. The ark falls are very interesting up until you do your fourth one (that is if you can find more than 1 or 2 in a row) when you decide well lemme do something else because i'm kinda tired of this guy whose got the grenade launcher that spawns more grenades on impact and I might have a seizure. Onto a shadow war! After an hour wait you spawn in to die by someone who has cloak and a double barrel shotty at your back. Re-spawn! Someone runs over you with a vehicle. Re-spawn! You spawn falling down with your shield gone and get sniped by someone on higher ground as you fall. Etc.

    You may be asking well what redeeming qualities does this game have. Defiance is extremely fun for the first 20 hours or so. After as such it is simply ALOT of the same content replayed and retooled. You think you can take it for longer seeing the same scenery, the same guns, the same mods for an extended period but you don't, nay can't. Let alone the lack of balance of weaponry, people say there are a lot of guns to mess with, this is true, but if the Light machine gun has a clip of 111 before you have to reload and does 416 damage per bullet give or take with a fire rate of 5-6 per second and the rocket launcher you need to reload after 2 rockets and each rocket does approximately 1200 damage per shot with a 6 second reload time, which will you choose? You say you are a sniper though and you only do sniping in shooters!? You do the same damage as a rocket launcher with 6-12 bullets in your clip. Do you see an issue?

    Now we come to the abilities. The abilities are unique and fun to use but once you maxed one out around level 350 with the perks you are set in using there is no more imagination. There is no point to go any further with the skills. You can make yourself a little more powerful with every 30 levels or so but it doesn't play a big enough part to matter. I'll dodge a firefight or a few bullets with decoy or cloak. Ill Initiate with some good damage with blur or overload. But other than that I don't see anyone going too much further with them.

    I give Defiance a 5 because it has elements of a great game, and you can start up do an ark-fall for 10 minutes and then get on with your day and still feel like you accomplished something in the game. The co-op rewards need to be improved, actually grouping with people for a reason is nice. Weapon balance will in turn balance out PvP. And as for the scenery, create some new venues Trion! Your game is great but it feels like it's extremely incomplete! ONLY the bay area while the show takes place in St. Louis? Does anyone else see a problem with this? Or how about more than 5 factions to fight because you have 7 races in the Votan collective PLUS humans. Some people might say hey what about DLC, but I remember the days when dev's would release a COMPLETED game before they would announce an expansion. Just saying. Worth 60-100 USD? NO! Worth getting into? Absolutely! But not right now.    … Expand
  84. HiddenGhul
    Apr 25, 2013
    5
    This game has some decent combat for an MMO, but sadly that also means the questing is a terrible as even the better MMOs altogether making a bland game but'll be fun with friends!
  85. Voxvalve
    Aug 20, 2013
    5
    So far for me it's a great game. the story and gameplay has certainly captured me and i love the way you automatically help each other on missions if you are in the mission area together.
    no more waiting for your turn to complete a mission.
    And the idea that the games story and environment will change according to what happens in the tv-series is an innovative twist that only helps to    So far for me it's a great game. the story and gameplay has certainly captured me and i love the way you automatically help each other on missions if you are in the mission area together.
    no more waiting for your turn to complete a mission.
    And the idea that the games story and environment will change according to what happens in the tv-series is an innovative twist that only helps to make the game that much more exciting.    … Expand
  86. Captiosus
    Jul 14, 2013
    4
    During development, Trion Worlds displayed gameplay trailers that showed a graphically rich and dynamic world with all kinds of alien flora, dynamic weather, and great cooperative gameplay. I was quite happy to be chosen to play in beta but what I found was disconcerting. The game was littered with bugs, contained a very sparse UI that was clearly designed for the console rather than PC,During development, Trion Worlds displayed gameplay trailers that showed a graphically rich and dynamic world with all kinds of alien flora, dynamic weather, and great cooperative gameplay. I was quite happy to be chosen to play in beta but what I found was disconcerting. The game was littered with bugs, contained a very sparse UI that was clearly designed for the console rather than PC, offered bare bones graphics, and a dearth of content. When the game went to retail, there was no way I could justify buying it even though Trion Worlds kept assuring us that everything was coming "soon".

    Fast forward to 11 July 2013 when Steam launched their Summer Sale and initially put Defiance on sale for 66% off. I purchased the game figuring Trion had three months of time under their belt with the game so, hopefully, they had addressed some of the issues. Unfortunately that is not the case.

    First, the bugs. Most of the bugs still exist. Most of the bugs you will encounter will be mild annoyance bugs, such as your vehicle randomly disappearing while you're still on it, or your character getting stuck in an animation. But there are also the game breaking bugs which prevent you from being able to finish quests (e.g. NPC or item not spawning, textures with necessary interactive items disappearing) and bugs that will prevent you from doing challenges (e.g. 'invincible' mobs who don't die during a timed "Rampage" mission that requires all mobs to be killed). Bugs still occur FREQUENTLY.

    Second, the UI and controls. Clearly ported to PC as an afterthought, the UI and control scheme still hasn't changed since beta. Vehicles control is some of the worst I've ever experienced when using keyboard/mouse, and on foot controls feel clunky and counterintuitive. Plug in a game controller, however, and it plays like a completely different game. I found some statements by Trion Worlds claiming they were "working on" the UI but so far they've done nothing. And since the UI is responsible for driving social interactions, the piss poor chat and social UI structures continue to make this a largely solo game where the only time you interact with other people is during Arkfall (world coop) events.

    Third, graphics. Forget the old trailers. I can play this game on ultra with the only FPS hiccups occurring during major Arkfall events which tend to pull in two dozen (or more) players in one limited space, yet the graphics look as though they are from circa 2007 Xbox 360 games. Poor textures, medium polygon counts, static lighting and shadows, terrible draw distance, and BARE MINIMUM graphics options available to the user. The world itself is typical post-apocalyptic fare, brown and gray, bland and uninspired.

    Finally, the lack of content. Let's get this out of the way right now: Quests fall into one of three categories; Fetch, Click, or Rescue/Protect. Every quest you do from the beginning to the end will be one of those three or a combination thereof. There aren't even any "kill X number of people" quests, which is probably for the best since enemies in the game can ALSO be broken down into exactly two types: Humanoids and Hellbugs. Although they've added episode based quests (the TV show tie-ins), after about 10 hours, you'll realize that you're doing the exact same thing and that the only thing you have to look forward to is doing the exact same thing.

    "But Cap," you'll say, "ALL MMOs have repetition." To which I will respond that you are absolutely correct. However, unlike most MMOs, Defiance really offers you little challenge and little hook to break the monotony. For example, in classic MMOs where you earn X amount of XP and learn new skill "Y", getting a new skill offsets the monotony of doing the same thing you've already done by giving you something new to add. In other words, if you play a mage and you get a blizzard spell, you don't care that you're marching off to kill another 50 humanoids because now you get to use this awesome new blizzard. You don't get that break from monotony in Defiance because what you do in your first hour and what you do in your 200th hour is the same: point and shoot. There's no need for strategy or theorycrafting and your EGO AI companion holds your hand from start to finish. Loot and passive skills can only carry a game so far.

    Anyone who tells you the story carries the game is lying because after the first cutscene you're left to fend for yourself. You're sent off to the shooting gallery with very little info and the most story you get is from hidden audio logs. Even if you watch the show, often times what you do in game makes little sense. PvP is, by Trion's admission, full of hacks/cheats that they have yet to address. So what COULD HAVE been fun is marred by poor design leading to rampant cheating.

    In sum, I do not recommend this game, even at a super sale price. Frankly, I can't see Trion keeping the servers up for another year at the game's current rate.    … Expand
  87. Syn_again
    Apr 9, 2013
    4
    Defiance feels rushed in a sense that the content is just not there yet. The Game design is shallow with a very weak story. For these kinds of games you need a compelling story to carry you through the adventure and keep you invested. The world of Defiance is barely explained or interesting to the player. Maybe the show will help with this but based on episode 1 it does not seem to be tooDefiance feels rushed in a sense that the content is just not there yet. The Game design is shallow with a very weak story. For these kinds of games you need a compelling story to carry you through the adventure and keep you invested. The world of Defiance is barely explained or interesting to the player. Maybe the show will help with this but based on episode 1 it does not seem to be too likely. the game and show are going to run separate courses with minimal tie in. That does not sound good for an MMO already weak in a background.

    The world is big. Lots of room to roam and play. There are event areas for Arkfalls (alien invasions) or simple shoot and defend side missions. It is a bit funny to see 25 enemies come out of one small truck but oh well. There is little the actual terrain offers you other than providing the opportunity to just run around.

    Vehicles are nice and fun. Having Guild races and running enemies over was fun and funny.

    The game mechanics are good. As a shooter the game is fun and there is a wide range of weapons to have fun with. Unfortunately the enemy (and ally) AI is horrible. They only do just a couple of things and then become predictable throughout the game. Mutants, Aliens, Humans all do the same thing (with different attack variations). This becomes quite boring after awhile. Some of the missions help try to hide these flaws but your attention can get inadvertently pulled back to them when you listen to the voice acting or force yourself to try and get back into the theme of the story.

    Technically the game is sound. A good engine running on a solid network that provides the same structure for RIFT. There are no problems with account management or logging in etc.

    It was clearly hard for Trion to understand what to give players for an non-Fantasy MMO. This game is really just a standard mediocre FPS game that you can opt to play with others. The MMO component to this is just not there. If/when Trion gets around to adding the functionality to make the game and game world better, this might be worth revisiting in the future but not for $60.

    There is going to have to be a hefty bit of rework for this game to stay around and the show will not carry it since it will have its own problems. The bigger issue here is Trion is limited on what they can do because this game stretches to consoles. Having what is needed on PC to make a strong game will not work for console so it may all depend on how many units will be sold for each to see how Trion will try and save this product.    … Expand
  88. boydimages
    Apr 12, 2013
    4
    I was impressed with the tie in with the series, and I had fun playing, for about an hour or two. My girlfriend played as well. First off, this game is in no way worth 60 bucks, whatsoever! I played on a console, and considered getting it for my PC. With so many superior F2P games out there, my current favorite is Planetside2. There are no EPIC battles, and no real sense of scale. ItI was impressed with the tie in with the series, and I had fun playing, for about an hour or two. My girlfriend played as well. First off, this game is in no way worth 60 bucks, whatsoever! I played on a console, and considered getting it for my PC. With so many superior F2P games out there, my current favorite is Planetside2. There are no EPIC battles, and no real sense of scale. It absolutely doesn't have that "WOW" factor.… Expand
  89. The_Ommadawn
    Apr 3, 2013
    4
    I pre-ordered after watching some videos online. I wondered why there were no reviews beforehand and now I know why. It's total poo and offers nothing new. I LOVED Rift and had confidence in the Dev, but this is a mess of a game. The AI is a joke, the landscapes are boring (little variety), the gear and looting is confusing, entering/exiting vehicles is hit and miss, the controls (PC)I pre-ordered after watching some videos online. I wondered why there were no reviews beforehand and now I know why. It's total poo and offers nothing new. I LOVED Rift and had confidence in the Dev, but this is a mess of a game. The AI is a joke, the landscapes are boring (little variety), the gear and looting is confusing, entering/exiting vehicles is hit and miss, the controls (PC) are awful, the avatars all look identical, etc. I'm not drawn towards this game at all. I played for a few hours and became bored quickly. The RPG element is clearly not there. It's a generic MMO shooter with little else on offer. I wish I could roll back my life a day and buy Bioshock Infinite instead. Shame on you Trion.… Expand
  90. psychomuse
    Apr 8, 2013
    4
    A little bit country, a little bit rock 'n roll: Defiance tries a lot to be a little bit MMORPG and a little bit MMOFPS at the same time. To be fair (and somewhat forgiving), it's not that bad. It's just not that good. But with all the other MMO fish in the sea, I'm looking for something that is creatively fresh and fun.

    I think Trion (whom I greatly respect for the well-done Rift) is    A little bit country, a little bit rock 'n roll: Defiance tries a lot to be a little bit MMORPG and a little bit MMOFPS at the same time. To be fair (and somewhat forgiving), it's not that bad. It's just not that good. But with all the other MMO fish in the sea, I'm looking for something that is creatively fresh and fun.

    I think Trion (whom I greatly respect for the well-done Rift) is trying too hard to be too many things for too many people. Again, I respect the attempt but I rue the outcome. This is not the next MMORPG and it is not the next MMOFPS- it's a mediocre attempt at both. If it were F2P... maybe. For $60, no way.    … Expand
  91. Ansatsu83
    Sep 7, 2013
    4
    This game, is a sub par, third person shooter, tv spinoff. This having been said let me go into detail about why it is sub par. First of all, let me start with pve. The storyline failed to grasp me. The combat is facing multiple of the same enemies, you have the normal variant and the elite variant. Running around, mowing down, hundreds of enemies in a row is satisfying, at first, then itThis game, is a sub par, third person shooter, tv spinoff. This having been said let me go into detail about why it is sub par. First of all, let me start with pve. The storyline failed to grasp me. The combat is facing multiple of the same enemies, you have the normal variant and the elite variant. Running around, mowing down, hundreds of enemies in a row is satisfying, at first, then it loses its appeal. It took me around 4 hours to get bored of pve and try pvp... It was a mistake to try pvp, let me tell you right now, ill give an explanation in a moment. The pve is similar to hellgate london with slightly better game mechanics and a larger world not separated into separate instances. This is the best way to describe the game. it has features hellgate london could have used... It falls short on everything else...

    pvp, the combat mechanics have zero stamina for sprinting/rolling/etc. No cooldown on vehicles, no bunny hop prevention. The pvp in the game, is a complete mess. It is beyond broken, everyone uses stealth to sneak up on someone, its all about who uses stealth first, who can jump around and hit other bunny hoppers faster. Usually weapons with elemental effects are used. There is zero fairness in pvp and the mechanics are just broken for it.

    I think I would rather play hellgate london. Buy this game, only if you are curious or absolutely adore the tv series.

    Graphics 8, sound 5, music 6, controls 5... Controls gets rated down due to the lack of pvp balance and prevention of bunny hopping, rolling 800 times in a row to avoid fire, etc. There should have been stamina...

    I am going to go play hellgate london as this game makes hellgate london look absolutely brilliant. On a side note, Trion Worlds has made very sub par games for their entire existence, great concepts but the execution is just god awful. They are almost on par with the developing skills of timegate studios... in other words, they are terrible developers...    … Expand
  92. Marcbackman
    Apr 10, 2013
    4
    Not worth your time or money. Utterly lifeless world with zero social interaction for someone not playing with friends, and there is no feeling of personality that you should get in a good video game world. You've seen everything in this game before, but only done better in other games (mix Rift and Borderlands together and port it to consoles and you get the picture). The game shouldNot worth your time or money. Utterly lifeless world with zero social interaction for someone not playing with friends, and there is no feeling of personality that you should get in a good video game world. You've seen everything in this game before, but only done better in other games (mix Rift and Borderlands together and port it to consoles and you get the picture). The game should be on sale for something much more appropriate, I feel as though my $60 was wasted on this one.… Expand
  93. vulcanraven27
    Apr 6, 2013
    4
    The UI in this game is the biggest problem. If they were to fix the UI and have real weapon progression/character progression they would probably have a hit on their hands. There are no levels in this game, just an EGO rating. If you log in as a new character and pvp against someone who has played 100 hours you basically are equal strength. Their excuse is that if they had actualThe UI in this game is the biggest problem. If they were to fix the UI and have real weapon progression/character progression they would probably have a hit on their hands. There are no levels in this game, just an EGO rating. If you log in as a new character and pvp against someone who has played 100 hours you basically are equal strength. Their excuse is that if they had actual levels they would have to separate us in pvp and pve, not a good excuse, every other MMo does it. I don't want a game that does not reward progression. Don't buy this game if you think its an MMO because it is not.… Expand
  94. Numtini
    Jun 24, 2014
    4
    Simply put, it's not very good. The world is interesting in many ways, but it suffers from repetitive gameplay. The largest problem is the developers. It felt like they checked out shortly after launch and as the population dwindled, never returned.
  95. TheAmazingYeah
    Apr 10, 2013
    4
    I agree with the low-end of the spectrum. The (early) pilot episode of the show was fantastic and I think it will be a worthy successor to Eureka, Warehouse, and Alphas. However, the game just gives up on the story after you chase down Random Bald Scientist #1. It plays more like co-op Planetside 2 with a Borderlands leveling system and I was hoping that this would be the MMOS that soldI agree with the low-end of the spectrum. The (early) pilot episode of the show was fantastic and I think it will be a worthy successor to Eureka, Warehouse, and Alphas. However, the game just gives up on the story after you chase down Random Bald Scientist #1. It plays more like co-op Planetside 2 with a Borderlands leveling system and I was hoping that this would be the MMOS that sold me. Unfortunately the plethora of launch bugs, the poor graphical execution even by console standards, and the complete lack of story after the first chapter weigh me down.… Expand
  96. ShadowDDD
    Apr 11, 2013
    4
    I bought three copies of this game for my friend, brother, and I and we were disappointed.

    First problem is getting this game to install on your pc. It will start downloading then it will stop with several "error" message causing you to re-download it over and over. Once you have final download it then the patch wouldn't start up. Second, this game has a lot of bugs. You'll lost weapons    I bought three copies of this game for my friend, brother, and I and we were disappointed.

    First problem is getting this game to install on your pc. It will start downloading then it will stop with several "error" message causing you to re-download it over and over. Once you have final download it then the patch wouldn't start up. Second, this game has a lot of bugs. You'll lost weapons when you are trying to modding it, you might get the items you have buy with your game currency, some mission wouldn't start up causing you start and abort it to get it to work, and sometime I have to redo a mission because it didn't record my completion Third, it hard to chat with other players in this game. The chat window is on another window. If you open up your chat screen it will block your screen. Fourth, there several missions that you have play it solo. Fifth, every time you start a mission or travel away from your group members you will have to change "phase", which cause other group member to change phase as well. Six, the enemies AI is joke. You can simply walk behind them and shot them. Seventh, the missions are boring. Protect this area, kill this guy, run to point B... same old thing. Lastly, there's the lack of personalization. Everyone look the same. Same outfits and weapons.

    Do I think this game is bad? No, I think this game just need a lot of work. The story is OK for a typical sci-fi game. Hope the TV show is more enjoyable than this game.    … Expand
  97. Xerrospk
    Apr 12, 2013
    4
    Its a fun game but filled with weird bugs and a terrible launcher that just spoils the atmosphere of this game It has an engaging storyline but the launcher is just a mess downloading to at least 90% at some points before a dreaded ''X'' appears and it says launcher error .This has been occurring to all my friends too .Angry Joe ,the famous kickass reviewer has the same problem as IIts a fun game but filled with weird bugs and a terrible launcher that just spoils the atmosphere of this game It has an engaging storyline but the launcher is just a mess downloading to at least 90% at some points before a dreaded ''X'' appears and it says launcher error .This has been occurring to all my friends too .Angry Joe ,the famous kickass reviewer has the same problem as I do Please fix the launcher… Expand
  98. FrostyGreenacre
    Apr 19, 2013
    4
    This game sadly shoots itself in the foot.

    There are many good things in the gameplay of Defiance, and there are moments that have indeed been fun. However, each one of those is equaled or marred by some badly designed game mechanic or bug that either destroys player immersion or should have just outright been fixed during development. Pros. the shooting and dodging mechanics seem    This game sadly shoots itself in the foot.

    There are many good things in the gameplay of Defiance, and there are moments that have indeed been fun. However, each one of those is equaled or marred by some badly designed game mechanic or bug that either destroys player immersion or should have just outright been fixed during development.

    Pros. the shooting and dodging mechanics seem pretty well made, servers have very little lag, there's plenty to do across the world and you can have a lot of fun rushing to an objective in your vehicle with 20 other users down a deserted highway. This core element of the gameplay could make up for the following misgivings if the bugs were fixed, however the issues stay ever visible whilst the good gameplay is plagued with visual glitches. One thing I did like, however was that players didn't need to be in a team to do a mission together, if three players shared the same goal it didn't matter who took down an enemy or activated the 3 objectives, all three players got the quest with no queueing.

    Cons: very sketchy tutorial. very little is explained in the tutorial. the tutorial also takes place in a "danger zone" and whilst reading the descriptions of the 3 paragraph mission dialogues you can be attacked, damaged and presumably killed without being able to defend yourself. There is no tutorial on how to perform social interactions, in fact, I've seen the MMO in no way encourage social interaction between players whatsoever. The storyline is only so-so, however this is true with many MMO games where you'll find yourself either skipping past the majority of quest dialogue or spending more time reading than fighting.

    bugs: this is where the game experience is truly ruined for me. the best game in the world can fail if it's just unplayable (diablo 3, simcity etc.) we can often look past game mechanics we don't agree with so long as they're running as they supposed to. However with my first 4 hours of playing Defiance I encountered: random invisible structures in the wilderness that would stop you driving or running (note, you could go around these small items, they are not barriers, just textureless objects) the game also bugs out when you stand on some of the bridges in the first city area you play in. standing on them with the camera at a certain angle with make all 3D models disappear. to make things worse this includes NPC enemies. You can be getting shot whilst not being able to see your character, the area you're stood on or the enemies who are shooting. particularly frustrating when your mission objective is on that bridge. Some of the terrain has been added into the landscape awkwardly as well, leaving gaps between the landscape and the items themselves so you can see that they aren't solid, very bad for game immersion. I've also been driving down a highway when I saw a "random encounter" quest where enemies were kidknapping some innocent NPCs, except all of the cars added into the encounter were floated a good 7ft above the road...

    overall I'd say that this game WOULD be fun if if worked properly. Heck, even outright addictive. However there are many problems that need to be addressed before it's properly playable. unfortunately for me they already have my money now, so I can only motivate them to fix these by letting everybody else know about the issues before they get your money too.    … Expand
  99. BearSharkWeek
    May 5, 2013
    4
    When I first played this game in beta I thought it was pretty fun. I also expected that there would be more content released with the full version. I was wrong. This game is lacking. There are essentially only 3 enemies to fight. The environment is pretty but gets boring very quickly. Questing is very tedious and redundant. There is no world immersion. It feels like a watered down co-opWhen I first played this game in beta I thought it was pretty fun. I also expected that there would be more content released with the full version. I was wrong. This game is lacking. There are essentially only 3 enemies to fight. The environment is pretty but gets boring very quickly. Questing is very tedious and redundant. There is no world immersion. It feels like a watered down co-op version of borderlands. I am really disappointed in Trion for releasing this mess. It's extremely linear and way too simple. There are only a few co-op maps to play as well. Honestly it feels like the game is missing 3/4 of content. If Trion thinks they can release a ton more content in DLCs and have me pay for it they must be insane.… Expand
  100. TGAMCallahan
    Aug 4, 2013
    4
    However interesting the cameos and tie-ins from the TV series might be, there's one thing that simply cannot be denied about Defiance. It's boring. Your character is a borderline deaf-mute with no impact on the proceedings. The gameplay is 'acceptable,' but nothing else. The environments are decent, but lackluster in variety. The interactions with other characters is bland and meaningless.However interesting the cameos and tie-ins from the TV series might be, there's one thing that simply cannot be denied about Defiance. It's boring. Your character is a borderline deaf-mute with no impact on the proceedings. The gameplay is 'acceptable,' but nothing else. The environments are decent, but lackluster in variety. The interactions with other characters is bland and meaningless. The skill trees are dull, and leave much to be desired.

    I would not recommend this game to anyone, personally, but it is pretty, for what it's worth, and it does have a story to tell. It's just not really a story worth sitting through hours of boring quests, and brutal grinding to hear told in a stilted, off-the-cuff manner.

    4.1/10, overall negative. Better off watching the syfy/space series.    … 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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