Warframe transports you to a dark, futuristic world for a devilishly hard co-op 3rd person shooter. This beta, where you can play with up to 3 others, shooting aliens in space, is free and open to all.

Fight with style

After gunning your way through the Warframe tutorial, it's time to choose your character. There are 3 available in this beta version - Excalibur, Loki and Volt, but the final version will have 12 characters to choose from!

The character you choose will change the way you look and your fighting style. All characters have access to guns and assault rifles, but each class of fighter also has its own arsenal. Excalibur, for example, is a balanced fighter that can take advantage of throwing weapons, while Loki deceives and confuses enemies.

Players select their missions on a map. As you gain experience, you'll unlock new areas and missions. One of Warframe's main features is a system that automatically selects 3 partners to help you while you complete these missions. If Warframe can't find suitable partners, you can go it alone or invite your friends to play.

In Warframe, you play against enemy AI, and missions are pretty similar: rescue the characters, destroy the reactors, and shoot as many aliens as you can on the way. When you complete a mission, you'll get points to spend on weapons and skills. If they're not racking up as fast as you'd like, you can always get your credit card out to purchase items and currency.

Responsive handling, vicious enemies

As in Mass Effect, the camera naturally rests behind your character's shoulder, but you can change that with the mouse. In general, Warframe's controls are smooth and effective, allowing you to shoot and aim without problem.

Warframe's AI enemies are pretty convincing and fight viciously. That said, they don't attempt to get the better of you, which means their behavior soon becomes pretty predictable.

When you're under fire, you can take cover behind walls and pillars. Each character has a shield that can take light damage, but if you take too much damage, you'll collapse and your teammates will have to rescue you. If they don't make it in time, you can choose to revive yourself, but this option is limited, so use it carefully!

Slick, fliud graphics

Even when we played Warframe in high resolution, we didn't notice any slip in graphics or redering. Characters look good, and movement is generally fluid, although we did notice a little jerkiness while running.

Warframe environments are a little boring. Even when players move though areas, they all look more or less the same with the exception of some slight color changes. Characters stick out though, and their styling made us think of Tron. We also thought the music was a great fit for the game.

Solid gameplay, but a lack of variety

Warframe is a good game and a solid action offering. Battles are fast and furious and the graphics are good. Plus,the cooperative gameplay should keep you entertained for hours, as long as you can find allies and aren't put off by the repetitiveness.

Warframe's developers are good about adding content and updating the game, and the final version should be very good indeed. Currently, it's still very fun and should appeal to action fans everywhere.