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This thread has been linked to the game 'Defiance'.
I was fortunate enough to get on to the beta for the new console and PC title Defiance. Now the NDA is lifted, it's time to talk up a game that I fear may be overlooked by many.
The game is a collaboration between Trion Worlds and the Syfy Channel, allowing the game to sit in a universe alongside a TV series running at the same time which, in turn, creates well rounded characters and some interesting cross-media connections.
For those who've never heard of the game it's best described as a shooter MMO, like Borderlands before it, and follows very similar ideas. That said, it feels significantly different from 2Ks franchise. The world feels more realistic, for a start, and encourages more open roaming.
Your character is one of the Ark Hunters, a team sent back to the ravaged planet Earth to find tech from the wreckage of alien ships, called Arktech, and one piece of tech in particular. Unfortunately, the military ship you were on with your leader, Karl Von Bach of Von Bach Industries (who doesn't have the easiest relationship with the captain or the marines) is fired upon and knocked out of the sky. As you awake from your escape pod you realise that you must find Von Bach, the only person who knows your mission and survive the hostile inhabitants who seem to have a history and strong connection to Earth's military.
The game is set prior to the TV series and some events are driven by what happens in the series, overlapping between the two.
Missions open in typical fashion as you're asked to follow a main mission structure or choose to go off and do side missions whenever you want. The Ark Fall events focus on big challenges that present themselves throughout the life of the game and encourage team play.
Graphically, the game holds together well and ers on the side of a darker palette to make it look more war-trodden. There are plenty of odd glitches in the beta, but that's only to be expected. Considering how big this world is and how many different things there are to do, from races to bug hunts to huge set pieces, it holds together surprisingly well and caters for many different styles of play.
Upgrading is another strong point for the game, with weapons and powers having various ways of upgrading, including add-ons and armour. Typical MMO style upgrades for EGO powers are earned by doing various tasks throughout the game.
Gameplay is fast and furious once you enter areas with a lot of enemies. There's a big difference in AI between enemy types, from those that rush you and prefer melee combat to enemies that will stay back and shoot from a distance. The range of enemies is certainly matched by their design, from scary looking monstrosities to more human looking mutants. A single jaunt across the map will often lead to finding a huge number of these inhabitants.
Likewise, you get the option to choose a combat style that suits you, depending on character and loadout, from sniping to using EGO powers. There is a good feeling of freedom in these choices and I never felt that I was forced down one route.
Defiance is out on Tuesday 2nd April and I'm looking forward to playing the full retail release, hopefully with a bunch of other players populating the open world.
The game is a collaboration between Trion Worlds and the Syfy Channel, allowing the game to sit in a universe alongside a TV series running at the same time which, in turn, creates well rounded characters and some interesting cross-media connections.
For those who've never heard of the game it's best described as a shooter MMO, like Borderlands before it, and follows very similar ideas. That said, it feels significantly different from 2Ks franchise. The world feels more realistic, for a start, and encourages more open roaming.
Your character is one of the Ark Hunters, a team sent back to the ravaged planet Earth to find tech from the wreckage of alien ships, called Arktech, and one piece of tech in particular. Unfortunately, the military ship you were on with your leader, Karl Von Bach of Von Bach Industries (who doesn't have the easiest relationship with the captain or the marines) is fired upon and knocked out of the sky. As you awake from your escape pod you realise that you must find Von Bach, the only person who knows your mission and survive the hostile inhabitants who seem to have a history and strong connection to Earth's military.
The game is set prior to the TV series and some events are driven by what happens in the series, overlapping between the two.
Missions open in typical fashion as you're asked to follow a main mission structure or choose to go off and do side missions whenever you want. The Ark Fall events focus on big challenges that present themselves throughout the life of the game and encourage team play.
Graphically, the game holds together well and ers on the side of a darker palette to make it look more war-trodden. There are plenty of odd glitches in the beta, but that's only to be expected. Considering how big this world is and how many different things there are to do, from races to bug hunts to huge set pieces, it holds together surprisingly well and caters for many different styles of play.
Upgrading is another strong point for the game, with weapons and powers having various ways of upgrading, including add-ons and armour. Typical MMO style upgrades for EGO powers are earned by doing various tasks throughout the game.
Gameplay is fast and furious once you enter areas with a lot of enemies. There's a big difference in AI between enemy types, from those that rush you and prefer melee combat to enemies that will stay back and shoot from a distance. The range of enemies is certainly matched by their design, from scary looking monstrosities to more human looking mutants. A single jaunt across the map will often lead to finding a huge number of these inhabitants.
Likewise, you get the option to choose a combat style that suits you, depending on character and loadout, from sniping to using EGO powers. There is a good feeling of freedom in these choices and I never felt that I was forced down one route.
Defiance is out on Tuesday 2nd April and I'm looking forward to playing the full retail release, hopefully with a bunch of other players populating the open world.
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I was fortunate enough to get on to the beta for the new console and PC title Defiance. Now the NDA is lifted, it's time to talk up a game that I fear may be overlooked by many.
The game is a collaboration between Trion Worlds and the Syfy Channel, allowing the game to sit in a universe alongside a TV series running at the same time which, in turn, creates well rounded characters and some interesting cross-media connections.
For those who've never heard of the game it's best described as a shooter MMO, like Borderlands before it, and follows very similar ideas. That said, it feels significantly different from 2Ks franchise. The world feels more realistic, for a start, and encourages more open roaming.
Your character is one of the Ark Hunters, a team sent back to the ravaged planet Earth to find tech from the wreckage of alien ships, called Arktech, and one piece of tech in particular. Unfortunately, the military ship you were on with your leader, Karl Von Bach of Von Bach Industries (who doesn't have the easiest relationship with the captain or the marines) is fired upon and knocked out of the sky. As you awake from your escape pod you realise that you must find Von Bach, the only person who knows your mission and survive the hostile inhabitants who seem to have a history and strong connection to Earth's military.
The game is set prior to the TV series and some events are driven by what happens in the series, overlapping between the two.
Missions open in typical fashion as you're asked to follow a main mission structure or choose to go off and do side missions whenever you want. The Ark Fall events focus on big challenges that present themselves throughout the life of the game and encourage team play.
Graphically, the game holds together well and ers on the side of a darker palette to make it look more war-trodden. There are plenty of odd glitches in the beta, but that's only to be expected. Considering how big this world is and how many different things there are to do, from races to bug hunts to huge set pieces, it holds together surprisingly well and caters for many different styles of play.
Upgrading is another strong point for the game, with weapons and powers having various ways of upgrading, including add-ons and armour. Typical MMO style upgrades for EGO powers are earned by doing various tasks throughout the game.
Gameplay is fast and furious once you enter areas with a lot of enemies. There's a big difference in AI between enemy types, from those that rush you and prefer melee combat to enemies that will stay back and shoot from a distance. The range of enemies is certainly matched by their design, from scary looking monstrosities to more human looking mutants. A single jaunt across the map will often lead to finding a huge number of these inhabitants.
Likewise, you get the option to choose a combat style that suits you, depending on character and loadout, from sniping to using EGO powers. There is a good feeling of freedom in these choices and I never felt that I was forced down one route.
Defiance is out on Tuesday 2nd April and I'm looking forward to playing the full retail release, hopefully with a bunch of other players populating the open world.
The game is a collaboration between Trion Worlds and the Syfy Channel, allowing the game to sit in a universe alongside a TV series running at the same time which, in turn, creates well rounded characters and some interesting cross-media connections.
For those who've never heard of the game it's best described as a shooter MMO, like Borderlands before it, and follows very similar ideas. That said, it feels significantly different from 2Ks franchise. The world feels more realistic, for a start, and encourages more open roaming.
Your character is one of the Ark Hunters, a team sent back to the ravaged planet Earth to find tech from the wreckage of alien ships, called Arktech, and one piece of tech in particular. Unfortunately, the military ship you were on with your leader, Karl Von Bach of Von Bach Industries (who doesn't have the easiest relationship with the captain or the marines) is fired upon and knocked out of the sky. As you awake from your escape pod you realise that you must find Von Bach, the only person who knows your mission and survive the hostile inhabitants who seem to have a history and strong connection to Earth's military.
The game is set prior to the TV series and some events are driven by what happens in the series, overlapping between the two.
Missions open in typical fashion as you're asked to follow a main mission structure or choose to go off and do side missions whenever you want. The Ark Fall events focus on big challenges that present themselves throughout the life of the game and encourage team play.
Graphically, the game holds together well and ers on the side of a darker palette to make it look more war-trodden. There are plenty of odd glitches in the beta, but that's only to be expected. Considering how big this world is and how many different things there are to do, from races to bug hunts to huge set pieces, it holds together surprisingly well and caters for many different styles of play.
Upgrading is another strong point for the game, with weapons and powers having various ways of upgrading, including add-ons and armour. Typical MMO style upgrades for EGO powers are earned by doing various tasks throughout the game.
Gameplay is fast and furious once you enter areas with a lot of enemies. There's a big difference in AI between enemy types, from those that rush you and prefer melee combat to enemies that will stay back and shoot from a distance. The range of enemies is certainly matched by their design, from scary looking monstrosities to more human looking mutants. A single jaunt across the map will often lead to finding a huge number of these inhabitants.
Likewise, you get the option to choose a combat style that suits you, depending on character and loadout, from sniping to using EGO powers. There is a good feeling of freedom in these choices and I never felt that I was forced down one route.
Defiance is out on Tuesday 2nd April and I'm looking forward to playing the full retail release, hopefully with a bunch of other players populating the open world.