Quick Look w/the Cap’n – Defense Grid 2 (PS4)

This story was originally published by CapnMikeM on GamersInBeta.com

Defense Grid 2
Genre: Indie, Strategy
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment
Publisher: 505 Games
Release Date: September 23, 2014

The Hype: Fans of the Tower Defense genre have been waiting quite some time for a sequel for the 2008 classic, Defense Grid: The Awakening. In late September, Hidden Path Entertainment and 505 Games released the much anticipated Defense Grid 2. The new and improved version features many new worlds and of course a plethora of new alien threats. Players can put their tower placement skills to the test in various modes such as campaign, competitive multiplayer, and online co-op. The game boasts over 21 maps which will vary in difficulty and offer gamers different ways to reach for victory.

In Reality: Admittedly, I’m not a real huge fan of RTS/Tower Defense games. Maybe it requires too much thinking when all I’m looking for is to unwind after a long day. So it was with some trepidation I fired up Defense Grid 2 and gave it a go. What I quickly found was that this title is the ideal game to relax with after you’ve been working and dealing with family life all day. The early campaign missions do a great job of introducing even the most novice of players of how best to properly defend the cores from various alien threats. I think what has often turned me off from this genre has been how dry and tactical these games can be. But with Defense Grid 2, there is more to the game beyond building towers. For starters, the maps are gorgeous and contain a high level of detail and course design. Also, the characters and their dialogue keep the story interesting, which adds an incentive to play more and more campaign levels. Beyond the window dressing, the game is also loaded with various challenge modes, new multiplayer modes, and a soundtrack which keeps the heart pumping as the more and more alien threats are incoming.

Gameplay: Probably my biggest surprise when starting this game was how simple the mechanics turned out to be. One would think a strategy game might have many different button configurations to master in order to pull off the impossible. This is not the case here as tower placement is as easy as cycling between the available spaces on the map and then selecting which kind of tower. Before I start to place my towers, I find inspecting the possible choke points on the map is the most ideal way to start a path to victory. In some situations, you’ll be able to steer the aliens in such a way that they have to slow down and lose all their momentum. Other times the map won’t be as conducive to this approach and therefore I make them run a gauntlet of guns, lasers and inferno. We can sit here and debate how to best upgrade towers but regardless of your approach it is imperative to turn your green towers into yellows and then eventually reds. Hidden Path has done an exemplary job of providing users with many different ways to pull of various strategic techniques.

Conclusion: The age old saying is to not judge a book by its cover. We often feel compelled to play what we’re most familiar with and not branch out due to the risk of failure. I can say unequivocally I was guilty of trying out Defense Grid before because I was afraid of failing or not feeling smart enough. Now with many hours under my belt, I feel enlightened that I’ve opened my mind to a new opportunity and am delighted by the experience which is Defense Grid 2. I eagerly look forward to completing the story, playing more online matches (whether competitively or cooperatively), and overall enjoying myself in a fantastic gaming experience.