Defiance

72%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,622 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Defiance Game Cover
Defiance, like its TV Show counter-part, offers a vast and diverse world for you to explore.
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Defiance is a massively multiplayer science fiction shooter game with good story and graphics, offering both co-op and competitive gameplay. Scavenge for alien technology on a transformed Earth, equip powerful weapons, and engage in epic battles while leveling up and forming alliances. Despite some bugs and grinding, Defiance delivers a unique and often humorous, action-packed experience.

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Reviews

72%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,622 reviews
story116 positive mentions
stability44 negative mentions
  • Defiance offers a unique blend of MMO and shooter gameplay, providing a fun experience for players who enjoy both genres.
  • The game features a large open world with dynamic events, allowing players to engage in massive battles with other players.
  • The character customization and weapon modding systems are enjoyable, giving players the ability to tailor their playstyle.
  • The game suffers from repetitive missions and a lack of meaningful endgame content, leading to boredom after a while.
  • There are significant server issues, including lag and disconnections, which can hinder the gameplay experience.
  • Players who purchased the game before it went free-to-play feel cheated, as they received little to no compensation for their initial investment.
  • story528 mentions

    The story in this MMO is generally considered mediocre, with many players noting its repetitive quest structure and lack of depth. While the integration with the TV show adds some interest, the missions often boil down to typical "fetch" and "kill" tasks that can feel monotonous. Despite some enjoyable characters and moments, the overall narrative fails to captivate, leading to a sense of grind rather than engagement.

    • “In-game, you play as a hunter of alien artifacts who is hired as a bodyguard by a weapons manufacturer on a mission that could save the world... until something goes wrong.”
    • “The story is interesting enough and the voice acting is great!”
    • “The integration with the ongoing TV show only adds to the level of excitement as it lets you feel on a personal level, more a part of the whole universe and the story they've created.”
    • “The story missions feel like a chore as the missions are repetitive and pretty much all the same, and I found the storyline boring.”
    • “The story is mediocre, but acceptable.”
    • “The writing, staging, and voice work of the character interactions make storytelling in this game look like puppet shows.”
  • gameplay185 mentions

    Gameplay in Defiance is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the solid shooting mechanics and the variety of weapons, while others criticize it for being repetitive and grindy. The game offers a decent amount of content and cooperative play, but issues like lag, bugs, and a pay-to-win model detract from the overall experience. While some find it engaging and fun, especially in multiplayer settings, others feel it lacks depth and creativity, leading to a sense of monotony over time.

    • “Good story, good mechanics, all around fun game with many of the basics that are fun for most gamers.”
    • “The gameplay is a blast, gunplay works fantastically, environment is pretty and interesting.”
    • “A fantastic world, great lore, and great gameplay.”
    • “Missing textures, huge frame drops, and sluggish, laggy gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay itself is boring and lackluster.”
    • “The gameplay is repetitious and extraordinarily dull.”
  • graphics77 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are decent and visually appealing, they often feel dated compared to current standards. Some users appreciate the smooth performance and vibrant environments, especially during significant events, while others criticize low-quality character models and graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are generally considered satisfactory for an MMO, but they may not impress players seeking cutting-edge graphics.

    • “The graphics are awesome, the controls and weapon systems are smooth; I really do recommend this game.”
    • “Gorgeous graphics and environments, especially during major arkfall events.”
    • “Kickass MMO shooter, amazing graphics, great scenery, and cooperative to the max.”
    • “The graphics are dated (were dated when it came out, but doesn't really affect the fun).”
    • “The graphics are very last gen; I don't care if it's an MMO.”
    • “The graphics, and gameplay can use an upgrade compared to other games that I play on a daily basis.”
  • stability44 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and server issues that detract from the overall experience. While some improvements have been noted over time, many users still encounter lag, crashes, and unresponsive features, indicating that the game remains in a somewhat unstable state despite its potential for fun gameplay. Overall, the consensus is that while the game offers engaging content, its technical shortcomings hinder a smooth and enjoyable experience.

    • “Trion has ruined it; it's buggy, it's laggy, there's no support.”
    • “A major con to this game is that despite being around for 2 years or so, it's still quite buggy.”
    • “The dev team is constantly changing, and they obviously cannot keep up to maintain the amount of bugs and glitches that are extremely prevalent.”
  • grinding31 mentions

    The reviews highlight a significant divide in player experiences regarding grinding; many find it excessively repetitive and tedious, leading to a lack of enjoyment and a sense of stagnation despite leveling up. Some players appreciate the depth of customization and variety in activities, but overall, the consensus leans towards grinding being a major drawback, often making the gameplay feel like a chore rather than an engaging experience. A few players, however, enjoy the grind and find it rewarding, suggesting that enjoyment may depend on personal preference.

    • “Lastly, it isn't as grindy as other games of its type.”
    • “Apart from that, way too grindy and too repetitive to even be considered nice gameplay or even worth a few hours on it.”
    • “Boring, grindy, repetitive, and no matter how many better weapons and gear you get, you never feel any stronger... because you aren't any stronger.”
    • “But afterwards it offered no content and got really grindy and boring; unless you enjoy farming and doing quests that repeat over and over again, then go for it.”
  • monetization17 mentions

    The monetization in the game is heavily focused on microtransactions, which are prevalent due to its free-to-play model. While players can earn many items through gameplay, the system is criticized for being misleading and expensive, with starter packs costing upwards of $100 and a reliance on a transitive currency that encourages further spending. Despite some positive aspects, such as not charging a subscription fee, the overall implementation is seen as detrimental to the game's experience, with core gameplay elements altered to support monetization.

    • “It does have a lot of microtransactions since it's free-to-play, but it's definitely not pay-to-win. You don't need to spend money in the game; you can get a lot of things just by playing story missions and defeating enemies. I even got a cool car for only 30k scrip, so you don't need to spend any real money unless you want loads of rare items and costumes.”
    • “The monetization system (the Arkforge currency needed to keep your weapons functioning at your level) has been balanced out to where the daily income you get for Arkforge is plenty to keep most of your weapons up to date.”
    • “Also, I love how they don't charge a subscription fee or shove microtransactions down your throat, so +1 for that!”
    • “Other than that, the game is primarily about microtransactions.”
    • “Terrible monetization implementation.”
    • “Beyond this, the game is riddled with microtransactions that purposely lead you to believe you're getting special in-game items with promises of 'at least one extremely rare item guaranteed' while using a transitive currency in an attempt to make you spend more than you normally would, leaving you with excess currency that you can't use unless you pay more money and continue the cycle until you come full circle and end with no currency leftover.”
  • replayability14 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it highly enjoyable with various instances and random events that keep the experience fresh, others criticize the lack of character uniqueness, class specialization, and meaningful content, leading to a diminished incentive to replay. The absence of diverse character missions and the reliance on cosmetic unlocks further detracts from its long-term appeal. Ultimately, the game may satisfy those seeking casual replay but falls short for players looking for depth and variety.

    • “It's easily the most replayable shooter I've got in my library.”
    • “Fun game, free to play now, and has a good amount of replay value.”
    • “Great game and tons of replayability.”
    • “Falls short with its replayability factor, and the only reason to run dungeons is to obtain unlockable cosmetic gear.”
    • “In short, the lack of character uniqueness, lack of involved character missions, and different classes/races really did hurt the replay value of the game.”
    • “And last, there is no class specialization or specialized class missions, so there is no value in leveling more than one character, which limits replay value.”
  • music11 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack for its intensity and variety, particularly during combat and exploration, rating it around 8 to 8.5 out of 10. However, some players find the music repetitive and annoying over time, suggesting that it might be better to play the game muted to avoid the less favorable voice acting and certain tracks. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience for some, it can also detract from it for others.

    • “The soundtrack is amazing, with intense combat music and calm music when exploring the world.”
    • “The great gameplay, pretty graphics, and the amazing soundtrack have already made this game my personal favorite MMO of 2013.”
    • “Music = 8.5/10; there are some good tracks, albeit they can be repeated a bit too much.”
    • “Even though the song is kind of repetitive (I kind of like the Beverly Hills Cop-like song), the script is not so good. I don't know, maybe I'm not watching the TV series, but the story is so cliché and the voice acting is lacking.”
    • “I recommend playing the game muted; it's better than listening to the stupid voice acting and pretty bad music... gameplay is good.”
    • “Some characters are terrible, some have terrible voice acting, the alien curse words are plain annoying, and the combat music is insufferable after a while.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with players finding amusement in the quirky enemy AI and amusing bugs, though some feel it lacks the comedic depth of similar titles like Borderlands. While certain elements, such as funny weapon effects and humorous cutscenes, provide laughs, the overall comedic impact is seen as less pronounced compared to its inspirations. Additionally, the introduction of a subscription model in a previously buy-to-play game has also been noted as a source of humor among players.

    • “The enemy AI is hilarious; literally, I can stand next to a dude and just unload in his face while he looks the other way.”
    • “Great game, just like Borderlands but much smoother, and in-depth story so far (21 hrs logged atm :D). Some missions will be hard, but hey, you gotta love the challenge ;) Weapons are funny being able to blow the enemy up with sticky grenade launchers :D Best $10 I have ever spent so far!”
    • “Occasional missing textures making a rainbow-colored burning barrel or purple glowing 'water' is kind of funny.”
    • “If this is supposed to be humor, then it's not funny at all.”
    • “The jokes fall flat and feel forced, lacking any real wit.”
    • “I expected a lot more laughs, but the humor just misses the mark.”
  • optimization9 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while some players report solid performance on high-end systems, others experience significant server issues, lag, and poor hit registration, particularly after the transition to free-to-play. Despite ongoing improvements from the developers, many users still encounter bugs and performance problems, especially on older hardware. Overall, the optimization appears to be a work in progress, with both commendable advancements and notable shortcomings.

    • “It's very well optimized; runs a nice solid 144fps on my GTX 1080 and i7 7700k, although unfortunately that's because the player base is so small, so you don't have to worry about framerate.”
    • “The game has come a long way in performance; Trion has worked very hard to mitigate latency and crash-related issues, and it only seems to get progressively better with each update.”
    • “Very well optimized with a huge variety of weaponry.”
    • “The overall concept is a good one, but after the first year, the game went free-to-play, and the publisher, Trion Worlds, cut costs dramatically, so server-side performance is completely terrible.”
    • “The server performance is appalling for a modern game; I've had Korean grind-heavy MMOs that were more stable 20 years ago on dial-up.”
    • “However, when it comes down to it, I spent 5 hours fighting bad servers, crappy optimization, poor hit registration, laggy mobs, and all the frustration of a game designed for both consoles and PC at the same time.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate its engaging gameplay and social elements reminiscent of sci-fi titles like Borderlands and Mass Effect, others find it lacking in depth, character, and plot compared to those games. Overall, it offers a decent atmospheric experience but may not fully satisfy fans seeking a rich narrative or immersive world.

    • “I like this game and atmosphere.”
    • “Good gameplay and atmospheric game scene—really, a very good sense of shooting!”
    • “I'd have to say this game is like a combination of Borderlands, Mass Effect, and Halo... but most like a sci-fi Borderlands with more emphasis on the social atmosphere.”
    • “If you liked Fallout, then you might like this game, but still the plot, landscape, and general atmosphere are all meh.”
    • “It feels a lot like a third-person Borderlands, but minus the atmosphere, characters, and story.”
    • “I'd have to say this game is like a combination of Borderlands, Mass Effect, and Halo, but most like a sci-fi Borderlands with more emphasis on the social atmosphere.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for being open-ended and engaging, appealing to players who appreciate a fun gameplay experience and an interesting story. While the community may be smaller, the game offers a balanced approach to character design and development, making it a worthwhile choice for those seeking depth in their characters.

    • “I recommend this game to people who are looking for an interesting game with a dedicated player base, character development, and people who are looking for something that will make their wallets happy.”
    • “Love this game; it is balanced in terms of weapons and armors, and character development is open-ended.”
    • “Fun game, with a smaller community; while it might not be huge in character design or community, the gameplay is fun and the story is interesting.”
    • “I recommend this game to people who are looking for an interesting game with a dedicated player base, but the character development feels lacking.”
    • “Love this game; it is balanced as far as weapons and armors, but the character development is quite limited.”
    • “Decent location and character design, but the character development leaves much to be desired.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting feelings of nostalgia and empowerment through gameplay mechanics and challenging encounters. The variety of weapons and the satisfaction of overcoming difficult challenges evoke a sense of joy and appreciation for the developers' commitment to quality and player experience.

    • “The guns that you can get your hands on can be incredibly varied; for example, very early on I found a powerful sticky grenade-firing shotgun that made me feel like the Terminator at the end of T2.”
    • “This game's last fight difficulty made me feel nostalgic, as I have not met a game that truly challenged me in a fun way like this since my days with a SNES. I love this game and cannot say enough about its quality dev team who rolls out fixes and actually cares about their players and the game content.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

66% average critic score

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Play time

93hMedian play time
211hAverage play time
25-380hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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