Ubisoft’s XDefiant, the company’s attempt at biting into Call of Duty’s fanbase, finally launched after a string of delays. The game is an arena shooter that aims to bring fast-paced action and squad strategy to consoles in a free-to-play package.
While there are similarities, the game also aimed to do things a little differently in a way to stand out from the other shooters in the market. However, in its pursuit to be unique, the game may have given up some features that have been staples in the genre, and for good reason!
Players Unable to View Cause of Death in XDefiant Matches
Kill cams are a consistent feature across shooters. While it can be seen as rubbing salt in the wound, and many would just skip the cam altogether, some players have found a use for this as a way to understand how they were taken down. Now, this might seem obvious in most skirmishes, but it has its uses.
The most prominent use case for the kill cam is when being picked off by snipers. It’s easy to know when someone running at you is taking you down, but it’s a different matter when you get shot in the back by a sniper halfway across the map.
FOR GODSAKE PLEASE PUT A KILLCAM IN THIS FUCKING GAME
byu/moongirl222 inXDefiant
Redditor moongirl222 expressed the same sentiment on the XDefiant subreddit, pleading with the developer team to add kill cams so they could plan better. People in replies to the thread shared other, some humorous, reasons as to why this feature is not in the game. One of many it seems, as XDefiant can’t support 120 FPS out of the box.
Comment
byu/moongirl222 from discussion
inXDefiant
One user stated it’s to avoid pointing out the flaws in their servers. Kill cams would show how network issues were causing deaths, which are not based on skill but on technical issues with the game. Another benefit is that it allows the community to spot cheaters and hackers as they can review the gameplay footage.
Ubisoft’s Shooter Is Not Winning Over Fans As Expected
Even without the kill cam feature, the XDefiant is not performing well with the user base. With a User Review rating of 5.4 on Metacritic, and a lack of incentive for PlayStation trophy hunters, the title is going through a rocky launch. This may seem like just growing pains, but the players who tried the game out previously had predicted it would be dead at launch.
The team has also confirmed that new features will be added to the game soon, including one of Call of Duty’s most popular modes. Search and Destroy will be getting a bit of a twist to make it more unique for XDefiant before it is implemented in the game. Other gamers have also expressed how the game, while not stellar, is still a fun, mindless shooter to sink some hours into.
However, before they can get into the game, Ubisoft needs to do something about the queuing and wait times. This aspect can be the make-or-break factor for an online shooter, as people might end up spending more time waiting than actually playing.
What are your thoughts on the kill cam feature? Should it be included? Let us know in the comments below!
