Lately Rob and I have been looking again at an online game that is already around some time, the game named “Defiance”. Yes, this game is based on the TV series with the same name. We played this game when it was just released.
The game was released in 2013 and is available for PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The game went in 2014 to free-to-play and you really can play it without buying in-game things, but to be honest spending a little money makes the game more fun and more enjoyable.
Rob and I upgraded the game to the Gold Edition that contains all the downloadable content, some nice vehicles, outfits, weapons and other cool stuff (to be honest, Rob bought the upgrade as a gift for me)
There are three playable races, humans, Casrithans and Irathients. Casrithans and Irathients belong to the races that came from the Votan solar system).
The game knows 4 origins a character can have.
Veterans: After the Battle of Defiance inspired the end to the Pale Wars, many soldiers were left trying to find a new identity on the new earth. Their combat experience, not to mention innate need for that adrenaline rush, make ark hunting a perfect career path for there men and women.
Survivalist: Not all Humans and Votans were interested in war. Some found themselves on the fringes of society, living solely off the newly transformed earth. After Armistice, a handful of these survivalists found that their explortative talents made them impeccable ark hunters.
Outlaw: For many trying to survive the violent post-Arkfall world, criminal activity wasn’t a choice, but a necessity. As the Earth Republic and the Votanis Collective helped society regain its footing, finding legitimacy became imperative for these outlaws. The gritty, and sometimes unethical, life of an ark hunter was the ideal fit.
Machinist: After the Defiance movement led to Armistice, the factories of war were shut down, leaving many skilled Human and Votan machinists adrift. Some became cityscape scavengers, hocking thier makeshift wares at markets, while the elite foragers were able to graduate to the much more profitable vocation of ark hunting.
In Defiance every player is an ark hunter, a specialist in survival, combat and tracking who braves dangerous frontiers to locate and retrieve lost relics of alien or advanced origins in return for great financial rewards.
Ark hunters are specialists at salvage. Valuable alien minerals and technology scattered by the orbital destruction of the Votan planetary arks now encircles the earth in the Ark Belt. This debris occasionally rains down in dangerous events called arkfalls. Ark hunters must fight off other competition both human and alien if they wish to claim the rare minerals and Arktech from the heart of an arkfall for their own. The life of an ark hunter is exciting, dangerous and profitable … while it lasts.
Noted for their uncanny skills at finding Arktech and renowned for going where others fear to tread in search of their prize, ark hunters are greatly admired and employed by those who require their specialized talents. Many ark hunters work alone, searching for that valuable Arktech discovery that will allow them to retire to a comfortable life in Antarctica; others contract their services to individuals or corporations for a hefty fee, using their resourcefulness to locate specific items or information for their employers. Their expertise at finding nearly anything and surviving in the most dangerous situations and locales makes them valuable allies and formidable foes.
To travel through the world of Defiance there are a number of vehicles available, as cars and 4-wheeled motors. Personally I like the Raptor (in the picture) a lot. It is fast and very flexible in steering and moving around.
Distances can be big, so an vehicle is really needed to move around. It also offers a way to get fast away from dangerous situations, as when you for instance run into a foe that you can not handle yet.
Apart from that, it is fun to race around the roads or going off road.
Of course Hellbugs are also around.
Hellbugs are a mutated form of a rather harmless insect species from the Votanis system. Samples of these creatures were brought aboard the Arks on the voyage to Earth. During the Arkfall disaster, their DNA rained down upon the planet, only to be reconstructed by the terraformers and twisted into a new and dangerous form of life. Hellbugs are vicious predators that live in large collectives, usually within underground caverns in the terraformed frontier.
Hellbugs come in a variety of shapes. The smallest are Skitterlings – baby Hellbugs that are nimble and deadly when attacking in swarms. Warriors, Archers, and Monarchs comprise the soldiers of the Hellbug army. At the top of the food chain is the Matron: a single momma Hellbug found in each nest who is the progenitor of the species. Rumours persist of an even larger form of Hellbug – the Hellion. If the stories are to be believed, Hellions are several stories tall and carry an army of smaller Hellbugs within their own bodies.
Hellbugs produce one of the most powerful forms of fuel on the planet. They ingest gulanite ore as a digestive aid, which is transformed inside their bodies and excreted. Hellbug shtako (waste product) contains unrefined petrohol – the main fuel source for rollers and other vehicles in the new frontier.
There is very nice story-line with many quests that has to be done. Some simple, some funny and some very challenging. Apart from the story-line there are many side-quests that can be done.
And if you want to see how you are doing, there are many time- and skill-based challenges all over the game.
Also big events as sieges and huge ark falls with many extreme strong enemies are part of this game. I love the big ark falls where you with many other players fight the foes, which can be a real challenge at times.
All these quests, missions and challenges help to raise your skills. But they also bring better weapons and equipment. Specially the ark falls are a very good source to get better things to use through the game.
But above everything, the game is a lot of fun to play. Specially when you play it with someone who fits your gameplay and who it is challenging to play with. And, as within so many other games, Rob is the perfect person for me to team up with.
And oh, some times you run into people that may look familiar… you will meet people from the TV series. And at times they will be part of the quests and missions that you are doing. Fun, fun, fun… *smiles*
(Credit screen shots: Marissa)