Years ago, when I would visit my local comic book shop regularly.  I would see retailers, customers, kids, and everyone in between sitting at tables yelling, screaming, and laughing even.  I didn’t know what all the chaos was about.  But I did notice that it was something that happened all the time.  And the more I visited the store, the more I saw new faces but with the same reactions to whatever was going on over at those tables. Finally, one day I decided to investigate and see what was causing all of the commotion. That’s when I was first introduced to Warhammer 40K. Of course, back then it was just a tabletop miniature war game. Today however, in its latest revision, it’s on gaming consoles (Xbox 360 for me). It’s titled Space Marine and it’s due in stores September 6.  I was given the great opportunity to visit THQ studios in LA, and get hands on with the game.

Space Marine is a 3rd Person Shooter that is lead by super soldier Captain Titus, and his companions, the Ultramarines. Their job is to prevent an elite weapon producing planet from falling into the wrong hands. It just so happens that there are two enemy groups that are looking to take control of that very planet.  One group is referred to as the Orks, and the other, the Chaos.  Space Marine sports a shooting combat and melee system where Titus can switch between the two fighting styles by the push of one button. I know this may seem like a small thing but the game offers a lot of action and mayhem and something this small is often overlooked.  It conveniently allows for smooth play and that’s a must with so much going on in the game.

To further amp up the shooter/melee system, the game offers incentives to destroy everything that is not human. Titus earns an element referred to as “fury” for every enemy he defeats.  Get enough “fury” and it allows the player to pull off a range of powerful attacks.  At first glance many will visually compare it to Gears of War.  I know I did.  But once you play the game a bit, you’ll quickly realize that outside of being a hulking character and third person shooter, it’s pretty much its own game.  For starters, it doesn’t have the cover mechanics of Gears and the melee combat is totally different.  If anything, the melee system closer resembles L4D, when a horde of zombies attacks, and all you have is a chainsaw.  Hack and Slash Baby!

Titus is initially equipped with a chain sword for close up combat, an assault rifle for distance battles, and grenades for a good laugh.  I like that the game seems to balance gun action with the melee system so that you never really get too tired of doing one or the other.  And to further keep things interesting, the game offers Titus new weapons and capabilities as it progresses.

The main character may feel somewhat heavy at times.  And he should, due to being a huge guy with huge armor and weapons. But luckily the folks over at THQ took that into consideration long ago, and balanced the game out well.  Only when Titus walks does he really seem heavy.  But with all the action and insanity this game offers, why would you want or need to walk anywhere.  Thankfully there is a sprint button. And I used it a lot.  (so much so that the game was never slow)  Add in his ability to evade and produce a bull rush sprint attack and I assure you won’t think the pacing drags.

Oh and lets not forget the jump pack. Yeah, you heard me, I said jump pack. And I don’t mean those light weight jet packs that they have in Halo or Warhawk.  In Space Marine the jump pack serves not only as an apparatus to get you to higher ground but also as a weapon.  There are few things more satisfying than flying over an enemy, targeting them, and then breaking the sound barrier as you missile toward them with all your might. The end result is beautiful.

Multiplayer proved to be intense and just as fun as campaign.  The classes and weapons available bring plenty of variety. Many of the tabletop gamers will be pleased that there is an option for some mega character customization that adds a sweet visual aspect.  I was thrilled that I could have a pink, purple, or turquoise badass Space Marine to play with.

Unfortunately I can’t tell you much on the co-op, as I was limited in what I could see and play before the release of the game.  But what I can say is that the tidbit of campaign and morsel of multiplayer was banging!  If co-op is anywhere as good as the demo I played, I could easily see a repeat of the behavior I saw years ago with the tabletop version in the comic book store.

Get your hands on the demo NOW!

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The summit had a great group of gamers to interact with on a really great game. Jonathan Heier from Stickskills.com orchestrated a roundtable and obtained a bit of multiplayer footage. Check it out.

Community Round Table pt1
Community Round Table pt2