Gameitall The Warhammer universe, created by Games Workshop, has been critically acclaimed in the tabletop game world, but in terms of video games, we end up getting mediocre titles, such as Fire Warrior and Squad Command, games that are alright, but doesn’t stand the ground like Relic’s RTS games like Dawn of War.
There are a lot of games that owe Warhammer some credit, like Starcraft and Warcraft for setting up a world for both sci-fi and fantasy. Even the titular Space Marine has been the base for every musclebound faceless marine with a big gun killing aliens on a distant planet. Just like the games that borrowed scenarios and style from the series, Relic borrows mechanics that made big hit games like Gears of War, and make gunning down hordes of opponents fun again.
Well, the connection between Space Marine and Gears of War isn’t actually the best example, sure gunplay is tight and fun like Epic’s shooter, however unlike Marcus and his pals, The Battle Brothers of the Ultramarines aren’t prone to hiding when the bullets fly. This is largely due to the fact melee plays a huge role in the game, from wielding a combat knife as long as your arm, to the tremendous power of the Thunder Hammer, you are an unstoppable force, taking on what seems to be 50 Orks at a time.
There are only a few enemies that you’ll fight, however they are well placed though out the game that you’ll hardly be bored, you’ll be more likely to say “oh good, more bad guy’s to kill” and that’s exactly how the team at Relic want you to feel, you an Ultramarine, it’s what your good at.
Thoughout the game’s campaign, you play as Captain Tidus, a 150 year old Ultramarine (which is considered very young.) Your squad gets a urgent distress call from a forge world where a Warlord Class Titan is being held, a weapon that is so powerful that if it fell into the Ork’s hands, it could be devastating.
The acting in the game is very strong, while playing as Tidus, you can tell that he is a great stagiest, and how powerful the Space Marines really are at how the other human characters act around them, think of Knights in medieval era. Mark Strong (Kick Ass, Rock’n’Rolla) does a great job at making Tidus a believable character… well that is as believable killing machine with smarts and a chainsaw sword can be.
Online Multiplayer seems to be a last minute attachment into the game, featuring only 2 different gameplay modes which can be stripped down to two basic plays, Team Deathmatch and Gain Ground (domination for you cod fans.) There are some balancing issues that still need to be addressed like how powerful the plasma rifle is, but when your working as a team you can easily win the match.
Space Marine is short on features for the game, the main campaign can last around 8 hours, a decent amount of time, but what in the game is done so well that it will bring you back. Even for someone who is not knowledgeable of the 40K universe will find something to love about the game.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – 4 out of 5
Pros: Great Single player, Terrific Voice Acting, Fun Team based Multiplayer, bloody.
Cons: Story may be confusing to those who have not looked into the history, some balancing needed for multiplayer.
