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. Woopya
    Apr 5, 2013
    1
    I dare say all the extremely positive reviews are people who reviewed the game within hours of seeing it. I say this because the game starts off with at least something of a fresh feeling, it appears to be different and people got excited. But, since release the ratings have been spiraling downward for a reason. This game gets very old, very fast. It is extremely linear and simplistic.I dare say all the extremely positive reviews are people who reviewed the game within hours of seeing it. I say this because the game starts off with at least something of a fresh feeling, it appears to be different and people got excited. But, since release the ratings have been spiraling downward for a reason. This game gets very old, very fast. It is extremely linear and simplistic. The lack of tab targeting is refreshing, because it at least makes you feel as tho your doing more yourself than most linear MMOs. But this game was clearly made as an aside to the TV show. On it's own, without the TV show to accompany it, this game would be free to play or failed in a month or 2.… Expand
  2. 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
  3. STarskins
    Apr 5, 2013
    9
    Pretty nice MMO! Don't listen to the naysayers. I'm by no way a fanboy and I can tell you this game rocks! A few flaw here and there but it's normal and Trion is fast for patching. Give it a try, you will not regret it. Unless you want a WoW clone.
  4. Wedgewolf
    Apr 5, 2013
    9
    Just what I was looking for in an MMO, something that was not another Warcraft or EVE clone. In truth yes, the game is in an early stage and there is room for improvement, and I look forward to seeing where Trion will go with it as time goes on.
  5. Kennethplaynose
    Apr 5, 2013
    10
    Very Nice surprise. Just loving this game. Nice mix of shooter, rpg, mmo. Its also paired with a tv show, which gines more depth as it will evolve with the show. If you like stort driven shooters in a scifi setting, this is for you.
  6. NastyN8
    Apr 5, 2013
    9
    For a newly released MMO, Defiance feels pretty good.

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

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

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

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

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

    There are a few bugs and some polishing that needs to be done. Although in many ways Defiance does feel like a completed game, I still think it was rushed out a bit to release before the TV show did. I feel confident that future patches will resolve some of the minor bugs soon because Trion has always been a very hard working developer.    … Expand
  7. Hudson
    Apr 5, 2013
    3
    tiny game world and lack of content, extremely repetitive gameplay, utter lack of meaningful progression, easily glitched ranked missions, painfully bad UI. You can do all this game does in other titles for free or way less money. Hell even Firefly which is in beta has more content than this game. Bloggers will hype it to push an agenda but this game is awful for 60 dollars.
  8. 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
  9. st_sgibbs
    Apr 4, 2013
    9
    This game is fun! I can't wait to see how it unfolds as the show starts and how it's claimed to be a transmedia experience. It's worth the money, I'm addicted to it and no way is it feeling like you are reaching a cap fast. I can understand the concern of repetitive side missions even using same dialog, but its just like ME3 and fun to break away from episode or main missions. TheThis game is fun! I can't wait to see how it unfolds as the show starts and how it's claimed to be a transmedia experience. It's worth the money, I'm addicted to it and no way is it feeling like you are reaching a cap fast. I can understand the concern of repetitive side missions even using same dialog, but its just like ME3 and fun to break away from episode or main missions. The graphics is great though character models are a little rough in the face. I have complete faith the developer will continue to enhance it. they have shown a lot of care with continuous patches and upgrades already. It has the content, it just depends on if you choose to seek it out.… Expand
  10. Justing
    Apr 4, 2013
    10
    innovative MMO in a LONG time, not just another stupid WoW clone. And the fact that it's tied in with the show and your character could end up being IN the show.....that's just neat as hell. Awesome weapons and vehicles also. Smooth gameplay and good graphics also.
  11. Linath
    Apr 4, 2013
    2
    I do not mind massive multiplayers. However the idea of the game was what convinced me to buy it. With the exception if some not bad graphics I am not at all impressed with the game. The graphics could be better. What they show you in the loading screen is obviously not what you get in game. The amount of space it takes to actually play the game (which must be from your hard drive) doesn'tI do not mind massive multiplayers. However the idea of the game was what convinced me to buy it. With the exception if some not bad graphics I am not at all impressed with the game. The graphics could be better. What they show you in the loading screen is obviously not what you get in game. The amount of space it takes to actually play the game (which must be from your hard drive) doesn't justify the waiting time. This being said I do not enjoy having to wait 6 to 10 minutes to play an average game. The view of your character is inadequate, as she is tiny (and I've a very large tv).

    As I said the idea of the game is cool. However the content and waiting time per each session is lost on me. And the content is just not worth the wait. I'll enjoy the show more i hope.

    As a foot note server que times for a game I spent 70$ to buy is not acceptable.    … Expand
  12. C_M_K
    Apr 4, 2013
    0
    Starts out very fun, but quickly the combination of bugs (almost all of which are longstanding known issues), lack of any meaningful social features, lack of any expected MMO features, tiny game world and lack of content, extremely repetitive gameplay, utter lack of meaningful progression, easily glitched ranked missions, painfully bad UI, and a host of other issues quickly turn theStarts out very fun, but quickly the combination of bugs (almost all of which are longstanding known issues), lack of any meaningful social features, lack of any expected MMO features, tiny game world and lack of content, extremely repetitive gameplay, utter lack of meaningful progression, easily glitched ranked missions, painfully bad UI, and a host of other issues quickly turn the experience sour.

    Once the new game smell wears off on this one, and honestly it isn't going to take long, things are going to get real ugly real fast.    … Expand
  13. 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
  14. 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).
  15. 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
  16. Thaneg
    Apr 4, 2013
    1
    God awful. Who cares about looking at bigger pictures or embracing a sub par game just because it is an MMO. The AI is by far the worst with a player having to be about 2 feet away to pull them into attacking. Bad graphics and terrible controls. If you want to be disappointed and even more bored than usual with grinding out to level up then by all means buy this game. Otherwise sate yourGod awful. Who cares about looking at bigger pictures or embracing a sub par game just because it is an MMO. The AI is by far the worst with a player having to be about 2 feet away to pull them into attacking. Bad graphics and terrible controls. If you want to be disappointed and even more bored than usual with grinding out to level up then by all means buy this game. Otherwise sate your MMO fix elsewhere.… Expand
  17. blundby
    Apr 4, 2013
    10
    I was a bit skeptical after reading reviews here. But the game rocks! It is a mixed game type that we have never seen something like before. Flawless launch, outstanding for an MMO. Smooth, no lag, super fun combat, world feels alive, no elves or fairies, common one just has to love this game!
  18. evilthief
    Apr 4, 2013
    9
    Great game, can't wait for the show. Launch has been solid thus far, have had no issues with connecting. Looks nice, feels nice, and can only get better with time. I hope Trion really holds on to this one and stays with it, it's not perfect.... but it still has so much potential. I knew my life wouldn't be complete unless I bought this.
  19. Doublecross
    Apr 4, 2013
    0
    This game is just boring. There is nothing else to say about it. It is just plain boring. I also do not like that the cursor slows down when you aim. I played the beta and it just sucks, I am very sorry but. Nothing i heard from any reviews by youtubers were excited, it feels washed up and bland. A lot of fake reviews obviously rating it good, no surprise there.
  20. legiadris
    Apr 4, 2013
    10
    This game is a very refreshing addition to the MMO scene. There is buckets of content ranging from intricate storyline missions with voice acting to events such as time trials, rampages and Arkfalls. The graphical quality is excellent on high settings, although not very impressive on the lower settings. This may be something to consider if your computer is on the lower end.

    The sounds    This game is a very refreshing addition to the MMO scene. There is buckets of content ranging from intricate storyline missions with voice acting to events such as time trials, rampages and Arkfalls. The graphical quality is excellent on high settings, although not very impressive on the lower settings. This may be something to consider if your computer is on the lower end.

    The sounds are very high quality, during combat there is usually some sort of electronic music with a rather high tempo, which is fitting but may get on your nerves over time. Fortunately it can be turned off in the settings.

    There is a lot of customization, although in the beginning modifiable weapons are relatively rare, and usually only come with one or two open slots. But it gets better later on. There are no classes, but you will have to build your character around one of four abilities and the perks it can be connected into. The EGO Grid you do that with, is somewhat reminiscent of The Secret World. Or Final Fantasy X.

    The shooting aspect of the game is very responsive and detailed, different weapons have completely different mechanisms instead of being simplified into one functionality. Hit detection is very responsive. When you aim for somebody's head, you hit them in the head. No invisible walls or other weirdness.

    World polish is excellent. There are some bugs, mostly to do with certain quest objects taking their sweet time to appear or to respond to you. But the majority can be fixed by logging out of the game and back in, so it doesnt become such a big deal.

    The vehicles are also interesting, they're not as crazy as in the Borderlands series, but that can be a bonus also, if you prefer realism over utter madness. The vehicle controls are a bit slow. You can tell that they had to compromise somewhere to release it on multiple platforms, but you should get used to it in the first half an hour or so, since nothing is technically wrong with it.

    The interface is probably going to be the only big factor that will divide the public opinion on the game. I didn't have much trouble adapting to it, but I realize that I am not the whole world. You might be a little bewildered by it. The chat windows and such are the same old stuff as in other MMOs though, so you shouldn't have trouble asking for help.

    I'm a big fan of the story, definitely worth it listening to all the cutscenes, conversations and reading through things in the game.

    This is the first review I've ever bothered to write(maybe it speaks for the quality of the game in itself), so I apologize in advance if it left something unanswered.    … Expand
  21. mranere
    Apr 4, 2013
    1
    I was really looking forward to this game, especially with the TV show tie in planned. However, once I got into it, I found it to be seriously lacking. The whole time I was in the beta, it felt like a single player game, I really didn't run into many people, even at the ArkFall areas. It has a Borderlands-Lite feel to it. Not a lot of depth to it, the menu system is horrid, the controlsI was really looking forward to this game, especially with the TV show tie in planned. However, once I got into it, I found it to be seriously lacking. The whole time I was in the beta, it felt like a single player game, I really didn't run into many people, even at the ArkFall areas. It has a Borderlands-Lite feel to it. Not a lot of depth to it, the menu system is horrid, the controls are poorly laid out, the skill system is weak and the quest or mission system is unimaginative at best. All in all, not worth the price tag, not even close.… Expand
  22. matrix2050
    Apr 4, 2013
    3
    Mhh It was too good to be true. After 2 Days of playing this Game, i have no more fun. The game menu is horrible. Graphics are good for the Unreal 3 Engine. The game is played through quickly and then? World is too small and it makes me at least no fun.
  23. Warin
    Apr 4, 2013
    0
    Feels like Borderlands, without the Crazy Humour, the sick amount of loot, and little to nothing thought goes into your build.
    The setting is interesting but it's clearly made more for a TV show than a game. Haven't tested balance yet up to lvl 4000 might be nigh unkillable for normal players if it continues to scale like it does the first 400 levels.
  24. 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
  25. Beaver
    Apr 3, 2013
    9
    first MMO I have really enjoyed the gameplay in for a long time. I play a lot of FPS games (Battlefield etc) since good 'ole Counterstrike 0.4, and I enjoyed the shooter mechanics so much I found my self moving from cover to cover sniping mutants with no mission or quest in the area, I just had that much fun just playing the game... For me to have this much fun before my friends havefirst MMO I have really enjoyed the gameplay in for a long time. I play a lot of FPS games (Battlefield etc) since good 'ole Counterstrike 0.4, and I enjoyed the shooter mechanics so much I found my self moving from cover to cover sniping mutants with no mission or quest in the area, I just had that much fun just playing the game... For me to have this much fun before my friends have even bought it, along with the in depth weapon mod system, and the future integration with the television show, I'm hoping I can give this game a 10.… Expand
  26. Hanff
    Apr 3, 2013
    3
    Mediocre-at-best shooter with too many glaring flaws to keep a player engaged. The potential was there, but the execution was halfhearted: terrible voice acting, no real character customization to speak of, controls that are so far from intuitive it's almost a joke, and the same grindy quests over and over. Not to mention the lack of a viable chat system.

    There are worse ways to kill an    Mediocre-at-best shooter with too many glaring flaws to keep a player engaged. The potential was there, but the execution was halfhearted: terrible voice acting, no real character customization to speak of, controls that are so far from intuitive it's almost a joke, and the same grindy quests over and over. Not to mention the lack of a viable chat system.

    There are worse ways to kill an hour here and there, but not at this price.    … Expand
  27. TheLeafdude
    Apr 3, 2013
    9
    When Borderlands meets Planetside 2 with a little of the traditional MMO thrown in as well for good measure you get Defiance. I can't give this game a 10 because there are some problems, notably the chat issues and PC's clunky UI but apart from that it's great refreshing fun. There's a very heavy Borderlands feel with the PvE. PvP is new, there's the traditional games you're used to fromWhen Borderlands meets Planetside 2 with a little of the traditional MMO thrown in as well for good measure you get Defiance. I can't give this game a 10 because there are some problems, notably the chat issues and PC's clunky UI but apart from that it's great refreshing fun. There's a very heavy Borderlands feel with the PvE. PvP is new, there's the traditional games you're used to from shooters but added into the mix is Shadow Wars which allows you to fight 48 vs 48 to control points on the map, the same map everyone else is busy fighting PvE (don't worry you don't have to take part) this creates an interesting element as NPCs interact the same to PvP players as they do PvE, you may find a boss helping you defend a point.

    Overall Defiance is a new and interesting MMO with great potential to expand it's universe. We've yet to see how the game actually ties in with the TV show but it's something to look forward to and enjoy with the game.    … Expand
  28. 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
  29. 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.
  30. Ethasa
    Apr 3, 2013
    2
    While a few new concepts have been added to the gaming world, this game is not much to look at if one looks past the few shallow reviews left here by passersby. Let's start from the beginning, as i played rift before this game, and thoroughly enjoyed it's concepts and content, i expected something above average for this game, but that is not what i received upon being invited to the Alpha.While a few new concepts have been added to the gaming world, this game is not much to look at if one looks past the few shallow reviews left here by passersby. Let's start from the beginning, as i played rift before this game, and thoroughly enjoyed it's concepts and content, i expected something above average for this game, but that is not what i received upon being invited to the Alpha. Yet, then i went one to try to help with solving bugs and giving suggestions content wise, and that all went unanswered due to lack of fixes or simple neglect of the Alpha community, which made apparent that the dev has really given up or simply put down the project, and for this reason, i believe the game has no real value in terms of maturing over time, as the crew seems to have a different agenda then that of rift. It also seemed to be a rushed product, due to it's lack graphic wise and content wise, as the voice acting seemed so rushed and placed that it literally sounds if they almost didn't even do it in studio, and that's not even the worst audio, as the charger was changed multiple times due to the quality of recordings they received from dodge, which also shows how much they were willing to give up to their preteen associated sponsors such as axe and etc.
    All this and i haven't even touched on the combat yet. As i said before, the game seemed rushed, and content wise shows so. The end game is non-existent, along with a viable progression system. Oh yes, i just remembered that, the progression system is linear, so no matter what level your weapon is, or what rarity (e.g. a green/uncommon, will be exactly the same as an orange/legendary, except for one little bonus effect that might or might not be what you need/want) they will be almost exactly the same, this amplified by the gimmicky perk tree that was constantly debuffed due to complaints of extremely unbalanced and unviable pvp that was dominated by rocket launching bunny hoppers (is still plagued by this if you must know), and is now so shallow that you feel as if you wasted that 10 hours getting +50 ego rating from some ridiculous broken "achievement" (which they call pursuits) that gave you them because you already ran so many congruent/exactly the same arkfalls that became so tedious you just had to force yourself to do something different. Also, if you want to say the arkfalls are akin to the rift system in rift, then your completely wrong. This "exciting" and "replayable" system has so little variance that, in alpha, people just plain stopped doing them, due to both their tediousness, and their lack of a legitimate award. Also, on a side note, if your hoping for an expansive vehicle system, their are only 7 variants of vehicles aside from colors, of which none are customizable at the least.
    Oh, and to further make this mess worse, the reason they don't give legitimate rewards to you is so that they can make you pay for that weapon you desperately want. For example, to even be able to get a legendary/orange weapon (extremely low chance that makes me want to cry due to their linear progression) you need to get a t4 lockbox that will cost 64 arkfall keys, and you will most likely only make 4 from a major, that will likely take anywhere from 15-45 minutes depending on how many people know what they are doing. This results in you needing to grind these arkfalls for around 8 hours to even get one, they will probably not even have what you want. So by using this 8 hour grind time obstacle, they made it possible to simply by them with your real hard earned money. Oh, and if you want one of the actually good looking outfits, you probably going to have to pay 10 dollars for that too, because you can't even earn them in game.
    And to top all this off, they have had months to fix that unintuitive UI they try to push on their PC gamers that resulted when they were too damn lazy to change it from the console counterparts of this game. In fact, the entire alpha gave up on the topic due to their lack of communication regarding the issue. Such issues were brought up several times, but always ignored, like most of the bugs.
    So all in all, i just wanted to save you from this worthless game that has reduced my respect for Trion Worlds 10 fold by telling how this rushed mess is lacking in every aspect, and that you should look farther than that fluff those positive reviews give you and see the cold hard truth about this game before you waste that coveted 60 dollars of yours.    … Expand
  31. 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
  32. Eman3s
    Apr 3, 2013
    10
    Game came out of nowhere, absolutely loving it. It's been a long time since I've felt this way about a game, but I can't put it down. I'm just so surprised how polished it looks from the menus to the game its self, it runs great even with 40-60 people fighting the BIG baddies. I definitely recommend it, but if you do get it, play more than 3 hours before you judge it, do some Co-op, PvP,Game came out of nowhere, absolutely loving it. It's been a long time since I've felt this way about a game, but I can't put it down. I'm just so surprised how polished it looks from the menus to the game its self, it runs great even with 40-60 people fighting the BIG baddies. I definitely recommend it, but if you do get it, play more than 3 hours before you judge it, do some Co-op, PvP, and stuff like that to break up the single player stuff. I'm having a lot of fun with it and its definitely been worth my $60 thus far. It's a big game and there is a few bugs but its not a big deal, they will iron it out over time.… Expand
  33. adamaant
    Apr 3, 2013
    10
    I'm having a blast. I am looking forward to how the series on Syfy will integrate with the game. The battles are fun. Driving around exploring is fun too. I really hope the game does well.
  34. Catch2two
    Apr 3, 2013
    9
    Exciting Story, Fun Characters and a great new take on MMO games. It's not so much of an RPG, but it does have the elements needed to mimic one. I've been playing since the First stages of Beta and throughout the process of becoming full retail, Trion listens to their customers and feedback given.

    This game has a strong community and a stronger Development Team behind it and I cannot    Exciting Story, Fun Characters and a great new take on MMO games. It's not so much of an RPG, but it does have the elements needed to mimic one. I've been playing since the First stages of Beta and throughout the process of becoming full retail, Trion listens to their customers and feedback given.

    This game has a strong community and a stronger Development Team behind it and I cannot wait for the future of this game and what it brings to the table for Innovation and creativity.

    It's got a few flaws, but they're features that are going to be implemented or I have yet to get high enough to see more (Only gotten to 250).
    - Character Outfits could be worked on, more outfits or drops that could be rare.
    - PvP doesn't work for me, but it works for everyone else i play with, must be some sort of Port i need to forward or something that needs to be patched. I played it in beta and I thought it was really fun.
    - Hard to tell if the area we start at is the only area in the game or not, Not saying it's small, it isn't especially with so many players on at the same time, but having a larger outlook on how the world looks in more than just the California would be extremely neat.    … Expand
  35. CommanderLovely
    Apr 3, 2013
    10
    Easily a 10/10 game.
    Takes some concepts from other MMO's and makes them all shine. I expected another generic MMO but what I got was a game with genuine 3rd Person shooter features, A great story and good controls. I'd recommend it to anyone. Huge open world with vehicles, gun customization and many other great things.
  36. Kuhndog76
    Apr 3, 2013
    9
    Has room for improvement but i love where they are taking the genre. I love the action feel like my first 8 hours was non stop action and i couldnt put it down!
  37. 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
  38. IMKain
    Apr 3, 2013
    10
    This game is absolutely amazing. Trion Worlds did a fantastic job of making this MMO shooter have a nice single player feel and multiplayer feel. There is no need to party up with people unless you wish to. Also the storyline and the missions have some weight, and since some of the missions are phased you won't have to worry about having to do a mission all over again, or even havingThis game is absolutely amazing. Trion Worlds did a fantastic job of making this MMO shooter have a nice single player feel and multiplayer feel. There is no need to party up with people unless you wish to. Also the storyline and the missions have some weight, and since some of the missions are phased you won't have to worry about having to do a mission all over again, or even having someone stealing your kill. You are rewarded for assisting your fellow ark hunters, as well all loot that drops is your own loot...not shared loot...so there is no fear of someone ninja looting.

    Overall the game is very beautiful to look at, and the shooting mechanics are dialed in quite nicely.

    No worry of cooldowns, or a GUI that you end up paying more attention to then the game. If you are looking for a nice shooter with RPG elements, with MMO to boot, then look no further than Defiance.

    Also I caught the 15 minute preview of the show and it looks really good.    … Expand
  39. GottFaust
    Apr 3, 2013
    8
    Lets get the cons out of the way: Limited graphical customization, dated and poorly implemented graphical tech (lacks most modern features), low resolution textures, clunky movement, terrible animations, amazingly bad UI (to log out you have to press escape, hold space, select an option from a radial menu, select an option from a menu bar, and then you can actually click the log outLets get the cons out of the way: Limited graphical customization, dated and poorly implemented graphical tech (lacks most modern features), low resolution textures, clunky movement, terrible animations, amazingly bad UI (to log out you have to press escape, hold space, select an option from a radial menu, select an option from a menu bar, and then you can actually click the log out button.), and bad voice acting. Now, after that what could possibly be good about the game? The answer is: everything else, most importantly the game play. The game is a very fun experience. Think borderlands on a massive scale. Loot drops are prevalent, instanced to each player (which is a good thing as it stops loot rushing), and interesting. Enemies are varied and interesting. The weapons are fun and flashy (outside of your standard shotgun/pistol/rifle guns). The powers are useful and unique. The weapon customization is in-depth, but not obfuscated. The story is interesting (bad voice acting and animations aside). The art itself is amazing (even if the technology that renders it isn't). The back-story and lore to the world is creative and very detailed. I could keep going, but I think you get the picture. Will you like this game if you value graphics and presentation above all else? No. Will you like this game if you enjoy solid gameplay, a good story, and a world with detailed lore to back it? Yes. Overall: Gameplay 10/10, Story 8/10, Graphics 6/10, Animations 3/10, Sound 6/10, Voice Acting 5/10, UI 4/10, Weighted Total (gameplay out-weighs most everything else) 8/10.… Expand
  40. Nezek
    Apr 3, 2013
    9
    A pretty fun Third-person shooter with fun element, the ark fall event in the game break the standard questing. Graphics could have been better but when an ark fall happen with 100 players at the same time it pretty clear that the reason why the graphic are not top notch is because most computer would not handle it. The gun customization is fun and the game doesn't seems like a rush to maxA pretty fun Third-person shooter with fun element, the ark fall event in the game break the standard questing. Graphics could have been better but when an ark fall happen with 100 players at the same time it pretty clear that the reason why the graphic are not top notch is because most computer would not handle it. The gun customization is fun and the game doesn't seems like a rush to max lvl like most online.

    The racing event with vehicle are pretty fun and break the shooting with a different gameplay the challenge with a specific gun with ammo are fun.

    I can't wait to see what will happen every week with the show.    … Expand
  41. 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
  42. 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
  43. ZTempest
    Apr 3, 2013
    9
    Big world, engaging story, unique mixed-media connection to the TV series. Character customization is lacking hopefully a future patch will address that. Variety of weapons and equipment is excellent. Game has depth. Very fun to play.
  44. jonizerror
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    i really love this game. ive played a lot of mmos out there and none have been able to keep my attention. this games story is on par with any triple A title.

    the fact that grouping isnt a chore like in most mmos is even a bigger plus. you never have to be out of the action for long! and for reviewers who want to trash the graphics.. these graphics are actually good and 10 times    i really love this game. ive played a lot of mmos out there and none have been able to keep my attention. this games story is on par with any triple A title.

    the fact that grouping isnt a chore like in most mmos is even a bigger plus. you never have to be out of the action for long!

    and for reviewers who want to trash the graphics.. these graphics are actually good and 10 times better than the console versions. besides, what do graphics have to do with game play?    … Expand
  45. REDSIPERAS
    Apr 2, 2013
    9
    This game... its great. The gun-play is perfect. The pvp is fun, especially Shadow War. The co-op is amazing. The story is alright so far, but it can only get better and i trust Trion to do so. P.S. hopefully the tv show is as good
  46. ShiftyShifts
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    I can not find a bad thing to say about this game. It is Borderlands meets Guild Wars 2, both games I had 100+ hour love affairs with. The weapons and fighting mechanics feel over the top but believable for the world. It is addicting like a Diablo, or WoW. It's cut scenes are nothing special as for a shooter but for an MMO they are unmatched. Bottom line is if you are a fan of BorderlandsI can not find a bad thing to say about this game. It is Borderlands meets Guild Wars 2, both games I had 100+ hour love affairs with. The weapons and fighting mechanics feel over the top but believable for the world. It is addicting like a Diablo, or WoW. It's cut scenes are nothing special as for a shooter but for an MMO they are unmatched. Bottom line is if you are a fan of Borderlands or Guild Wars 2 this is a must buy. If you are a an of both, clear out your calendar.… Expand
  47. jst68
    Apr 2, 2013
    9
    It's fun to play! The story is pretty interesting so far as well and I am looking forward to see the tv show running in parallel. It is also working quite well on day one so far. Cool thing is that you are feeling to be part of something big. It also quite innovative. It certainly doesn't fit in with the WoW clones we get to see most of the time.
  48. 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
  49. mapacheboss
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    Really is a very fast game very fun accesible and playable, very very fun played with friends, im enjoy it.dont a crysis graphics but dont necessary..... a great game for me. thanks for create trion!!
  50. Lighterfluid
    Apr 2, 2013
    3
    This game may look like a MMO Borderlands, but do not be fooled. Defiance offers very little when it comes to the MMO spectrum. I had so many issues with this game i dont even know where to begin.

    From the start you are treated with some terrible visuals and pretty lame voice acting. Then comes the quests, which are run here do that. The game wasnt engaging or gripping in the least.    This game may look like a MMO Borderlands, but do not be fooled. Defiance offers very little when it comes to the MMO spectrum. I had so many issues with this game i dont even know where to begin.

    From the start you are treated with some terrible visuals and pretty lame voice acting. Then comes the quests, which are run here do that. The game wasnt engaging or gripping in the least.

    If you are looking for a story, then maybe just maybe you might find enjoyment in this game. If your looking for good game play features on the other hand i wouldn't even give this a second look. Truelly a let down.

    Over all just another MMO to brush under the table    … Expand
  51. 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.
  52. 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
  53. lollermittens
    Apr 2, 2013
    9
    If you've been waiting for a new and refreshing MMO experience, look no further, TRION Games has done it again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    If you're still on the fence after reading my review, answer the following questions with a 'yes' or 'no;' if you answered 'yes' to more than two questions, honestly, just do yourself a favor and go buy the game (also no monthly subscription is required which is a huge plus): do you like Borderlands 1 or 2? Do you like Gears of War 1/2/3? Do you like Rift/WoW/The Secret World/Guild Wars 2? Do you like crisp/accurate shooters with hitboxes that register correctly?    … Expand
  54. XenoCypher
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    Defiance is everything that The Secret World SHOULD have been, with more. It has a compelling story with characters that evolve through-out the missions, giving them the feeling that you "know" them to some degree. The ability to drive around in cars, trucks, and quads gives the game an added fun factor with all of the cool things you can do with them (like crazy jumps and 360's).

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

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

    There is so much to love about this game, that it is hard to list it all. It is worth trying for yourself.    … Expand
  55. 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.
  56. RosaV
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    Everything Tabula Rasa should have been. An immersive MMO with tight shooting mechanics and compelling missions. There is a lot of game here, and it's a blast!
  57. 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
  58. Joshy
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    Most innovative MMO in a LONG time, not just another stupid WoW clone. And the fact that it's tied in with the show and your character could end up being IN the show.....that's just neat as hell. Awesome weapons and vehicles also. Smooth gameplay and good graphics also.
  59. Maeldun81
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    One of the rare MMO's that actually grips you in the story, flawless launch so far which you never see in mmos ever. Nice customization, weapons, loving the vehicles.
  60. asmoron
    Apr 2, 2013
    9
    An engaging sci-fi story with the wild enjoyment of Borderlands only with 1,000 friends instead of four. If you're the type of person to get caught up in fevered loot-hording, third person action and large scale PvE and PvP give it a shot.
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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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