- XDefiant was Ubisoft’s latest attempt at dominating live-service gaming, but it ended up disappointing.
- Despite initial excitement and nostalgia reminiscent of early Call of Duty games, the title was marred by grinding, balancing issues, and server problems.
- The game had potential with its free-to-play model and unique abilities, but Ubisoft’s lack of attention to core issues led to a half-baked experience.
Ubisoft’s streak of failure should be studied in history books. XDefiant was the ace up their sleeves after multiple game cancellations and failures. Yet, they failed miserably with their chance to dominate the free-to-play FPS market.
When I first saw the gameplay for XDefiant’s closed beta, my jaw dropped to the floor. I felt immediate nostalgia for early Call of Duty titles, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the game.
The best part about XDefiant was that it was free-to-play and would be supported for many years. What was dubbed the COD killer, however, ended up as the typical poor release. Despite its massive success at launch, the game is plagued with bugs and balancing issues that make every match beyond depressing to play.
Why it matters: The FPS multiplayer market hasn’t seen much variety over the past few years, and most new releases have failed. Ubisoft could have changed that.
Initial Expectations
Call of Duty has always dominated the FPS market, and despite its highs and lows, no other franchise has come close to Call of Duty. Battlefield’s previous failures showed that Call of Duty has been and will stay on top of the FPS food chain.
This was finally an opening for a new FPS title to shine in the market, and XDefiant was the perfect opportunity for Ubisoft to claim a spot in the top league. The game was shaping up to be amazing, carrying every bit of Ubisoft’s DNA.
Even the classes were categorized using ideas from franchises like Splinter Cell, Far Cry, Rainbow Six Siege, and The Division, adding a bit of familiarity to the experience. Having abilities for each character, including tactical and ultimate abilities, spiced up the combat and made it stand out from the competition.
Utilizing the Snowdrop engine, XDefiant looked beautiful and ran well, too, with little to no optimization issues. The best part was the removal of SBMM. For those not familiar, SBMM stands for Skill-based matchmaking.
Skill-based matchmaking has plagued multiplayer gaming ever since it was introduced. With people of the same caliber competing against each other, SBMM-based matches are bound to get boring after a while. Therefore, the removal of SBMM proved a great success.
Shattered Expectations
I initially ignored many of XDefiant’s problems since it was still in its early stages and needed to be improved with updates and more content. But the more I played, the more I realized that the problems lay within the game’s core.
The gunplay is okay and not too concerning, but the most concerning aspect is how much players have to grind to unlock each part. I had to play using the same weapon for hours just to unlock a single attachment.
Talking about gunplay, I want to highlight the balancing issues in this game. Some characters are incredibly weak, and some are just too overpowered. Often enough, you’ll see an entire team playing as Echelon.
LMGs are useless, too slow, and have no effective damage. Snipers are almost a one-shot kill, and assault rifles are the only guns balanced as of yet. The server issues are too troublesome and extensive to discuss in a single article.
While playing with a friend, I couldn’t play one proper match without my character randomly getting stuck. Bullets were not registering properly, and hackers were plaguing the matches.
I’d have chosen Divison Heartland over this game since Ubisoft canceled the multiplayer spin-off to divert resources toward XDefiant.
While these issues can be solved, Ubisoft is doing little to fix XDefiant. They’ve even told the players to stop playing if they have issues with the game. In its current state, the game feels half-baked and still in its alpha mode.
It’s safe to say that I won’t be revisiting this free-to-play FPS for a while now, and trust me, it will be a while before the experience is stable and has enough content to not leave me bored after just two hours of playing.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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