So I'm sat on my sofa with my wife looking at the TV but not necessarily taking any of it in; I am bored.com. Its an AD break and me and the Mrs are chatting when a track on an advertisement grabs me. However, by the time I manage to look back at the TV its gone. What was that track?
A day or so passes and I find myself in a similar situation; I hear the same track and this particular Advertisement has managed to wade through the Maelstrom of Marketing Communications I am bombarded with on a daily basis and actually grab my attention again. Well done Mr Marketer! The track is "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons and it is helping to promote a game called "Defiance". I look at my Mrs and remark that it looks interesting!
The next day I fire up the Laptop and do the usual 'Should I or Shouldn't I' routine which generally consists of looking at the Website for the Title, checking out a few reviews and watching game play footage on YouTube. I am intrigued by the fact that the Title is coupled with a Series on Syfy of the same name and that the two focus on the same story but in different parts of the Post Apocalyptic USA setting. I check stocking with my nearest retailer and flutter my eyelids at my keeper who agrees to a trip out to acquire a copy for the Xbox 360 platform. After paying the attractive £25 price tag and going through the fairly straightforward Installation and Patching process I'm ready to become an Ark Hunter and dive straight in head first.
First Impressions
The game feels like Gears of War and Fallout's lovechild. The Post Apocalyptic San Francisco setting is littered with Mutants and large angry Insects who take an obscenely large amount of ammo from my Avatar's Assault Rifle before they die. After completing the initial in-game introduction I find myself at a Temporary Military Installation and Fast-Travel safe point. From here I have a series of choices including a Storyline Mission, Side Mission and Competitive Challenges. I go for the Storyline Mission.
Storyline and Characters
The Story and Setting of Defiance is, in some respects, similar to other Post Apocalyptic titles available on the platform. The 'Ruined Urban Environment' you initially find yourself in is nothing new. Neither are the initial enemies you are confronted with. As mentioned earlier, the environment and its denizens remind me of Fallout and Gears of War combination. However, there are elements that don't ring a bell such as the 'Arkfall' concept of High-Tec Space Debris falling out of orbit to Earth. The background and purpose of the Story and its characters revolves around this concept and it provides an interesting foundation for other areas explored in the Storyline. The Characters in the Story provide cheesy but entertaining dialogue during play and Video Sequences but their background and motives seem largely hidden which helps keep them interesting. I find the Alien versions of Anglo-American swearwords corny but at least I can play it around my three year old without worrying about him surprising his Grandparents with colourful additions to his vocabulary. To sum up, the Storyline leaves me with the inclination to check out the TV series which I am sure it is designed to do.
Gameplay
The perspective and controls for the Avatar remind me of my time with Commander Shepherd on the Mass Effect Titles. I am also reminded of 'Crackdown'. After going on a roam in the environment surrounding the initial Safe Point I find myself immersed in an action-packed and persistent game-play experience which gives me the same 'getting it from all sides' feeling. This perception is reinforced by the Avatars ability to jump higher and fall further than the average Shoot-em-up soldier. The action feels a little dated and sometimes the frame rate gets a little sluggish but I think its important to point out that you will be hard pushed to find many MMO's that offer the same level of action. This for me is a massive plus. It could be argued that its difficult to compare this title to other established MMO's because it feels very different in play. It would also seem that I support this argument if you consider the titles I am reminded of whilst playing Defiance. However, I think this game combines the benefits of Social Multiplayer gaming with decent Shooter action which I really like and have not experienced before.
Early Feelings
After playing Defiance every day this week I feel inspired to immerse myself more. I plan to check out the Syfy series and to convince a few friends to join me for Cooperative and Competitive play. This will be the subject of my next Post on this game. I am concerned with initial reports on the web that the number of active players is low. I think this is a shame as I have enjoyed my first week of Defiance. Initially it seems to have a great deal to offer a wide audience and, more importantly, its fun!
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