7 Hours and Counting... (Review)
I am NOT an MMORPG Fan. I played a trial for WoW and got to Lv 22. It's one of those experiences that I look back on and consider a disappointment. Was it horrible? No, but it certainly wasn't going to ensnare me the way it did so many others. It was simply too repetitive. Click something, then tap keys until you kill it. That was what it came down to for me. I was HOPING for something addictive as I had been assured it was.
Anyway, when I first heard about this I thought it was really exciting to see an MMORPG on console, but I wouldn't be interested. But then came the fact that it wasn't so much an MMORPG, but more of an MMOTPS. Then I saw the gameplay, the video interviews, the Screenshots... And here we are.
Locations: After being devastated by the lack of content in Gears J, I've been utterly spoiled by Defiance. People go on and on about how small the map is, but I just don't see it. It feels big enough for me, and by the time we've had our DLC add-ons I can't even imagine how big it will be. Terrain is varied, and you won't just walk or drive in a straight line. Locations are versatile and many different options for approach or defense make it feel like you are making the area your own. You might prefer Defending the Barn from ground level, I might prefer to scale onto the second floor. Little things like that help make you feel like your individual style is at work.
Equipment: There is a lot. There may be only a handful of weapon types, but the number of different weapons per type is astounding. Upgrades and Mods help you make your weapon your own, and these again allow you to have your own style. Grenades vary from standard fair to downright bizarre, and you are always finding new toys on the battlefield. There are lots more things to go into about the Wespons but I wouldn't even know where to begin. Equipment is not lacking.
Rewards: A downer for me at this stage. It feels like a lot of hard work and Heroics merits little reward, at least during Arkfalls. You see a massive 40 man battle happening, you dive in, and after 10 minutes of relentless fighting you can't WAIT to see what you've earned. Maybe 400 Scrip... Really? To quote the Legendary Yosemite Sam- "Hmm, pickins is mighty slim around here. Hardly no reward for a day's work". I really hope the devs might address this. Arkfalls are cool, but knowing that treasure awaits you afterwards would make them Awesome.
Score: People are telling me the Music is really boring or uninteresting. I disagree. Whenever I hear the music I think of scores by Howard Shore and Neil Davidge. Nice and mellow can sometimes be more rewarding than chaotic and messy. I really like the score, and I hope to track it down one day when it's uploaded.
Visuals: There is no point in denying that the visuals are not the best you'll see, but you must also admit that they are far from the worst. For the scale of the map, the number of areas, and the volume of players, these visuals hold up well. You'll get loads of chop in Arkfalls in particular, and Pop-in textures are frequent. But you will never be left saying the graphics are unforgivably bad because they simply aren't. They're good. Not amazing, not incredible, but Good.
Appeal: Though missions are not mind bogglingly creative (Kill these, Defend this...) you are forced to interact with them via the Shooter mechanics of the game. For me, this is a gigantic win because I don't want to stand still pressing buttons. I want to roll around killing enemies by the bucketload and occasionally helping a random player who is under a bit of heavy fire, clear the area of baddies. The Ego boosts and perks make for a more personalized killing style as well, so you may see a lot of people playing in your outfit, but I'll bet they are not all using the same Weapons and perks. The Ego girl is not nearly as annoying as she could have been, in fact, I really like her, and many of the characters you meet are interesting enough.
I know I've done almost nothing but praise this game, but I have to be honest about this. With me I buy loads of games. I play them a day, then normally by the end of day Two I'm already bored and ready to go back to my favourite games. It's been 2 Days of Defiance, so am I thinking about returning to FIFA? No, I'm lying in bed, typing up a review on a phone, and thinking about a group of Medics I wish I had stopped to rescue instead of speeding off to an Arkfall that I ultimately missed out on.
The game is really good. That's what it comes down to. If you want an MMO on console with loads of content and equipment, as well as interesting characters and addictively simple gameplay with deep core mechanics and massive potential for modification, then I recommend you pick this right up.
