Defiance Game Review

Defiance Game Re-Review

Originally Posted on and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 8/22/2013

Written by Dustin Murphy

Pro's:

-Great story depth

-In-world events known as sieges and world raids as Arkfalls

-Awesome world co-op, co-op instances and pvp

-Easy to learn

-Almost FULLY voice acted.

-Ties into the T.V show on ScyFy

Con's:

-All install based, and that takes a while to download

-Silent main character (changed in DLC)

-Patching critical errors that seem way to common (Fixed)

-Lack of content (Fixed)

-Different armors have no bonuses

-Buggy battlegrounds and co-op instances (Fixed so far)

-Very hard to find legendary weapons (Adjusted to increase drops)

-Sometimes game breaking server lag (Fixed so far)

Pro's:

-Great story depth

-In-world events known as sieges and world raids as Arkfalls

-Awesome world co-op, co-op instances and pvp

-Easy to learn

-Almost FULLY voice acted.

-Ties into the T.V show on ScyFy

Con's:

-All install based, and that takes a while to download

-Silent main character (changed in DLC)

-Patching critical errors that seem way to common (Fixed)

-Lack of content (Fixed)

-Different armors have no bonuses

-Buggy battlegrounds and co-op instances (Fixed so far)

-Very hard to find legendary weapons (Adjusted to increase drops)

-Sometimes game breaking server lag (Fixed so far)

Defiance is unique in the way I would imagine a MMOTPS (Massive Multiplayer Online Third Person Shooter) to be. This genre has been greatly ignored in the gaming industry because of titles like World of Warcraft, Runescape, Rifts, and Tera Online. You may ask why that is, and I'm here to give you the reasons. Behind all the pro's and con's of this title comes a bigger picture that could break the game, it is because the release being so close to the next generation consoles and no word if the title will be pushed by Syfy and Trion Worlds to the next generation of consoles. I could not imagine why they wouldn't as it would be a player loss and profit margin loss. In Defiance the Game you are an Ark Hunter hired by Von Bach Industry's CEO Karl Von Bach himself. We quickly witness our space carrier get shot down and crash land on a very different Earth that was changed into what it is now through alien technology only known as Votan Technology. The world is much more hostile, deadly, and well civilization has pretty much come to collapse into a former shell of what it once was. In this shell we have towns that are guarded by Earth Republic and then the law keepers who stand for the old ways of life. They maintain the law and upkeep justice in any means necessary. In the game we are introduced to several people. Captain Grant of the Earth Republic, Cass Ducar, EGO, Varris, Jeb Nolan, and Nolan's partner Irisa.

Hellbug Hellion Arkfall

   Shortly after you have adjusted to your HUD (heads up display) and controls you are sent to explore the world and quest, which allows you to level up. By leveling up you upgrade your main ability and its perks allowing you to be a bit more powerful than your low level counterparts. The story gives you plenty of content, flash back episodic missions that tie into the TV show, and even a chance to win your way on the show in Season 2 that starts in June of 2014. In the game I found myself repeating the story line twice in hopes after having beaten the final boss of the campaign that perhaps at an EGO rating of 2021 that I would get a legendary item. Well I did a few times, but nothing I could use. The game finds itself entertaining as you hunt down challenges to unlock equipment, titles, and appearances. After having done most I found myself ark hunting with friends to take on hellbugs, scrappers, raiders, 99ers, and now Dark Matter and the Vulge. Out of the entire game I found myself having spent close to almost a hundred hours in a few months play time, but after words quickly shelving the game and only returning for the T.V tie ins for the siege modes of the infected, Vulge, and hunting down a stranger known as Rynn. In the game we are introduced to are the Votan Collective which comprises of the alien races the Irathients, Castithans, Indogenes, Sensoths, Gulanee, Liberata and the Vulge. Each of the races vary greatly in appearance and racial traits as we find out in the game and television series that left me a bit stumped on how to do this review. In this in-depth review I will cover a few things, which not all have to do with the game. Instead some of it will have to do with how they tie in the show. In the game we are also introduced to the harmful side effects of terraforming as well as the highly feared creature the hellbug. Hellbugs being our primary insect like enemy that is also our primary arkfall creature.

In-Game Episodic Mission Event

   In the show Defiance we follow a town of Defiance, which has its own story and will never be seen in the game itself. Defiance the show takes place in what used to be Saint Louis, Missouri. In the story we follow the events that take place around our Lawkeeper and guest star in the game Jeb Nolan and his Irathient Daughter Irisa. With the show we've also seen our anti-hero Irathient, Rynn and the Indogene Doctor Yewll. The tie ins from the show and game have been few. The biggest and the most memorable is the plague, which caused zombie like creatures. In the show we have learned only humans and other Votan species can get this virus outside of Irathients, and we are told to stop the virus. It was simple we stopped it, the show got rescued, and our protagonists live to see another day. We also learn our little Ark Matrix is not what it seems, which will be explained in season two through the cross over’s as well as through the T.V show itself. Defiance itself as a game has come out well with social organizations known as Clans, which allows multitudes of people to join a group much like any MMO out there. 

Cass Ducar In-Game moment

   

   With the added content from the new DLC players are greeted with a freshly reanimated graphics engine. The with improved response times, draw distance, better character customization, new player versus player arenas, and overall a new faction known as the Thorn Lithro that has rep earned through their challenge arenas. The challenge arenas are the most interesting aspect of the entire DLC aside from new character voice over’s and editing options. In the Thorn Lithro Arena players are pitted against timed wave of enemies that vary from the random enemies encountered in the game, and eventually assail players with all of them to heighten the difficulty.

   In the in-game patch there was a much welcome change as well, players can have a vast array of music to listen to, which is actually quite nice from the original hard to hear score. Now players have co-op mission music, pvp music, as well as Arkfall music, which is a very welcomed change. They have also enhanced the way the sound engine handles ark falls having gotten rid of the rather annoying sound cut outs that occurred and were downright annoying. Overall this DLC felt like a re-launch for a title that was rushed, poorly planned, and lacking in content. Hopefully we will see more improvements as we get closer to more DLC releases in future days.

Official Site: Defiance A New Earth Awaits
Official Facebook Page: Defiance - Facebook

Graphics: Very much of what is expected for a game of its size. The graphics remind me close to what games earlier in this generation had. However with what they have done from the torn apart landscapes, collapsed buildings, and the dystopian societies, this game did great in texturing and lighting. With the new patch defiance has increased in graphical capacity as well as lighting effects giving it a more new-generation game appeal, majorly improved from the original.

Sound: While the sound effects are well done, score very well produced, and a great set of voice acting. This game suffers a sudden decrease in appreciation whilst doing arkfalls due to all the stuff going on at all times causing the sound to become choppy and at times downright annoying. This is where I suggest listening to music or just muting the volume. With the new improvements however all the bugs I had encountered with the choppy sound and pure ambiance has changed. There is now a background soundtrack, you can clearly hear everything during arkfalls, and it has overall been vastly improved.

Controls: Very easy to learn till it comes to navigating the menus.

Replay Value: High thanks to the "Enter the Castithan DLC"

Over all rating Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Defiance Re-Review Rating: 8 out of 10

Note: Due to this game having also been released on PC we have not been able to play the PC version, but we can assume its got better graphics and servers.