Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. Gamer Review.

Before anyone starts yapping that this has got to be the biggest Gears of War and Starcraft ripoff, let me settle things first by saying that Warhammer 40,000 (WH40K) started way back before Blizzard or the gear heads ever thought about men in metal diapers or aliens that love mindless murder. But unfortunately for the WH40K universe, it started out and became famous as a tabletop game rather than as one with computers. In fact, simply due to that fact, it has become one of the greatest sci-fi gaming misconceptions that litter the gaming world nowadays. Well, thankfully THQ seems bent on giving the WH40K the name it rightfully deserves with the Dawn of War series and it's latest addition to the WH40K franchise, Space Marine.

Space Marine puts you in the heavy greaves of Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, one of the more renowned chapters that composes the Imperium of Man. You come to the forge world Graia amidst an Ork invasion whose alleged intentions are directed at ransacking the multitude of weapons and clandestine projects that are hidden away in the many forges that characterize such worlds. Of course, nothing is as simple as ork invasions. That would simply be too lame, so obviously, somehow as the preliminary screenshots suggest Chaos forces, the evil counterparts of the space marines that have been twisted by the warp, come into play to add some sort of substance and treachery into the plot.

You are placed into a third person perspective of Captain Titus and lay waste to his enemies with either ranged or melee combat. The mechanics of each style is quite simple that you can easily grasp the concept of mutilating foes from whatever distance pleases you. Ranged combat is basically the same as that of other third person action shooter but lacks a cover system due to the notion that space marines need cover as much as they like cross stitching during their time off. But as much as space marines are the epitome of hard-ass semi-Chuck Norris-es of the distant future, cover is something you would still be looking for once in a while. Hell, even WH40K: Dawn of War series used varying degrees of cover to add strategy to their highly immersive nature. Other than that, ranged combat is an amusing and fairly satisfying aspect of the game. The armament are faithful to the various tools of destruction available from the whole series. Each shot makes you believe that the oomph of each bullet is well felt both to you and your foes' craniums (which makes a rather meaty pile of pieces if properly placed). There are a multitude of ranged weaponry to go by from the shotgun-like melta-gun to the lascannon which acts like a rail-gun for you familiar with Quake.

Melee combat, on the other hand, is the whole other shebang of the title. What characterizes the WH40K universe is the extremely violent and gratuitous nature of their melee kill sequences (which is what basically got my attention back when I first played the first Dawn of War). Although the mechanics to brawling is very basic and simple, it does get the job done on bringing those raging death blow to the context of shitting bricks. Space Marine offers you a select few of the various melee weapons the universe has to offer like the swift and raucous chain-sword, and the devastating thunder hammer, but you shouldn't let that dishearten you as the ones you wield are what characterizes WH40K best. Brutal executions are mechanism for regaining your health outside the regenerating shield your power armor bestows, and, boy, do they portray them in the gruesome manner you should expect fatalities in WH40K should be.

The plot is nothing mind-blowing, utterly predictable in course. The characters, on the other hand, are pretty stereotypical. Stern, valiant and righteous just like stereotypical grunts of the Space Marines from the Dawn of War series: That is what describes the main character of the story. The only thing intriguing about him is his certain ability to withstand certain elements not normal to genetically engineered super-soldiers, much more mere human beings. That alone makes me want to revisit his character in a sequel. I am in the impression that this won't be the last I will be seeing Captain Titus, nor will it be the last of the Space Marine series. The current game seems likely to setup for a larger portion of the overall story of the series which hopefully would be continued in sequels to the game.

The gameplay itself may become a little repetitive, but in my overall experience, I didn't seem to mind it as much I thought it would, though it certainly would be nice if it had a little more variety through the course of the game. A cover system would also be awesome. Honestly, it just boils down to your play style. Maybe a skill tree that may allow you to customize how Captain Titus specializes more would be apt for a more amazing gameplay? That, of course, would be subject to debate. Maybe the other races might be able to make an appearance. That would undoubted be awesome to us fans to the series. In general, this game is a diamond in the rough. It's certainly a step towards the right direction, and with more improvements, this would definitely raise WH40K into a pedestal that makes itself known throughout the gaming world.

The multiplayer component seems simple compared to other similar games, but it does offer some solid form of gameplay. It currently features the long time struggle between the two warring factions of the Space Marines and the Forces of Chaos, offering control of three different classes of Space Marines, namely: assault/Raptors, tactical marines, and devastators/havocs. Each class represent a different style of gameplay each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Perks, although unoriginal, add depth and dynamics into the multiplayer experience. One certain aspect worthy of mention is the customization options for your personal space marines, which offer a robust character editor that's meticulously addictive and engaging. It basically brings the table-top experience of making your own mark into the WH40K universe into an action packed online experience.

The game may have its flaws, there's no doubting that. It may certainly get repetitive and tedious for those that yearn for more in their third person shooters, but overall, fans should be pleasantly amused with what Space Marine has to offer. Curious new comers to the series will certainly find jumping into the bandwagon an amazing experience with Space Marine. This title has so much potential, that it is definitely worth revisiting in a sequel which I definitely hope will come soon. So, if you are mildly interested about what the whole deal is with WH40K or just want some mindless savage fun, then get your copies now.

Rating: 7.5/10