Defiance trailer shows massive co-op; sign-ups for first beta event now open

Trion Worlds have released a trailer showing off some of the "massive" co-op battles you can expect to see in their MMO shooter/multimedia crossover project Defiance. SyFy are also trailing their contribution to the Defiance universe - a TV show connected to the game. The difference in tone between the two projects is... noticeable.

Here's the game trailer, complete with hyper-pounding music, explosions, giant robots and some weird bulbous bug thing:

And here's the TV show. Note the complete lack of any of the above, with it instead favouring a meandering acoustic guitar ditty and long meaningful stares.

Anyway, let's ignore the knock-off Firefly vibe and get back to the game. It's hard to make any real judgements. Weird creature design, future weaponry and drivable vehicles are all well and good, but the real test of any MMO shooter is naturally in the feel of the thing. Luckily, you've a chance to try that out by signing up to its first beta test.

"Players who participate in Advanced Mission Beta 1 will have full access to the tutorial, the expansive terraformed terrain of Mt. Tam, the Waterfront competitive multiplayer map, and the fierce Shadow War open world competitive multiplayer and Arkfall massive co-op boss battles."

The test runs from January 18th - 20th, and sign-ups are taking place at the Defiance website .

Thanks, VG247 .

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.