Space Marine Warhammer 40K Review
Developer Relic
Publisher THQ
Platform Xbox360, PS3
Release Date Out Now.
THQ and Relic bring the Warhammer 40k universe from its beginning as a table top board game through the RTS point and click in to a brave new genre, the third person shooter. Don’t be fooled this is no simple Gears of War clone. Although similarities may be drawn between the two, there is much more to Space Marine that that analogy alludes to.
You take the role of Titus captain of the Space Marines a super race of soldiers, fearless, intelligent and brutal. This small band of marines is tasked with protecting their Forgeworld. Don’t be put off by the expansive world previously created in this universe, Space Marine 40K really goes a long way to keep the barrier of entry quite low for players new to the series. At no point was I over whelmed with the fantasy world but at the same time fans will obviously enjoy some of the subtleties built into the game.
Fans of the Warhammer world will still be delighted to see it brought to life in this new vision. Normally used to the top down view, players are now on the ground right in the mix of the battles being able to walk around and view the new world. The team have put in a lot of effort with the level of details put into the locations, settings and characters. While the earlier levels are quite bare from Chapter 3 it really starts to open up.
In terms of gameplay you have two options and this is really where the difference from Gears starts to really come to light. At distance Titus has at his disposal a number of range weapons, you start with a simple bolt pistol but soon upgrade through a series of assault rifles, sniper rifles and heavier weapons such and grenade launchers. Where Space Marine stands out is with its up close combat, Titus is armed with a series of particularly devastating swords and knives most noticeably the chainsaw sword which rips apart any Orc’s foolish enough to get too close. With a lot of third person shooters when the enemy gets in tight it can be quite a frustrating experience but not here. Titus is a brute when needs be, slashing and smashing his way through groups of Orc’s. It is really satisfying when you grab a particularly annoying Orc and hold him aloft with one hand and cut him in two with your chainsaw sword.
Action is furious as your enemies are not too smart but what they lack in smarts they make up for in numbers and willingness to be martyrs. Orc’s attack in huge numbers but it allows you to set up traps, plant grenades or blow up explosive barrels as they approach. Health is regained by executing enemies rather than collecting health packs this allows you to regain health in the middle of a mass brawl without having to retreat, ammo is plenty full and the action is bloody and consistent.
Graphically the game is competent, while it doesn’t set the world alight it is never really an ugly game to look at. Animations are a little clunky but that may be more down to the size of the characters rather than the animation.
Overall : Space Marine is a game that I had not expected a lot from but it really did impress me, not having a huge knowledge of the series didn’t hold me back from enjoying this thoroughly either. The solo campaign is very solid perhaps the only fault with the game is that the multiplayer side is a little bit light with only two different modes to choose from.
SCORE 8/10
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