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Defense Grid 2 (Video Game Review)

Defense Grid 2 is the follow-up release for Hidden Path Entertainment's highly successful tower defense title from 2008. Defense Grid: The Awakening surprised many in the industry with a successful Kickstarter campaign and a full release that has been one of the most beloved games from a crowd funded source. Defense Grid 2 builds on the success of that original title with new enemies, maps, game modes and more. The tower defense genre is crowded with plenty of new releases dropping every month, but Defense Grid 2 may be the best of the bunch.

Defense Grid 2 adds a brand new and more detailed storyline for the series. The new release reveals a narrative for the franchise with plenty of history for the in-game world and some protagonists that players can get invested in. The main campaign is still full of the voices of artificial intelligence commenting on the action on-screen and giving players tips to be successful in the title, but the game does offer enough of a storyline outside of missions to make players want to continue playing through the entire narrative.

Defense Grid 2 is heavily based in the tower defense genre. The game makes some improvements over the franchise's initial release, but the game is an obvious purchase for fans of the tower defense genre. The game offers multiple objectives and ways to win matches during gameplay, but mechanics are still based around building towers in order to clear waves of enemies while blocking lanes and making things as difficult as possible for the AI controlled baddies. Defense Grid 2 also adds multiple leaderboards rankings to give players even more to aim for beyond clearing the game's main campaign.

Defense Grid 2 features multiple play modes including online multiplayer. The traditional game modes still have players protecting a central location while using towers to clear enemies, but the new release also allows players to team up in cooperative modes or battle each other in competitive modes. Players can also head online to download custom levels from the game's online store for even more hours of fun gameplay.

Defense Grid 2 packs a lot of content including 21 original levels, and the main campaign in Defense Grid 2 will take most players around four hours to complete. Additional new content for the title include new towers such as the powerful booster tower that can clog lanes and make nearby towers more powerful, increase firing range and more. There are also close to 20 different alien enemies to deal with in the game including the annoyingly fast Racer aliens. Defense Grid 2 includes a good variety of enemies and some unique levels that will have players enjoying the game's main campaign from start to end.



Defense Grid 2 is built on a new engine with improved graphics for next generation consoles. The game looks good and runs smoothly with a steady frame rate. Fans of the series will enjoy the new graphics and content, and the team behind the game is offering a special edition download of the game on Steam that includes The Art of Defense Grid 2 art eBook, The Making of Defense Grid 2: The Complete Story Behind the Game from author Russ Pitts eBook and the A Matter of Endurance short story. The content offers even further insight into the world of Defense Grid 2 that fans of the series will want to read for themselves.

Defense Grid 2 is one of the better tower defense games to ever release, period. The game packs plenty of new content including a campaign with over 20 different levels, plenty of new enemies, upgrades, towers and more. Additionally, the game is built on a new graphics engine and packs visual improvements for the series, and a new storyline to make the game's main campaign even more exciting. The tower defense title doesn't do much to draw in players that don't already enjoy the genre, and a few balance issues and annoying enemies make the title not quite perfect, but the release is a very solid game that Hidden Path Entertainment can be proud of. Defense Grid 2 is out now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam.

Defense Grid 2 is now available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam and can be purchased for $24.99. Defense Grid 2 is rated E by the ESRB for Fantasy Violence & Mild Language. For more information on the game, check out the official Defense Grid 2 website.

Game Features:
  • Online Multiplayer 1-2
  • New Enemies, Characters, Levels and More
  • 21 Stages
  • Steam Trading Card Support
  • Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment
Publisher: 505 Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One (reviewed), PC, Mac & Linux
Release Date: September 23, 2014

Score: 8.2 out of 10


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