With all the fuss surrounding Bungie's upcoming Sci-Fi shooter-MMO Destiny, you'd be forgiven for thinking the same type of game hadn't been pulled off before. In recent months alone we've had the likes of Firefall, Dust 514 and Planetside 2 scratching...
When you hear the term 'videogame tie-in', or 'TV series collaboration', or even mention of the station 'SyFy' the first thing that springs to mind isn't going to be 'groundbreaking classic' - unless you happen to like Highlander spin-offs. Of course...
Defiance's merely acceptable systems are deftly assembled in a way that allows you to spread your proverbial wings and offer your gun-wielding talents to those who need you most. Much like its own arkfalls, Defiance offers treasure, but you have to battle an array of bugs before you can reap it.
Maybe in 12 months' time the TV show will be a big hit and the game will have been patched and updated into the experience it was clearly meant to be. If that's the case, it'll be a hard-earned and well-deserved victory. For now, proceed with caution.
I won't speak much about the potential excitement of the simultaneous TV show tie-in, mostly because the show has yet to premiere on SyFy, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that playing the game makes me at least a little bit more interested in the show. Either way, Defiance gives off a bad first impression, but it still holds up well on its own with continued play.
Defiance does enough new that you won't be disappointed providing you know what you're in for. There's something compulsive about it's quest grinding, but at the same time they do lack the variety and depth of world necessary to make an MMO everlasting.
While Trion has to be held accountable for the severe problems at launch, the truth is that the game’s experience is strong enough to shine through them. Unless you need an artificial goal like a level cap to work towards in an MMO, Defiance offers some of the best fun you can have online.
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