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Defiance show set for a two-hour premiere in April [Updated]
It's understandable if you've kind of forgotten about how Defiance is meant to be specifically tied to a show on the Syfy channel. Past reveals about the game have focused on gameplay, not actors and broadcast times. But if you're looking forward to immersing yourself in the full Defiance experience from the ground up, mark your calendar for April, as the first episode of the series is set to air then. The series will premiere with a two-hour episode on April 15th at 9 p.m. EST. A Monday night slot isn't the most promising placement for a new show, but it might be a temporary placement until the show performs well. (Or poorly.) This also points to a launch for the game sometime in April, as the two are meant to exist side-by-side from the start. Keep an eye on the game's first beta test later this month to see what happens next. [Update: Trion has clarified that in fact, Monday at 9 p.m. EST is considered Syfy's premier primetime placement and that the show will remain in that slot throughout the season.]
The Daily Grind: Do cross-media tie-ins interest you?
Trion Worlds is taking on a big new project with Defiance, linking a television show's ongoing plot developments with an MMO. In many ways, this seems like an ideal mix -- players who care about the ongoing story can enjoy the show, and the rest of the time you can just play the game without being shoehorned into a developer's pre-scripted story. On the other hand, this also means that you know your player character is unlikely to be a major player in the game's storyline. You'll just be some guy (or girl) without any sort of major impact. City of Heroes tried a similar tack with the comic book that launched with the game, showcasing several player characters in each issue and trying to marry an ongoing story with an MMO structure. Do you like the idea of tying together passive and active entertainment in this way? Are you excited to see how Defiance manages it? Or do you want your MMO's story contained within the MMO itself rather than tied to the needs of a television series? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
UK air date of CSI:NY in Second Life is today
People who remember back to Second Life Insider days will remember the coverage of CSI:NY as it came into Second Life in one of the episodes. There is, hopefully, a conclusion about to be broadcast soon in the US, writers strike permitting.If you are one of the good people who didn't download a copy from somewhere and live in the UK, or somewhere that receives UK TV, Channel 5 is carrying that episode tonight (in about an hour).The UK hasn't been subjected to the media frenzy that CBS launched in the US about Second Life, so don't expect a massive rush to the new sims, but if you see things go really south about 2:30 SL time you'll know why!
