Video games based upon TV shows or movies usually results in trying to mix oil with water (the answer is not well if you don’t know basic chemistry). Anyone that has played movie tie-in games on the SNES or Nintendo console might cringe when I bring up memories of the Total Recall game on the Nintendo, or Bebe’s Kids on the SNES (and if you contort in pain when I mention those games – your welcome). However Trion Worlds and Syfy channel will do something new with the spin-off MMO shooter Defiance from the TV show of the same name, by making the actions of the game and TV show co-exist with each other.
Defiance will be set in the future where Earth has been drastically transformed by the arrival of seven alien races. In this new world the humans and aliens will have to alter their civilization so they can live peacefully. Judging by the trailer above, it looks like the “drastic transformations” has led our green Earth to a sand-covered planet similar to Gearbox’s Borderlands, except dark and gritty. Players in the game will adventure in this new frontier and take on quests similar to other MMORPGs, which could influence the events in the TV show.
Each week, when the TV show Defiance is revealed, players can turn on their TV and watch the SyFy show showing the scripted drama of the show. So far the TV show will have Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephani Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, Mia Kirshner, and Fionnula Flanagan as stars to the show. Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest) will direct the pilot episode, while Michael Nankin will be the director and producer of the series. Supposedly as the TV show progresses in seasons, players will see their actions from the MMORPG appear in the TV show.
The idea of Defiance is intriguing. Maybe players could influence the political power of some races in the game through faction quests, which could later change the society in the TV show. Plus if the game could capture the MMORPG feel but with the loot-gathering and shooter gameplay of Borderlands, then it might be worth a look.
Both the TV show and MMORPG Defiance will debut simultaneously in April 2013. The MMORPG Defiance is a multi-platform launch title.
