Personal Review: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

To Walk Amongst Mere Mortals

Developer: Relic Ent.
Publisher: THQ
Released: September 6, 2011
Genre: Third Person Action-Adventure
Ratings: BBFC: 15 / ESRB: M / PEGI: 18

A Civilization is destroyed only when its Gods fail them. ~ William Falkner

He glides down through evening sky, a thing of metal and muscle, broken bits of steel and iron debris sail past him as he falls like a comet. Igniting the jetpack strapped to his back, he darts away as oily black plumes of smoke and chaff explode around him. As the world below grows to greet his arrival, a long, black ship crawling with green skinned monsters suddenly parts through red colored clouds. Slowing his decent, he decides to visit upon the attacking Ork battleship a retribution. A just and brutal reckoning for defiling a world that belongs to the Empire of Men.

He lands hard enough to dent and splinter metal and wood, but he feels nothing. For this man of metal and muscle, this giant among men, it is his duty, his honor, his pride, to be an instrument of war. This nigh indestructible soldier. A man that can take on a whole legion of Orkan greenskins single-handedly with barely a scratch to show for it. And as the green horde march to meet him, two battle brothers land behind him. Three men. Nearly a hundred Ork warriors.

The Orks never stood a chance.



Blood and Iron
You got to hand it to Warhammer 40,000. This is a series that has spanned twenty five years of continuity, and was simply content, for the most part, to let others borrow liberally from its precedents. Both WarCraft and StarCraft probably wouldn't exist in the capacity that they do without this series inspiration backing them up. For that matter, neither would games like Gears of War or even Halo. This isn't simply the grandfather of the gruff, space marine that gives 'em hell while trudging through it type of game, it is the mold by which many that have come after it have been made from. And in Warhammer 40k: Space Marine, it's time to show all the kids what daddy can do.

If you're looking for a robust backstory, a deeper look into what makes your Space Marine, Captain Titus of the UltraMarines tick however, you're going to be a little disappointed. There's not much to it. You're simply given the briefest of introductions; you're a Space Marine, you're on a Forge World vital for the continuing survival of the Empire, and you're told to simply start killing Orks. Lots and lots of Orks. And I mean a LOT of Orks. Normally, even a Space Marine such as yourself would have difficulty traveling through this mess of war and death; but thankfully you're not alone (for the most part). Backing you up are two of your Battle Brothers, men who are more than just bullet sponges for the encroaching greenskins that launch pretty much everything they have at you in an attempt to try and stop you from advancing. These men watch each others backs, dive in headfirst into the fray, and can take just as much as they can give. And make no mistake, Space Marines don't hide, they don't seek cover, they don't cower in the dark. They have been born and bred and trained to do one thing. To kill.

Stand in their way, and you will know what it feels like to be trampled by Gods.



For the Empire

Graphics/Visuals: Everything has this sort of sepia/muted color palette to it, that gives it a world worn look to the environments. You get this feeling that, pre-war and destruction, this planet and its environments once stood testament to being there for centuries. It all casts as a slightly dark, gritty looking world that varies in design and form throughout the various chapters. It would have all looked quite beautiful in fact, had it continued to stand untouched by the harsh juxtaposition of the patchwork and piecemeal metal of Orkan battlements, strongholds and towers that now violate its once tranquil design. If there was a game that could hold the same title of "destroyed beauty" (ala Gears of War), then this would be it. Though not visually pulsating as other titles, it still hold its own quite well.

Audio/Music: Quite good. From the bombastic drums during combat, to the more quieter, somber pacing of the in-between periods, it's all very good. Not exceptional or overly-dramatic, but it does a splendid job nonetheless of setting the mood and rhythm of the game. Various weapons all give off that high-tech pitch, be it the electrical thrum of a warhammer as it pounds Orkan nobs to green mush, to the reverb of a bolter rifle as it punches through an Orkan sniper and sends bits and pieces of the creature's head scattering like a burst melon. Of course, these sounds can all be drowned out a bit by all the yelling and screaming of the Orkan hordes that more often than not attempt to literally swarm you and your Battle Brothers in a wave of blade and bullet death.

Which I should note that the Orks are, well, oddly sounding. Not in a bad kind of way, I was expecting Orks to come at me with this usual fantasy-filled grunts and howls. "Me big green Ork! Me kill!" in other words. I wasn't expecting them to sound like a bunch of west side rough necks looking for a good row (pronounced rOW not row, as in row, row your boat). It's somewhat comical, sure. As most Orks in the Warhammer setting usually are portrayed as, but I just never expected them to sound somewhat......intelligent.

Difficulty: 50-50ish. Yes you can regain health by first stunning then deathblowing an opponent (or two or more), but it can be quite hectic at times, especially when you're in the alone periods, low on health and trying to get in close enough to stun and down a target to regain that much needed boost to your lifebar. But as a squad? With both your Battle Brothers watching your flank and taking their fair share of the masses while you trample and tackle yours? Cakewalk stuff.

Collection Metric: Not too bad. There are various floating "Servo Skulls" that you can find scattered across the various chapters that kind of give you backstory to the world of Graia, if unfortunately not about your own character. And though Captain Titus (who, at least to me, sounds an awful lot like Clive Owen) comes across as an intelligent sounding, tactical man of war, it would have been nice to know more about the man you're controlling. It's a small, personal nuance on my part, but it would have been nice to know the man just a bit more.

Controls: Fluid and responsive. Going from ranged to melee is super-easy, and since you don't have to worry about micro-managing your squad, the battles are fierce, fast and fun. Three things that go great together in this game.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Despite very little backstory, especially in getting to know your own character, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine is big dumb bloody fun. If you never had the chance to feel like a God amongst mere mortals, this is the game that gives you that chance. There's even those demi-god moments when you're wielding a Hammer that's spitting lightning (THOR!!!) and launching yourself high up into the air to come crashing down to send a dozen or more Ork warriors scattering from the impact. Overall this game is a blast to play. Some people might be a little intimidated by the just sheer number of foes coming at you. But don't worry, once you get the hang of it all, even the most fearsome looking Ork simply becomes another notch on your chainsword as you disembowel and cut the giant down like a green blood spurting tree.

And that is a lot of fun to do.