Why all the bad reviews?

[Mysk]

Some of the hate for the game is completely unjustified. I've read reviews and seen video reviews where it's clear to me that the reviewer either hasn't actually played OR played in early beta.

I think some people are confused that Defiance is different from what they expect. This isn't Call of Duty Online like shooter fans want/expect. This isn't a traditional mmo that used the ol' RNG to hit, you have to actually aim and shoot yourself. This probably annoys players of regular mmos.

The gameplay is quite fun and the story (if you do the side missions) is interesting and will probably be futher expanded in the tv show. This is another aspect that some people just don't get. The game & show are going to synergize off each other. I would expect that I'd have to watch the show to get some story details that I can't get in game and vice versa. This too, probably annoys the impatient gamers out there.

Overall my 1st impressions of the game are mostly positive. My only complaint is the terrible chat system (or lack thereof). This game was obviously made with voice chat in mind as the primary way to communicate, something that PC gamers don't use as much as text chatting.

[Hiryu GodHand]

Seeking a review is nothing more than asking the opinion of a person in a somewhat professional and PUBLIC degree. Honestly, I trust the reviews of my friends over that of anything "official." I'll take a moment to pick on Metacritic.

I imagine that some aren't going to like this much, but when you break a game like Mass Effect 3 down, and really look at it: the combat grows stale and never really changes. The story was very "Meh" in comparison to its earlier counterparts. The new characters were boring. I ran through the multiple endings on principle more than enjoyment and found so much left to be desired that I traded the game in before I could be tea-bagged into paying for the DLC. Its Meta-score is ******edly and inconceivably high- IN MY OPINION.

There is no such thing as a definitive review unless you do the review by yourself, for yourself. It is unfortunate that a medium score on Metacritic- which is nothing more than an average of strangers opinions for a game- may be the determining factor in whether or not some people buy it. But reviewers are what they are, which is nothing more than a person who made their opinion public.

My two ha'pennies,
-GodHand

[BetaChapel]

There are bad reviews because the game isn't conforming to the casual expectations of the CoD crowd and whatnot. In other words, they bad at game, so bad review.

Are you saying this game is receiving unfavorable reviews because the reviewers were bad at playing it?
I hope that is not so, this game is so simplified that it seems targeted at 10-15 year olds.
That is a bad excuse to defend this game... i think your fanboy is showing.

On top of that - CoD? really...

[Maeson]

Eh, I'm not bothered by reviews. Actually never have been. This game is an MMO, some might say it isn't but the code, how it's built is MMO. There are more limitations and challenges to overcome then lets say a single player game like skyrim or fallout.

Look at ANY MMO game out there and can you say that most of them launch perfectly? Very few do so. Very, very few. Anarchy Online has been functioning for what, 10 years and at launch it was unplayable. Arguments for content are also moot. Given the choice between running into a rescue event or collecting up 20 fetch quests at a town, I'll take the former. Most missions in MMOs that are not story, are just dead weight, busywork. And MMO's get constantly improved with more missions.

So I honestly don't pay much heed to the reviews. You can't review an MMO like any other game because an MMO is never finished. I don't mean launched early or anything. But that work on an MMO never ends, things get added, things get fixed (or broken, then fixed). The few reviews I've seen handle the game as if it was a boxed game with no further development.

Or I might be understanding the reviews wrong. It's not perfect and I'd love an ingame encyclopedia of sorts to get me up to snuff with the lore, since the game is supposed to be able to stand alone without the show.

[Kryopsis]

Are you saying this game is receiving unfavorable reviews because the reviewers were bad at playing it?
I hope that is not so, this game is so simplified that it seems targeted at 10-15 year olds.
That is a bad excuse to defend this game... i think your fanboy is showing.

What I cannot understand is how somebody who claims to have high standards (1) insists on posting and debating on a forum for a casual game targeting 10-15 year olds (2). I double checked and this is the second time in this thread you dismiss people who disagree with you as 'fanboys' (3). This leads me to conclude that you too are having trouble coming to terms with the fact that different people have different opinions. Just because you think something is true does not make it a fact. Speaking of facts, I can tell you're not trolling as you don't seem the minimum amount of wits necessary to do so but you insist on repeating yourself, erroneously thinking that it somehow empowers you. I think your lack of common sense is showing.

Signed,
- A fanboy

[Mavor]

Ugh, 'fanboy'. Sure I suppose it applies to a select group of folks who often defend something with blind, zealous fervor - but it certainly doesnt apply to the folks who just enjoy something because they do. Throwing it around at anyone who says something nice about the game is just silly. I mean in that case Im a fanboy of donuts, coffee, sleeping, cheeseburgers, sunny days, the beach, heavy metal, etc, etc. See? Silly.

[BetaChapel]

What I cannot understand is how somebody who claims to have high standards (1) insists on posting and debating on a forum for a casual game targeting 10-15 year olds (2). I double checked and this is the second time in this thread you dismiss people who disagree with you as 'fanboys' (3). This leads me to conclude that you too are having trouble coming to terms with the fact that different people have different opinions. Just because you think something is true does not make it a fact. Speaking of facts, I can tell you're not trolling as you don't seem the minimum amount of wits necessary to do so but you insist on repeating yourself, erroneously thinking that it somehow empowers you. I think your lack of common sense is showing.

Signed,
- A fanboy

No what i have a problem coming to terms with, is that people flat out insist this game is flawless and are honestly amazed it gets bad reviews. If you cannot accept this game to have flaws, you are indeed a fanboy.
I try to like this game, im on the forums to have discussions mostly about the good and bad about the game in hopes that Trion will take in the feedback. I do not like to stand by and let threads roll in about how amazing or how bad the game is with no real logic behind it. Its either "OMG BEST GAME EVER NO GAME COMPARES" or "GAME SUCKS HOW TO GET REFUND" There needs to be discussion, opinions, and facts thrown out on why people feel this way.
A review is an opinion, some people (despite what others say) live or die by them and rely on sites like meta critic. When everyone is averaging out on the same thing - go ahead and be the small minority that goes against what they say because of the way YOU feel. You are still the minority and numbers speak louder.

[Jeff Kaos]

I put a lot of stock in reviews to be honest and if I had waited, like I planned on doing, for reviews to start rolling in I probably would've not bought this game. And to be even more honest I probably wouldn't care either. But I did buy Defiance and I'm having a lot of fun playing this game. But to ignore all this games myriad faults, like so many people who say this is the greatest game ever, is just mind boggling. Even though I like this game and I plan on playing it on a regular basis for as long as the servers are up I'm also clearly aware that if this game wasn't an mmo I'd be pretty unimpressed by it. And yes, I've played many, many mmo's and am aware of launch day bugs, but I'm also someone who works in the IT field and I know that if any company other than a game company released an information system that has as many flaws as most mmo's have on launch they'd probably get sued or would at least have a hard time finding projects. And because of this I don't cut companies slack for launch day mishaps. Gamers may be vocal critics but they're also a lot more forgiving than people give them credit for.

[Kryopsis]

No what i have a problem coming to terms with, is that people flat out insist this game is flawless and are honestly amazed it gets bad reviews. If you cannot accept this game to have flaws, you are indeed a fanboy.
I try to like this game, im on the forums to have discussions mostly about the good and bad about the game in hopes that Trion will take in the feedback. I do not like to stand by and let threads roll in about how amazing or how bad the game is with no real logic behind it. Its either "OMG BEST GAME EVER NO GAME COMPARES" or "GAME SUCKS HOW TO GET REFUND" There needs to be discussion, opinions, and facts thrown out on why people feel this way.
A review is an opinion, some people (despite what others say) live or die by them and rely on sites like meta critic. When everyone is averaging out on the same thing - go ahead and be the small minority that goes against what they say because of the way YOU feel. You are still the minority and numbers speak louder.

Okay, that's hardly unreasonable and you are right. I should probably apologize for insinuating that you were a moron. This said, the post I am replying to speaks better in your favour than all of your previous ones in this thread combined. Why not start out with this, rather than calling everyone who disagrees with you a fanboy?

I should clarify that I really like Defiance but I also do agree with a lot of the negative reviews. Unfortunately, as you just said yourself, a lot of people go by reviews when they decide to pick up a game. I do not see this ending well for Trion and I fear the chilly reception already blemished their reputation.

[Technodude]

+1 hehe That sums it up

Sums up what? stop generalizing. I am not a console player neither a COD player? and i personally think game is 5/10 at best.
Could it be that game actually has flaws and that is why getting low scores? you are looking in all the wrong corners to justify your pathetic white knighting.

Atleast, come up with some coherent thought and reasoning as to why you disagree with reviews.