XDefiant Is Not a Call of Duty Killer... It Actually Gets the Basics Right
1I finally got a chance to hop into XDefiant after suffering through YouTubers talking vaguely about it over generic footage for months thanks to Ubisoft's NDA.
And while everyone is debating whether or not it's the next Call of Duty killer — a phrase as old as the 2000s, the game apart from those wild expectations has a lot of potential.
XDefiant went closed beta last week with a huge Twitch event lasting through to the 23rd of April.
My initial reaction to the presentation after coming from Call of Duty was refreshing. XDefiant's UI and UX are clean, casual, and intuitive. It's great to have a UI that behaves like a video game menu and not a Netflix dashboard.
The color, contrast, and art design are simple and clean and do what every arcade shooter should — streamlines the booting up, queueing in, and fragging down pipeline.
That same philosophy — focusing and facilitating gameplay above all else — is carried over to my favorite part of XDefiant right now...
Its maps.
You've probably heard this by now, but XDefiant's map design gives off serious Black Ops II vibes.
The map design is completely reminiscent of the 3-lane, traditional, and tight adrenaline fests we all fell in love with back in the day.
Like the UI and UX, the maps are clutter-free, bright, and geared toward gameplay.
A lot of modern first-person shooters have picked up the very bad habit of equating complexity with progress, and progress with positive. You know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about more doors and floors — enough angles and verticality to induce terminal camping syndrome.
XDefiant doesn't suffer from these problems. Its simple maps are quick to memorize but offer enough complexity to give you ways to flank, hold, and mix up competitors. It really is a breath of fresh air to have maps designed for gunfights first and foremost.
And like the presentation and map design, XDefiant is doing everything it can to please the arcade shooter community by giving us red dots, map voting, and SBMM-free casual playlists...
Up to this point, this game just feels good to play. It's not without its faults though.
The gameplay in XDefiant is nothing remarkable — and that's a great thing.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of big budgets, A-list voice acting, powerful storytelling, and "innovation" in the gaming space. The industry has been struggling to get the basics right for forever and that's led to a fun deficit.
I think you'll agree, in 2023, just producing a competent arcade shooter is a revolutionary act.
And that's what XDefiant feels like.
The shooting is responsive and doesn't have any fake momentum built into it to mimic a "tactical" feel — it's all arcade.
The general utility you get access to so far doesn't feel necessary to the overall gunplay — it's all about the shooting.
The hero abilities don't feel overpowered — except for the healing factor which will likely get nerfed by the open beta. As long as there's some distance between you and the enemy activating their ultimate, you can put a stop to it in seconds.
Ubisoft has done a good job of making a hero shooter without making a hero shooter if you know what I mean.
My one gameplay concern has to do with movement. I'm sure they'll tweak it by launch but right now movement feels clunky — specifically transitioning between states.
Jumping and mantling feel unpolished and the transitions between sprinting, sliding, and crouching need some work. If they can smooth everything out it'll only make the game feel more addictive.
Conclusion...
The biggest hurdle to XDefiant's success is going to be its lack of identity.
They left behind the Tom Clancy name, but the Heroes come from Ubisoft titles like Far Cry, Splinter Cell, and Watch Dogs. It's an IP mish-mash — like Super Smash Bros. — but without the character recognition.
Unique lore would have done this game wonders, but that's not what we're going to get and that might lead to players abandoning it.
Here's hoping Ubisoft has some very strong roadmaps in the future that can carve out a unique brand for this game.
We arcade shooter fans need this game to succeed.
See you on the battlefield and as always, stay cool, gentlemen.
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