Of course Defiance 2050 is a follow up to the older Defiance MMO you probably didn’t play, itself a tie in to a Syfy TV show that you probably don’t remember. The most immediately striking thing about the game is how close it expects you to be to the source material. Within the opening cutscenes alone before I had even seen the painfully limited character creator, I was having jargon like Votans, EMC and Ark tech thrown my way. The game stops briefly to give knowing winks to what I assume are characters from the show, which falls totally flat to someone trying to be introduced to the universe.

"When you glide right by the terribly done narrative and allow the emergent narratives created by the gameplay take hold, all the pieces are almost exactly in exactly the right places"

Compared to many other titles, even in the MMO space, the character creator is rather incredibly bare bones as well. Granted a choice between three races that amount to cosmetic differences on the same male and female rigs, you then have to click through different numbers to select your features. It’s far more obtuse than it needed to be, and restricts you putting yourself into the world. It’s not exactly a small part of the game either, that character you had to make compromises on sticks with you, thanks to a character creator that couldn’t even match something like the Souls series.

But the paper thin premise that just feels like a slapdash duct taping of Battlestar Galactica by way of Gearbox Software is probably one of my few gripes with the game. When you glide right by the terribly done narrative and allow the emergent narratives created by the gameplay take hold, all the pieces are almost exactly in exactly the right places. As opposed to the more esoteric MMOs where you’ll need to dance all over the keyboard, you’d be forgiven for mistaking Defiance 2050 for an open world third-person shooter where others happen to be around. 

The main missions from the story move at a fairly brisk pace, and avoid the usual trope of going to find so many wolf scrotums for nameless NPC #23423 that so many MMO missions fall into in the early game. Within the first 30 minutes of play I had figured out my controls, and was mowing down a swarm of mutant soliders, scanning a valley to locate signs of life, and raiding a base that was suppressing a rescue attempt. Defiance keeps you active and moving, and always getting yourself into exciting new situations and biomes, which goes a long way to keeping the game from dragging.

"Trion does have lots of balancing work to do with the weapons over the life of the game, a pistol really shouldn’t be a better damage dealing option than my grenade launcher"

The controls are far closer to a shooter than an MMO as well, which might be one of the few things that would help a player new to the genre stick around. Super smooth movement and aiming with the keyboard and mouse was comfortable and familiar enough to slip right into, and extended functions like changing load outs were natural. While like most PC titles, the controls are 100% customizable, I found everything was rather comfortably where I wanted it to be by default. The lack of the ubiquitous Gears cover system threw me for a loop for only a short time, before I would take to the dodge roll. 

Of course, being an MMO, equipment is a huge part of the reason you get into encounters in the first place. Guns are varied and very fun to use, falling into a handful of classes and distancing themselves from there thanks to Borderlands-like modifiers to them that can work towards your play style. Trion does have lots of balancing work to do with the weapons over the life of the game, a pistol really shouldn’t be a better damage dealing option than my grenade launcher, but while the numbers floating out might not feel quite right, the shooting certainly does. 

Being free to play, the game is of course smattered with lootboxes. Having received a pile of the boxes themselves as well as some of the rewards you can get as part of the review, I can confirm the promise of lootboxes remaining for cosmetic items has indeed been kept, with the rewards even looking rather nice. Of course, they are just cosmetic, but the win here is that you don’t have to partake.

"There’s definitely a grip that the game has, though it’s hard to explain through all the small problems with it"

The whole game is tied together by a vaguely cel-shaded art style that thankfully isn’t afraid to inject a little bit of colour into the otherwise grim proceedings. Vibrant blues can fill a clear sky, and even the dirt leans a little brighter than the grime that so many shooters lean into. The character models aren’t winning any awards, looking pretty standard late era PS3 at their best, but they do the job. Visual options for resolution, character details and draw distance and other such deep options are kept from the player, which is disappointing. I can’t say the game is an eyesore, but it won’t push machines either.

Would I spend even more time than I have already within the world of Defiance 2050? There’s definitely a grip that the game has, though it’s hard to explain through all the small problems with it. As the kind of gaming junkfood that you can spend a few thoughtless hours on either solo or with some friends, grinding out some new gear, Defiance 2050 is a very decent ride for the price. 

This game was reviewed on PC.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

The vaunted Captain Toad has finally returned in a port of the Wii U hit. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker isn’t your traditional Mario platformer. It focuses on navigating mazes, discovering Power Stars and outsmarting enemies en route to rescuing Toadette. Though bonus content has been added in the form of Super Mario Odyssey-inspired levels, the bonus levels from Super Mario 3D World have sadly been removed. Regardless, on July 13^th, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker will be out on Nintendo Switch and 3DS, thus ensuring more players can enjoy its brilliance.

Octopath Traveler

Eight playable characters, multiple ways to play and a huge retro-inspired adventure – Octopath Traveler promises a sprawling RPG experience for fans. Developed by Acquire and Square Enix, the 16-bit sprite designs coinciding with HD effects and 3D environments immediately caught our attention. Since then, the development team has promised 80 to 100 hours of total gameplay from side quests to main story missions. Octopath Traveler is out on July 13^th for Nintendo Switch.

Sonic Mania Plus

Bigger, better and more colourful than the first outing, Sonic Mania Plus serves as the physical version of Sonic Mania for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch. In terms of content, there’s plenty to look forward to. Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel make their 2D platforming return as playable characters with unique moves. Angel Island arrives as a new zone, Encore Mode remixes existing zones with different effects (along with character switching at opportune moments) and boss fights have had their difficulty optimized. Sonic Mania Plus will also be available as DLC to current owners on July 17^th so it’s well worth checking out.

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 + 2

No, this isn’t the long-awaited Mega Man X sequel but it’s the next best thing. Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 + 2 brings all eight Mega Man X titles together in one awesome package on July 24th. Mega Man X1 to 4 represent the first Legacy Collection while Mega Man X5 to 8 make up the second collection. High resolution filters for the SNES and PS1 titles are available along with various illustrations, music and more from the series. The Day of Sigma OVA, detailing Sigma’s turn to the dark side, and X Challenge for fighting two Mavericks from the first six games at once have also been confirmed. Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 + 2 will be releasing for PS4, Switch, Xbox One and PC.

The Banner Saga 3

Stoic’s epic saga of survival and Viking tragedy will finally reach its thunderous conclusion on July 24^th. The Banner Saga 3 will be available on Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch as players battle the Darkness in the capital city of men, Arberrang. Two caravans must be managed this time on two different fronts. Numerous endings, a new turn counter when embroiled deep in Darkness fights and more await. Whether previous saves carry over or not, you won’t want to miss this.

Red Faction Guerrilla: Re-Mars-tered Edition

Just when you thought we’d forgotten Mars, Red Faction Guerrilla emerges from the ashes with the Re-Mars-tered Edition. Along with the usual open world guerrilla warfare, the Re-Mars-tered Edition will include reworked graphics, better lighting and shadow rendering, post-processing and support for native 4K. Those who own the original Steam release will also obtain the remaster, completely free of charge. Red Faction Guerrilla: Re-Mars-tered Edition arrives on July 3^rd for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Defiance 2050

Trion Worlds’ Defiance has had a long history of poor development decisions but looks to bounce back with Defiance 2050. Touted as the next chapter of the online shooter, Defiance 2050 will be free to play with Founder’s Packs for unique outfits, titles and three day early access. The game itself has received changes to its progression, items and other key systems. Launching on July 6^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, we’ll see if the franchise can finally find success.

Earthfall

Already exhausted by Warhammer: Vermintide 2 and Deep Rock Galactic, to say nothing of upcoming co-op shooters like Overkill’s The Walking Dead and GTFO? Earthfall may or may not be your thing, as four players fight together against invading aliens. Drop in and drop out co-op, AI bot support and visuals powered by Unreal Engine 4 make for an intriguing experience but how fun will the final release be when it launches on July 13^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC? We’ll have to wait and find out.

Danger Zone 2

If you’ve pined for the days of old-school Burnout, then Danger Zone 2 should provide that nostalgic kick. Developed by Fiona Sperry and Alex Ward, who created Burnout, Danger Zone 2 will head on to the open road for its vehicular mayhem with 26 levels across 17 different locations in the US and UK. Look for it to release next month on Xbox One, PS4 and PC for $19.99.

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr (Xbox One, PS4)

NeoCore Games’ latest action RPG based on the Warhammer 40K universe hasn’t had the best launch on PC. Nonetheless, the developer has been working overtime to fix bugs, add new content like Global Events and prepare the endgame Warzone area. The Xbox One and PS4 versions were originally delayed but will now be launching on July 5^th. Even if you don’t pick it up at launch, it’s worth keeping an eye on Warhammer 40K: Inquisitor – Martyr’s progress in the coming days.

Defiance 2050 was announced for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One back in February. This is a recreation of the original game Defiance and will feature some significant changes. Now, a new video has been released which provides some details about the different classes we can expect to see in the game.

There will be four classes for players to choose from. Although players will be able to choose only one class when the game launches, they will be able to access the other classes through gameplay or by purchasing the Founder’s Pack DLCs which are available on PC and will soon come to consoles. The Assassin Class is one that specializes in dealing critical damage and in stealth. The Combat Medicis a support class with a heal-bot which can heal others during combat and The Guardian class will be the tank class and will focus on controlling mobs of enemies and taking the damage. The Assault class is a balanced class and is one that deals high damage while also being able to control crowds of enemies and offer some support.

You can find more details about the four classes in the video below. Defiance 2050 is set to release sometime in 2018 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

https://youtu.be/7n7Q_h7Bhck

To learn more about this game, Gamingbolt reached out to the developers with some questions and Matt Pettit, the game’s producer provided the following answers.

"The changes that we’re making to the game will make it play like an entirely new experience, which is something that we feel will resonate in a game that already has such a great core."

What made you decide to remake the original Defiance into Defiance 2050?

Since launching back in 2013, Defiance has seen over five million unique users come into the game. This world is something we are very passionate about here at Trion, and we felt that giving a new audience the chance to play was worth the effort. The changes that we’re making to the game will make it play like an entirely new experience, which is something that we feel will resonate in a game that already has such a great core.

What are some of the major changes incoming with this remake?

With Defiance 2050, we wanted to create a firm foundation to start with, which meant taking core systems from Defiance and reworking them to bring the game closer to our original vision of what we wanted the game to be at its original launch in 2013. However, we also needed to adapt it to reflect the current MMO market. We have made many changes, including adding endgame content that will increase the difficulty beyond what was in the original, as well as completely overhauling the leveling progression system, though the two biggest changes were to itemization and adding classes to the game.

Itemization has altered drastically to give players a lot more choice in how they utilize their weapons. Once you find a weapon in game, you can upgrade it with Salvage, which you get by killing enemies. As you upgrade your weapon, it increases in power, letting you choose how you want that weapon’s stats to evolve. The more powerful your weapons get, the higher the power level of weapon drops. Power determines how much damage you do in game.

The class system is a complete overhaul to the playstyles of the original Defiance. Now, players can choose and level a class. Classes can be changed on the fly, and each one needs to be individually leveled, but they do offer a new way to play Defiance. If you like being a support class and healing other players while still kicking ass, then we have a playstyle for you. This player agency really pushes the game in a different direction. Classes also provide constant content to add to the game that will keep players engaged well after launch.

As a developer, you have been working with MMOs for a while now. How important is community feedback in making a game like Defiance 2050?

Community feedback is a huge part of our design process and something that we take very seriously, especially with Defiance 2050. We rely on our veteran and new players to let us know how the changes we are making are impacting their play experience and we are always happy to receive feedback and consider if the suggestions made will add to the fun of gameplay or if it will make a quality of life improvement that makes sense. Evolving online games thrive on community support to push the design direction of the game. Instead of a one and done playstyle, we want players to keep coming back day after day, and we cannot provide an experience that encourages that without player feedback.

What sets apart Defiance 2050 from many of the other shooter MMOs out there?

Defiance 2050 is a unique experience when it comes to the social aspects of the game. No other shooter game offers as many on-screen players at once as Defiance 2050 does. Large open-world events are designed for everyone on the server to be involved, inviting players to play with each other in giant online co-op combat. I believe that no other game does this the same way that Defiance 2050 does.

Are there going to be bonuses available for players from the original Defiance game?

Yes, Defiance 2050 will reward current players through the Valor Program. The Valor program gives points to players for accomplishments that they have completed in the original game, as well as rewarding paying players who have supported Defiance in the past with additional Valor Commendations. These Commendations can be spent in Defiance 2050 on a variety of exclusive items.

"The changes to core gameplay features should make the play experience something wholly different."

Would it be feasible to allow character transfers from the original game?

With the new features and progression system that we are implementing in the game, we are making significant changes to the way the game plays and feels. There is a very real power creep issue that occurred in Defiance that we had to solve to make sure that Defiance 2050 could be fun to play for many years to come. These issues required us to take a long hard look at how we do itemization in game, and the end result that came out was just not one that would allow old items from Defiance to exist in Defiance 2050. Players will still be able to use all of their old gear in Defiance, but if they want to play Defiance 2050, they will have to start collecting a new inventory and items fresh.

Will older players of the game find enough in this so that it doesn’t feel repetitive?

Older Defiance players are definitely going to see content in Defiance 2050 that they have played before. What we are excited about is HOW they will play that content. The changes to core gameplay features should make the play experience something wholly different. And once they get to endgame content, everything will feel different from before. We are going to be doing some amazing new content updates in the future, to keep these veterans of the old game and new players alike engaged and playing for years to come.

What new feature are you most excited to see players enjoy?

All of them! These new features have been designed based around the feedback and support of our community for the past five years. They have been made with the future of Defiance 2050 in mind, and will carry this game into the future over the next several years. We will continue to strive for consistent changes to any areas in Defiance where we can improve.

The game is now confirmed for the PS4 and Xbox One, which also means it will support the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Can you please let us know the resolution and frame rate it will run at on the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X?

The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X will run at over 60FPS with Vsync turned off. It will run at 4k resolution, but not 4k native (1080p Upscaled).

And the resolution and frame rate on the base PS4 and Xbox One versions?     

The game will run at 30FPS and 1080p resolution on the normal PS4 and Xbox One.

"Microtransactions in Defiance 2050 will follow this model, offering players an avenue to speed up their progression rather than offer straight power for purchase."

Given that you are now working on both the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, what kind of technical differences did you found between the two?

The main difference is in the resolution. Making sure to accommodate the 4k resolution is both a benefit and a hurdle with game development. It has also been interesting to see FPS rates on the updated Pro and X platforms, and testing those compared to the originals. They offer sizeable boosts in performance without even needing to do anything special.

Does the game have any sort of microtransactions or loot boxes?

Defiance 2050 is a F2P game, with a really hefty MMO gameplay backend and platform. From a business perspective, it does have to pay its bills.  Creating a fair revenue stream for a free game is essential; the game wouldn’t be able to exist otherwise. However, we absolutely want players to be able to login and accomplish whatever they want to in the game from a gameplay perspective, regardless of the store feature. Microtransactions in Defiance 2050 will follow this model, offering players an avenue to speed up their progression rather than offer straight power for purchase. Everything that we sell in the store will be unlockable in the game by playing and participating.

The current generation of consoles will probably end in the next couple of years. What is your biggest expectation from the next PlayStation and Xbox?

My biggest hope for the current generation of consoles is for it to last longer in order to take full advantage of the processing power available, and my expectation from the next generation is to innovate. To create a gap between what is currently available with the Xbox One X, technology in the gaming space would have to innovate in order to offer anything that isn’t just a small technical increase. Due to that, I believe the current console generation will last longer than the previous, which is great for development.

From a developer perspective, do you think the next-gen console era will be the 4K/60fps era?

I do think that’s where we are headed, but these numbers can also be obtained in the current generation of consoles. I believe hardware updates like the Xbox One X are going to be more the norm in the future, and development does not need to create on an entirely new architecture to be relevant with today’s technology.

One question that has been very prevalent of late has been the question of what form the console market might take in the future. We stand at a crucial juncture in console gaming history at the moment- right before network services are so fully embedded that they can replace consoles as a game delivery mechanism entirely, and right after phones and tablets have changed consumer expectations about hardware release frequencies. So what form will the console market take in the near future?

Speaking to GamingBolt, Matt Pettit, Producer of Defiance 2050 said that while the next generation of consoles is headed towards 4K and 60fps, the iterative model started by the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X will become the norm in the future.

“I do think that’s where we are headed, but these numbers can also be obtained in the current generation of consoles. I believe hardware updates like the Xbox One X are going to be more the norm in the future, and development does not need to create on an entirely new architecture to be relevant with today’s technology.”

This is, in fact, something I myself have argued a lot in the past- that iterative consoles and the end of discrete console generations is the way forward in the future. Whether or not that actually ends up happening remains to be seen, but all indications are that Microsoft, at least, are headed that way.

Stay tuned for our full interview of Defiance 2050 in the coming days.

The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are both substantially more powerful systems than their base SKUs, with PS4 Pro taking a more conservative approach, and Xbox Oe X representing a substantial overhaul of the base Xbox One consoles. But what is the difference for a developer when tuning their games for these two different SKUs?

According to Matt Pettit, Producer of Defiance 2050, the differences mostly manifest themselves in the form of resolution. “The main difference is in the resolution. Making sure to accommodate the 4K resolution is both a benefit and a hurdle with game development. It has also been interesting to see FPS rates on the updated Pro and X platforms, and testing those compared to the originals. They offer sizeable boosts in performance without even needing to do anything special.”

He also confirmed that the game will run at 60 frames on both machines, as well as upscaled 4K resolution. “The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X will run at over 60FPS with V-Sync turned off. It will run at 4k resolution, but not 4k native (1080p Upscaled).”

In the end, with successors for both the PS4 and Xbox One on the horizon, it is unclear whether the full potential for Xbox One X and PS4 Pro will ever be harvested, in my opinion- for now, I guess, it is good to see that developers are still leveraging them in whatever ways they can.

Is the current generation of consoles on its way out? You would think that we have a few more years before successors for either the PS4 or Xbox One are introduced, in spite of Nintendo’s successful launch of the Nintendo Switch last year- but rumors regarding the next Xbox and PlayStation have already started to percolate.

Speaking to GamingBolt, Matt Pettit, Producer of Defiance 2050, said that he hopes that the current generation of consoles sticks around for a bit longer before their successors are introduced, in part so that the current machines can be properly leveraged to their fullest potential first.

“My biggest hope for the current generation of consoles is for it to last longer in order to take full advantage of the processing power available, and my expectation from the next generation is to innovate,” he said. “To create a gap between what is currently available with the Xbox One X, technology in the gaming space would have to innovate in order to offer anything that isn’t just a small technical increase. Due to that, I believe the current console generation will last longer than the previous, which is great for development.”

This is something I myself agree with- how would new these consoles are, I want to see a few more years of developers extracting every last bit of their power first before we move on to successors. And given how sophisticated PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are right now anyway… how meaningful can a PS5 or Xbox Two be in terms of improvements anyway?

Stay tuned for our full interview with Matt Pettit in the coming days.

Defiance 2050 was announced quite recently and now it has been revealed that a closed beta for the game will be held in April. This should allow some players to get an early glimpse of what the game is going to be like.

Defiance 2050 is a recreation of the original Defiance game for the current generation of consoles. Apart from graphical upgrades, the game will also feature improved mechanics so as to suit modern sensibilities. The closed  beta will be held from April 20 to April 22 and players will be able to try out the Assault class for themselves. If any of you were fans of the TV series that accompanied the original Defiance, then you may be disappointed to learn that the TV series will not be making a return. However, Defiance 2050 will be of a much larger scale than the original game so players will get to spend more time with the game.

Defiance 2050 is set to release for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in the summer. You can sign up for the closed beta here.

Trion Worlds’ ambitious cross media initiative, Defiance, which launched as a TV series in conjunction with a video game back on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, has been chugging along quietly in the background, and found a loyal following- now, the next entry in the universe is due. Trion Worlds announced today that Defiance 2050, a full “recreation” of the original game for the current generation of consoles, from the ground up, will be coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC later this year.

Defiance 2050 is set to begin 20 years after the Arkfall event (which would line it up with where the story of the current Defiance is at the moment). Apart from the requisite graphical and UI updates, the new entry of the game will also be updating and enhancing the mechanics and systems in the game to modernize it for new generation sensibilities.

If you want to check it out in action for yourself, well, there’s a new trailer for it which is the closest we’ll get to doing that for now. Check it out below. Defiance 2050 is slated to launch this Summer.

https://youtu.be/3QPP3INLLn4