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.

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.

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

It’s been four years since the original Defiance launched on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, alongside a tie in science fiction TV show on SyFy. Since then, the game has continued to entertain players in the background, but developer Trion Worlds now wants to do more with the IP- which begins with the announcement, as reported by DualShockers, that Defiance will be coming to PS4 and Xbox One.

The shift to PS4 and Xbox One will mark 1080p resolutions and higher framerates; additionally, the game will be massively changed in the transition to the new generation of hardware, including changes made in response to fan feedback.

As of right now, it is unclear if players on the Xbox 360 and PS3 will get the newer experience that is coming to the PS4 and Xbox One- that said, if you are a fan of the property, you will definitely appreciate what Trion Worlds has been working on, as well as their admirable commitment to continuity.

Who’s to say that only overhead action titles and shooters can take this idea though? Atlas Reactor takes on that challenge. Trion takes the chocolate of multiplayer hero based gameplay and gets it all up in the peanut butter of strategy classic XCOM. The result is nothing completely original, but by all accounts something special.

"Much like Overwatch, each freelancer, Atlas Reactor’s name for heroes, brings their own flavour to the game and even similar playing characters have unique deviations that tailor them to different specialties."

The inspiration the game takes from Overwatch is uncanny, if not completely intentional. Not just in the fact that both are driven by a diverse set of heroes, but the fact they’re categorized almost the same way as offensive, defensive and support, run the world spectrum of cultures and even the font both use. Both titles give about as much in game time to any form of story, which is to say next to none. Not that there isn’t a story to tell about the world of Atlas Reactor, but like Overwatch the developer kept it to extra media sources.

I’m of the mind that if it isn’t in the game, it’s absent from the product. Luckily ignoring the narrative of Atlas Reactor is in no way that detrimental to the game itself. After some brief tutorializing where you’ll learn about the flow of the game and controls, you’re easily able to pick a hero and jump into a game against Bots, other players or get to know your chosen combatant within a safe, enclosed practice arena.

Much like Overwatch, each freelancer, Atlas Reactor’s name for heroes, brings their own flavour to the game and even similar playing characters have unique deviations that tailor them to different specialties. Lockwood is the basic fighter, easy to understand and can ricochet bullets to hit targets. Rampart trundles around, setting up a massive shield to cover friendly players and punishing anybody foolish enough to get close with a sword. Another can control a projection of themselves to be in two places at once. Enough experimentation pretty much guarantees you one or two freelancers that you’ll click with and can switch between depending on team makeup.

"Dash skills are specific attacks that thrust your freelancer forward while attacking, allowing you to strategically get out of dodge when you try to call an incoming attack, while doing small damage yourself."

Atlas Reactor progresses through each turn in an easy to grasp cycle of motions. A decision phase where players have 20-seconds to strategize their move and what actions they will use, and once everybody is locked in it moves to a four step “Resolution mode” where the consequences play out. Dash, Prep, Blast and Move always occur in order and drive the selection of actions during the decision phase.

Dash skills are specific attacks that thrust your freelancer forward while attacking, allowing you to strategically get out of dodge when you try to call an incoming attack, while doing small damage yourself. Prep follows up and comes with skills that involve preparation work like setting traps. Blast is the largest section and where other general attacks take place, with repositioning coming dead last during the move section.

The decision to make movement the last completed action was a smart one that carries a lot of weight when it comes to the strategy in Atlas Reactor. There is only 20 seconds to plan your turn, and the simple fact that placing yourself wrong could result in being in a bad situation really jacks up the tension and the need to be thinking three steps ahead while under the time constraint. Your dash skills have cool down to them, meaning you can’t know when you’ll need that escape plan.

Returning briefly to presentation, Atlas Reactor isn’t a particularly demanding game. It leans on art style, which again calls Overwatch to mind, to look as good as it does. I can only imagine the lack of detail is a consideration to hit as many PC users as possible, which is smart for a multiplayer driven title. I had zero technical hiccups to speak of, though loading times getting into the game did drag on. Music never stood out to me though, functional enough to set the tone but gone from your mind as quick as the track ends.

"Atlas Reactor is an exercise in creating something new from old ideas, and getting more than the sum of your parts."

The maps aren’t particularly large within Atlas Reactor, but they all follow a smart layout offering degrees of damage sponging cover and approach opportunities to flank around positions. The fog of war that happens when you or your teammates aren’t in proximity of an area almost seems redundant with the tiny maps, but it does encourage remaining spaced out. Ascetically they all vary enough to keep visual interest, but what you do on the maps remains static.

The game is banking on the heroes mixing up the gameplay, but as far as game modes, there is currently only the deathmatch mode to be found, where the first team to five kills or most within 20 turns wins. I hope Trion looks at how further gameplay modes might integrate with Atlas Reactor, and they update accordingly. It would expand the gameplay by leaps and bounds to have even generic modes like king of the hill and capture the flag.

Atlas Reactor is an exercise in creating something new from old ideas, and getting more than the sum of your parts. While ripe for expansion, the marriage of Overwatch and XCOM found in Atlas Reactor is a kernel of genius and with a free to play version on steam, it’s easy to get your first hit.

This game was reviewed on PC.

That being said, Trion Worlds’ RIFT is itself a divergent game. It sticks to many of the tried and true tropes of MMO games like questing and earning experience to level up while hunting for better gear. However, it introduces its own little nuances to make the game unique to genre veterans and to make things even better, it’s gone free to play in recent months. That’s a whole ton of content to experience without needing to subscribe.

So without any further ado, we come to the latest expansion/update Nightmare Tide.

"Trion Worlds has put in significant effort to make these areas stand out and even if you're not a big fan of coral reefs or deep sea diving, it's hard to deny that the new areas in Nightmare Tide are gorgeous."

As if Telara hadn’t seen enough death, destruction and disarray with the various rifts breaking out, it now has to deal with the onset of nightmares. An attack on the king and queen of Telara prompts you to explore the new Plane of Water in order to combat these nightmares. This means many things, including new gear, new Rifts to explore, new Aquatic Mounts (including a bad-ass Shark Mount that can walk on land), increasing the level cap to 65 and three large zones full of quests.

The three new zones in the Plane of Water are Goboro Reef, Draumheim and Traken Glacier. If it weren’t obvious by now, Nightmare Tide takes place completely underwater. This introduces some interesting new movement and exploration possibilities as enemies can attack from both beneath and above you. Trion Worlds has put in significant effort to make these areas stand out and even if you’re not a big fan of coral reefs or deep sea diving, it’s hard to deny that the new areas in Nightmare Tide are gorgeous.

Experienced players will no doubt want to blaze right through to the action. The new set-up of quests may disappoint slightly since they entail the usual “Kill X number of enemies” or “Fetch this item and deliver it to that location”.  Nonetheless, it’s still a blast to battle hordes of enemies and explore the world around you, learning more about this most recent catastrophe in the process. As a fan of WildStar’s combat system, which included threat circles and interrupts, it felt a little weird to suddenly go back to the point and click method of attacking. That’s purely a personal preference though and the combat in Nightmare Tide is responsive enough.

The main attraction to the newest update isn’t with the Instant Adventures or quests but in the new Nightmare Rifts. These aren’t like your typical rifts at all – rather than having a fixed set of tiers to complete, Nightmare Rifts allow you to keep going until the time eventually runs out. It’s possible to progress through several dozens of tiers, with increasing difficulty, until you eventually have to call it quits. It’s a simple but fun addition, one that provides different kinds of loot but also serves as an objective-type mode to enjoy with friends. While there have been some complaints with the loot obtained in the new Nightmare Rifts, I had a blast with them.

"Rift: Nightmare Tide may not feel like an overwhelming expansion but it's a solid update that provides tons of new content, a lifeline for lower level players and plenty of opportunities for more experienced players."

While one hasn’t had a chance to experience the new Raid, it’s a testament to how much content is contained within Nightmare Tide in addition to the new story missions, Nightmare Rifts and such that even end-game players will find plenty to do. Keep in mind that adjustments have been made to the older raids with Nightmare Tide so if you feel like going back and conquering them on Expert, you also have that waiting for you.

Other new changes that Nightmare Tide brings to Rift are the revamped Mentoring System, which allows players above level 10 to immediately attain maximum level and enjoy the new content (with some restrictions of course), and the new Masteries. Those who rise above level 60 will have five new Mastery tiers to choose from.

When you hit level 61 onwards, each new level provides a choice of four different abilities within that Mastery. If you opt for the Warrior’s way, you can either extend your life with Dying Breath or choose to regain 25 percent of Endurance every 3 seconds with Enduring Survival at level 61. It’s an interesting twist to the end-game leveling and allows for even more customization for veteran player skill sets.

Rift: Nightmare Tide may not feel like an overwhelming expansion that significantly changes everything till now – like, say, Warlords of Draenor for WoW – but it’s a solid update that provides tons of new content, a lifeline for lower level players and plenty of opportunities for more experienced players. I’ve felt like I’ve only scratched the surface of it all – to think that there’s even content to get lost in is incredible.

Trion Worlds has been on fire lately with updates. First its free to play fantasy MMO Rift received the Nightmare Tide expansion and now online shooter Defiance has received the Aftermath update following the conclusion of season 2 for the TV series. Check out the trailer above.

The Aftermath will add a bunch of new story missions along with some new enemy types and other goodies to justify your time. Defiance went free to play earlier this year for all platforms so now’s as good a time as ever to get in on the third person shooting.

Defiance is set in the future on Earth and focuses on Ark Hunters who scavenge treasure and technology from alien ships. You’ll have to deal with the Votanis Collective, a race of aliens also inhabiting Earth in a shaky truce. What are your thoughts on the new Aftermath update? Let us know in the comments below.

Trion Worlds’ underrated but fun free to play MMO RIFT has a new expansion pack today and it’s a meaty one. Nightmare Tide is free for all players but can also be picked up in various Collector’s Editions that will bestow various benefits including new slots for equipment, a shark mount, an instant raise to level 60 and much more. Check out the trailer above for more information.

Nightmare Tide adds a ton of new content to the base game including Nightmare Rifts which present different challenges which yield intriguing rewards. You’ll also have new adventures to experiences across three different zones and will need the help of underwater mounts to press the advantage.

If that weren’t enough you also have Legendary Challenges including the Nightmare Coast level 60 dungeon, expert dungeon options at level 65 and Shadow from Beyond Chronicle for two player groups. Did we mention you can recruit your own minions as well to seek out treasures and complete tasks? There’s so much more to the expansion than that so make sure you check it out today.