DEFIANCE : Review

Before development studios logically expected distribution of TV before gratify the unwary fan a mostly lousy adaptation if we take the example of Prison Break: The Conspiracy, Lost: The Missing, or more recently , the calamitous Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. Defiance but goes further. Not only the eponymous series that will be released in a few days, but it's more a massively multiplayer TPS we deliver here developers Trion Worlds. Enough to break the law of series?

THIS IS A CHALLENGE PARADE

Original in its willingness to mix both MMO shooter in the third person and interactions with the TV series, Defiance is unfortunately a little less in the scenario. The action title from Trion Worlds takes place on Earth, after a long and terrible war between Humans and Votans, aliens from the base to squat peace a piece of land after their planet was destroyed . But here it is: probably annoyed by the burden of our administration and court resources, Votans finally went on the attack, sparking a conflict that has radically changed the face of the earth, between terraforming and risky genetic mutations. No grudges for two in some humans finally agreed somehow these new turbulent neighbors and unite with them to build a new civilization singing Koumbaya. As pillarche, recovery expert minerals and other extraterrestrial charms, so we will play one of these idealists under the orders of a certain Karl Von Bach, a famous industrialist in possession of a mysterious artifact. Breathless suspense.

Once mouthing illustrated by a short cutscene, it will of course go through the essential character creation. Far from the opulence of a Champions Online or Aion, it will first choose the gender and race, between humans devoid of charisma and Votans properly hideous and a career among the four proposed : Veteran, Survivor, Paria or engineer. No early triumphalism as long as these four professions will not act as a class - just not there some in Defiance - but simply to determine its holding his gun out and equip the player's avatar of a semblance of background.

Then come the purely cosmetic considerations with a rather narrow range of skin tones, eye colors and hair, face shapes and nose, tattoos and scars of all kinds and a variety of set of fold more commonplace. In short, those who hoped to give a distinctive look to their character will be for expenses. After all, World of Warcraft has been successful despite a tool for creating equally hungry, but it was eight years ago and strength is found in 2013 Defiance is rather pale in this area.

To give a bit of uniqueness to his hero, so it's to the EGO system - the name of the chip powering its character - it will turn, again with only four very specific branches. With specialization Lure, the player can project a holographic dual able to draw enemy fire and teleport in place of said decoy while Flash will drastically increase its running speed and attack power in hand-to- body for a short period. Camouflage will logically become invisible and overload to increase the damage of firearms while reducing recoil. Hmm. At each level up, you will have the opportunity to invest a talent point in a model associated with its business, increasing the duration of the effects of his power, for example, or giving other liabilities far from windfall bonus and whose efficiency in game, do not necessarily jump to the eyes.


FEARS OF GUNS!

Yet despite this began at least mitigated, Defiance know quickly snap the player with the skill of a professional dating sites. For a young MMO title from Trion Worlds is rather stable with only an inadvertent disconnection deplore the first day. No queue or lag, even with thirty furious that unleashed hell on the screen, a few minor bugs (which is for the PC version) and a satisfactory detection of impacts is essential for a shooter line. Blaster in hand, we then start to lost on the plains of California devastated body after a short tutorial explaining the functions of the EGO chip and the various equipment options.

In line with a Borderlands 2, Defiance will therefore players to pick up and equip various skins and head held in a gaggle of all genres, a mod for grenades and one for the shield. Another location allows them equip their vehicles - that is obtained quickly enough elsewhere - to the futuristic quad muscle car tuned through the buggy, and we call on all the time field would only to gloat blow the horn that sounds ridiculous in that time. Finally, it is possible to equip two weapons between switcher which can be broadcast at any time.

Guns, in fact, is one of the highlights of Defiance. In addition to providing the usual handguns, submachine guns, light machine guns, bazookas, grenade launchers, assault rifles, accuracy or pump, as Trion Worlds gratifies player blunderbusses more exotic weapons such as biomagnetic slowly suck the life of enemies after being undermined their shield but, used on allies, trace the life bar. Less philanthropists, contaminants will send its ad patres enemies by sending them voracious pests in Fig. In addition, it will be possible to upgrade its arsenal through various elements as a new stock, a more generous charger or last gun cry, increasing efficiency is bousin.

Prolific on the subject, Defiance is also an opportunity to get their hands on some special weapons that you pick up on the ground during some missions in which hordes of enemies are more pressing and where to send the large . These include, in the head bionic knuckles with integrated energy shield to put cleats from space, the mortars to trigger at will or the missile homing: a classic that has been evidence. Finally, if most guns traditionally Lootera on the corpses of enemies or quest reward, it will be possible to buy, against real money, chests containing alétoires items (most expensive logically contain more objects) with sometimes a pleasant surprise to come across an epic or legendary weapon. That those who are refractory to such disreputable process can rest assured these boxes can also be obtained against cash and gleaned during our travels even if resources, to enlarge a little more her wardrobe or enjoy a temporary bonus XP for example, it will unsheathe the credit card.


FAILS OF HANS!

Side content to watch First Defiance generous bonus on offer because besides the main quest and side quests scripted as in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the title of Trion Worlds offers us a shovelful of parallel tasks, Proof of shooting and racing to achieve in a short time with reward key, missions related to the different factions to purchase unique equipment, high-facts at hand or random mini-events like saving poor fellows struggling with wildlife or local thugs at a bend. Directly inherited from the Rift fault system - the same studio - the benefits of arches occur occasionally in various parts of the map drawing in their wake all adventurers eager to XP and bastons scale.

So many activities, which unfortunately does not prevent the player to walk around all the way to offer both the main frame shipped in twenty hours. MMO requires, Defiance still offers some instances - not very difficult it is true - that you unlock as and when it progresses, and the inevitable skirmishes PvP battlefields dedicated. Once equipped to kill, it's light-hearted and full magazine we will launch an assault on quests that we are offered. A quad shot here, a few well-placed headshots thus, the different missions keep coming quickly and dynamically, we are only too happy to escape the usual "spam click and" the majority of MMO.

Unfortunately, a strange and insidious feeling is soon to appear in a few hours of play: that of always doing the same thing. And this is normal since it is exactly what we do. Indeed, episodic quests and main quests have to be worn by beautiful cinematic - which is invariably remains silent and docile - and multiply the protagonists (the side missions when trying to change the objectives and places), most of our activity will always be to go to the place indicated, annihilate the forces and pick up the requested item / save the NPC imprudent / hold the position for a few minutes then get the reward again and again, ad nauseum.

Certainly, it could be criticized that the vast majority of titles in this segment, but they at least try to hide this propensity monotony behind some variety in environments and situations a little more rich and consistent universe that average, one thing that the title of Trion Worlds is struggling to do. Far reaching heights in terms of area, the world will watch Defiance very dull and lifeless addition. Okay, the player evolve in a post-apocalyptic world in the aftermath of a war that has profoundly changed the face of the earth, but it was not against a little more variety, or at least identity in places and scenery. In the state, regardless of location or you are, it will mostly be satisfied with empty stretches, ruins, craters and alien terraforming of sight. Sausalito, dreary plain.


SYSTEM FAILURE

To make matters worse, Defiance must also contend with a technical part far from encouraging. If the title is graphically shows still acceptable on PC - although it is still not known, at present, if they are the models that are rude or if it's the art direction is to review - hard to not wince on steep animations such as justice and IA coasting with enemies unpredictable behavior that sometimes planquent - and sometimes not - or darken it before we change direction abruptly and then return to the office or get stuck in a decorative element. Confusing. As well as animations, gameplay Defiance would have earned a little more flexibility and originality, or at least, a cover system worthy of the name, a bare minimum for a GST in 2013, it was massively multiplayer.

This massively multiplayer part, precisely, is the last but not the least disappointment as Trion Worlds as she finally anecdotal. In case, an interface that can be qualified as "thinking for consoles" to be polite. Damn bad, it makes difficult the more mundane actions like comparing the stats of his arms, pick unnecessary items in its inventory for sale from the merchant and even offline. Special mention to the chat system so discreet and unreadable that hardly anyone uses it. Moreover, Defiance could be a solo game so the arguments between players hold the exceptional. It's simple: even a two-hour session, four on Borderlands 2 is a talkative day on Defiance. A peak.

At the same time, we must admit that nothing is done to encourage and support communication, except perhaps at public quests, like a Guild Wars 2, where everyone contributes to the objectives each without really wanting to. By eliminating the sacrosanct model Tank-Heal-DPS, we can not say that Defiance is therefore a way that showcases the complementarity, play as a team or developing strategy since everything eventually turns " strafant "and nonchalantly emptying his magazine, whether pending or benefits during the famous arches, which are similar to a gathering of mostly door-guns that shoot up a crystal or an alien matriarch in free for all.

Same story PvP side, with among other Team Deathmatch up to eight players everything from classic. And it is still too early to talk balance, there was still a significant overuse of power Camouflage matched again, communication close to zero. In the end, only the Shadow War drew fashion somewhat out of the game with its parts up to 64 players and strategic points to take and keep the way of the Conquest mode of Battlefield 3. Unfortunately, nothing completely restore the prestige of a promising and ambitious title, which is too often a free-to-play finery sold at high prices. Too bad, all started so well.