Multiplatform Shooter MMO Announced - Defiance - PC -
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Multiplatform Shooter MMO Announced

Trion Worlds made waves with its debut product, Rift. Following up on that MMORPG's success, the company is creating another massively multiplayer game at its internal San Diego studio -- but Defiance is anything but a traditional MMO. This multiplatform shooter that ties into an upcoming SyFy television show breaks nearly every mold you try to fit it into.





This mission is very reminiscent of Rift's dynamically spawned public events. Entering the area prompts get a voice transmission from a mission-giving NPC requesting help against the 99ers, and groups can quickly and easily form up to tackle the challenge. Unlike Rift, however, Defiance employs WoW-like phasing technology to preserve players' places in the story. If you've completed the mission in the past and swing by the area again, you won't encounter the 99ers again -- but for another player who has yet to experience the quest, the cyborg assailants will be ready for killing.


Arkfall appears to be functionally nearly identical to Rift's rifts. You've got public groups banding together to deal with what appears to be a dynamically spawned enemy invasion, multiple stages of the encounter progressing in sequence, and rewards at the end. I don't mean the Rift comparison to be a negative one; that game's dynamic events system is the best part of a very good MMORPG.

Defiance ties into an upcoming, unannounced SyFy cable TV show. Since SyFy hasn't unveiled it yet, Trion isn't talking much about that side of the game. All we know is that the game's world and the show's universe will evolve together, where any big events in the show will be mirrored in the game. Characters from the show will also appear in Defiance, and Trion says that it's "talking about" having top players' characters possibly being mentioned in the TV show.

Defiance allows thousands of players on any of the three platforms to connect to a single server hosting a persistent open world. The gameplay is more Halo than World of Warcraft. It sports solid current-generation visuals, though nothing that compares with the Resistances or Battlefields of the world. Trion's challenge is to pull off its crazy three-platform cross-play and deliver solid gameplay. If that comes off, Defiance could be a bold step in a new gaming direction. Given the general excellence of Rift, I'm liking Defiance's prospects.


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