Space Marine

Warhammer 40,000:

Space Marine

'It is the 41st Millennium.  To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions.  It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable.  Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned.  Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war.  There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.'

Now, if that doesn't set the scene for you not much will.  The game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is set in this dark future.  You are a Space Marine - a genetically enhanced being far removed from normal men.  Nearing 9' tall with hardened skeleton, extra organs, enhanced everything and trained from childhood to do one thing only - kill the enemies of the Emperor.  You are encased in the best armour and wield weapons which can few can stand against.  You have bullets which explode inside the target, guns which strip armour or microwave a being instantly.  Chainswords and Thunderhammers are extensions of your arms.  And with these weapons you go to face the endless hordes of Orks.  Savage beings who feel no pain, are as strong (or stronger) as you who attack in massive waves crushing all before them.

This is a small Ork!

Later you will even face the Great Enemy - Chaos!  Yes, armies of those created like yourself 10,000 years ago who turned from the Emperor to worship Dark Gods.  Every strength you have they have plus they have 10,000 years of war which has honed their skills.  They have more than you for they have psykers channeling the power of the Warp as well as Dæmons who reside in the Warp.  Yeah, it sucks to be you!

Now let me start the actual review by setting some things down - I have been playing Warhammer 40, 000 (WH40K for short) for over 20+yrs when it was a table-top (TT) semi-role-playing game based around miniatures.  Over the decades I have seen many changes both good and damnably awful.  In addition to the TT games there have been several video games as well.  Some were extremely well done (Space Hulk, Chaos Gate & Dawn of War) yet ended up going "under the radar" (except DoW) and die-hard fans like me were the only ones to experience them.  So, with hundreds of miniatures around my home as well as various game discs, I now share my views on the newest entry.

First off this is not for everyone.  If you are the type of gamer who hates getting "stuck-in" and prefers to shoot enemies from miles away you will hate this.  Yes, they have long-range weapons...but the enemies are rarely far long enough to specialize in that.  Also note that this game is bloody.  Full of decapitations and exploding bodies this game will have your screen bleeding onto your floor.  If you like that kind of thing please read on.

The game has two basic modes - Campaign and Online.  The Campaign is straightforward - go from "A" to "Z" gathering weapons and slaughtering enemies.  You get plenty of action right from the start.  The first few waves are a minor touch of the swarming that will be filling your screen for hours.  The first Orks and the smaller Gretchin (goblins) are not bad.  My biggest complaint about these Orks are their voices (high-pitched English voices just don't cut it).  Thankfully you soon get bigger Orks in the mix and their voices deepen as they get bigger.

He's not even the biggest!

You will end up aiding an Inquisitor (who looks a lot like Gary Numan) who marches you into the heart of the Orks to where you will eventually meet the Warboss.  None of the Orks you have met yet are near this guy's size.  I have seen smaller tanks!  Actually he looks like a large version of the Hulk wearing a tank as armour.  Guess what - you get to dance with him.

He is not even close to you.

One thing to know: the only way to get health back is through doing a certain special attack in close-combat.  Yup, the thought of running until your health meter fills is gone.  In this game you must face everything head-on.  The best advice I can give is to pay attention to which attacks "stun" which types of Orks so you can do the move.  If you do the wrong type & don't stun them you may leave yourself open to a messy death.

The other mode is Online play - Here you randomly play as either an Imperial or a Chaos Space Marine battling against the other.  This version is different than many other similar types because you have to get "stuck in" fast.  There is no way your team can win if you hold back.  There are two game types here - Seize Ground and Annihilation.  The first is to gain & keep control of areas on the map (thankfully the maps are smallish).  Hiding & holding back will never win.

The second game is a straightforward slaughter-fest.  Imperials vs. Chaos slobber-knocker where the only goal is to kill them more than they kill you.  None of those pesky objectives to distract you from hunting & slaughtering your adversaries.  If you spend more than 3 seconds without swinging on or shooting at someone you are doing it wrong!  So choose your type of character - Tactical: moderate all around, Devastator: heavy weapons & Assault: rapid close-ranged attacks using a jump-pack and show the world how to disembowel someone with a spork!

With that out of the way let me hit on some issues.  The Online is not great yet.  Too few maps (more in October!) and their servers are wonky.  Also, to advance beyond Level 5 Online you must enter the code on the back of the manual.  If a friend wants to borrow the game and play Online they can buy the code Online (prices vary depending on which machine you have it on - Xbox is 800pts).  The "wonky" being slow loads & the match crashing if the "host" leaves.  I have confidence this will be fixed fast.  But there is a nice side - customization.  As you gain levels, kills and deaths you gain armour parts.  Some are way easy to get - the "Battle Damage" armour parts come from you getting killed.  Others are not so easy (like seeking out the same person to kill them 5x's in a single game then doing that several times online).  Still the Imperial & Chaos armours look nice.  Change parts and colors.  You can be "traditional" or "eclectic" (I have done sets in the Saints colors as well as some eye-blistering Chaos Marines) as you like.  In addition to the armour parts there are goals to achieve to get improved weapons.  Having a suped-up Thunderhammer or Meltagun makes a world of difference.

In my opinion it is a blast.  Turn on some GWAR or Gregorian Chants and kill everything.  Don't worry about thinking - this is primal.  Do remember to NOT 'chuck' your controller at the screen when you get killed!!!  Just fight harder next round and improve your skills.  Try playing the game on HARD without dying or restarting for one chapter - that alone should help with the basic survival skills you will need.  Still, I think it is worth owning.  $60 worth?  For most people - probably not.  For serious fans of violence and online domination it is worth it.

Now I will leave you as I am off to do what every good Space Marine does at the end of the day...