X resist is the newest arena shooter Ubisoftlooking for a fast-paced first-person shooter experience for anyone who likes a variety of playstyles, or has recently gotten tired of Call of Duty and tried all the sanitized military crap.
In a two-hour session with XDefiant, I was able to try out every different faction and game mode on offer. I also got a chance to fiddle with various weapons (you’ll never be able to personalize your gear all you want in two hours, though). So only time will tell how powerful or capable of changing the loadout the weapon attachments will be – and what kind of metadata will emerge.
Factions are made up of curated characters and utilities from Ubisoft’s best series; Far Cry 6, Ghost Recon Phantoms, Watch Dogs 2, The Division, and more. The maps on offer are also directly inspired by the breadth of Ubisoft games, and they’re, frankly, the game’s highlight.
After all, pushing packages around the zoo map (it’s one of those weird robot dogs that deliver now) is a joy, but I’d be lying if I didn’t notice that I died more than once while looking at the map How complicated. Fighting the likes of Far Cry 6’s Yara in Domination or Occupy is also fun; switching between vibrant maps and different game modes goes a long way in keeping XDefiant fresh. When you’re going head-to-head with a game like Overwatch or Brave, you need to nail down the aesthetics, right?
That said, I can foresee the novelty wearing off quickly, which is where the shootout comes in.
Undeniably, the shootout in XDefiant OK, when latency is in your favor. Playing as the faction of your choice, you can choose from a range of pre-made loadouts, or start assembling your own once you’ve leveled up enough (Cheers, CoD). New weapons, attachments, and standard utilities are also unlocked as you progress.
So — as to be expected in a free-to-play game — the more you play XDefiant, the more customizable your experience becomes. Sadly, I didn’t get to play a whole lot considering we only had a short two hours in the game, but I certainly hoped the custom loadouts would pack more of a punch. The standard load on offer is very satisfactory, but nothing to rave about.
Each faction has two members with their own unique abilities, from shields to health kits to my personal favorite, the Spiderbot. At the end of the preview, it’s safe to say that the Spiderbot is a favorite of many of us. This nifty little robot friend can be thrown to the floor and chase enemies, and if it grabs an enemy, it jumps right into their face–draining most of their health and temporarily incapacitating them. This means you can do a surprise kill if you get close enough.
XDefiant is definitely a treat for fans of Ubisoft’s various series as well as those who need a change of pace from CoD. It’s a bit like hyenas are to Sega, reallyAll in all, however, I don’t see long-term appeal. We have a range of first-person, free-to-play and fast-paced shooters; Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, and even Halo Infinite (good now!).
While XDefiant offers some beautiful original maps and plenty of ways to customize how you play the five game modes, I’m not sure we need another live-service shooter. Especially ones that aren’t really game changers or offer something particularly innovative. Being the “Ubisoft Smash of hero shooters” isn’t enough to earn you loyal fans of other FPS games, is it?
XDefiant will undoubtedly be a good game, just for now. But in my time using it, I haven’t found any particular sticking point that makes me long to go back to it. It feels like another live service shooter, and while I can admire what Ubisoft has done with this game, I really find myself thinking I wish Ubisoft would do something we’ve never seen before.
The XDefiant closed beta starts on April 13 at 6pm BST and runs until April 24.
