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
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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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