Defiance: VOTs of fun!

Before Defiance was released, I was not quite sure how to feel about it. At first, I thought it looked dumb and would explode in a fiery crash of silly SyFy flames. The more I thought about the fun I had in Rift and the pedigree of Trion Worlds, the more hope I had. The week before release, I finally preordered and got antsy with antcipation. Now it has been out for about two weeks and I have played enough to know whether or not I like it. Let me just say... I LIKE IT!

I think it might be broken...

Defiance is a bit tricky to explain, but let me try. The game plays as a third person shooter rolled up into an MMO, with a PvP that plays much like a separate game mode. The main story is fun and moves at a solid pace. While some of the voice acting is BAD, the story as a whole never felt interrupted. I liked the feeling that I was moving through the Bay Area in order to reach what was left of San Francisco. It felt as though I was actually doing some travelling. The moment when I finally reached the Golden Gate Bridge was as exciting as I hoped and fun just to take in the virtual destruction. 

Sometimes when Nolan talked my mind instantly went to John Wayne and the first Thanksgiving.

Part of the excitement of this game is the fact that it interacts with the TV show. While, there was not much interaction between the two in the pilot, I thought the episode missions were the best part. I liked the fact that we got to see the Nolan and Irssa background story play out in the game. I hope that we see more of these missions and interactions through the rest of the season.

The PVP is quite enjoyable and feels like a totally different mode from the main game. I love the feel of it because it breaks up some of the monotony of the missions and can keep the game feeling very fresh. It comes in two styles. One is a deathmatch mode that is fun once you have some powerful weapons. I would not recommend trying PVP at first, because you will get smashed. I tried and failed miserably until I got some weapons that let me hold my own. There is also a large, Battlefield feeling mode called Shadow War. Once they have corrected some matchmaking issues, this could be a viable mode. I wish I knew more about it, but I have yet to get into a match.

Tremors: The Game

One problem that I spotted instantly was the fact that most quests revolved around pressing and holding square. I felt as though later in the game this became less of an issue because there was a lot more clear this, or hold of the enemies, but at first things were very repetitive. Most MMOs are repetitive and that is why I am not throwing a fit. I just feel like this game has a lot going for it and could be a whole lot more creative.

I have run into very few bugs and am impressed with Defiance's launch. The main bug I ran into was reeeeaaaalllyyy frustrating. I had just bought the most expensive lock box and guess what? NOTHING WAS GIVEN TO ME!! That time I spent farming key-codes was wasted. Now, I entered a ticket and I am waiting for an answer. I also noticed that the quest givers and receivers disappear at times. This is also annoying because the only way to fix it is to log off and on. The voice chat is a bit of a failure too. Surprisingly, the way to fix that once it goes out is to also log off and on. 

While small bugs and repetitive questing can get annoying, my overall feeling towards Defiance is positive. The reviews that Defiance have received seem unfair and are definitely not the thoughts of the player base (at least that I have seen).With that being said, they can really fix a few things. I hope as they open new areas, the style of the world changes and looks less repetitive. I enjoy trying and modding different weapons, cruising through the world, and helping random NPC strangers as I went I believe the PVP, story and interaction with the TV show spell out a bright future for this third person-MMO hybrid.