Developer: Relic Entertainment
Publisher: THQ
Rating Guide: How I Review Games

Review:

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of sharing a sliver of my Warhammer Space Marine enthusiasm with you all.  I was pleased to find that this game’s demo was not just some false tease.

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine offers an overall very solid game.  Many of the tabletop “OG” Warhammer fans will be pleased based on nostalgia alone.  Still, one could ask “what if I don’t know anything about this game.”  I believe that both those who are familiar and unfamiliar with the the franchise will be pleased with this production.

Gameplay, Graphics & Sound

In Campaign mode the wrecking ball action of our hero Captain Titus is exhilarating, feeding the hunger for gratuitous violence.  It is such a rush to fill up my Fury with the blood of Orks.  Stunning your enemies and bowling for Orks with the mighty Bull Rush maneuver is amazing.  Performing the combos leading into the (health regaining) executions is simple and effective.  This is no game for campers and cowards who run from a fight!  There is much encouragement to get into the thick of things in order to maintain health levels.  In other words, the more you fight, the more health you get.  The storm of Orks can be overwhelming but never too much for the Space Marines.

The game looks great though it’s not too artistically deep in its environment.  The backgrounds can be somewhat monotonous, lacking in variation.  However, the character models look and move well giving a nice sense of strength and power which more than makes up for any aesthetic concerns.  In addition to the limited scenery, I also found the cut scenes to be too frequent and often times taking the fluidity out of the combat.  I will say that the cut scenes are very helpful in moving the story along and taking a break from the ongoing chaos.  But in the end, it’s still about the hack and slash.

Xbox LIVE Extras

Multiplayer for Warhammer is as straightforward as any other third person shooter on the market today.  The way that it works is that you have classes, much like that in Call of Duty.  The game offers three different classes made up of Tactical, Assault, and Devastator. You can play as a Space Marine, or their evil counterparts, the Chaos.  Tactical is simply midrange combat.  My favorite, by far, is the Assault Class.  This class focuses on close range, but players are equipped with jump packs which enables them to perform the ground pound from above.

And finally, there’s the Devastator Class which has the heavy weaponry for longer range combat. Within the classes, you are able to customize your weapons, equipment, and your character look.  That means you can look as badass as you want while kicking in faces.  There are two game modes available which are Seize Ground and Annihilation.  Seize Ground is securing and defending your territory and Annihilation is simply slaying. 

One of the more unique aspects of this game is that when you are killed by the enemy, you are given the chance to use their load out when you respawn, no matter what level or class differences are involved. What better way to get revenge on someone than to own them with their own weapon!

Conclusion

Warhammer 40K Space Marine has its flaws but the greater features out number them to give this a solid rating. Purchase. Open. Play.

7.0

“Good”