Very few games can say that they have made the jump from tabletop minature wargame to full-blown video game franchise, in fact, "Warhammer 40,0000" may be the only one. With an abundance of experience in the MMO space, and even an XBLA/PSN title under its belt, "Warhammer" seems like its ready to make a reach for the mainstream crowd with the franchise's latest release, "Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine."
THE BASICS
"Space Marine" puts you in the hefty boots of Captain Titus, a steadfast defender of Forge World, where he and his Ultramarines are treated like some kind of warrior/royalty hybrid. You set out to stop the Ork invasion, and save humans from their green-skinned plight. The game plays out as a very standard single player, third-person shooter, with a nice mix of melee combat thrown in. "Space Marine" also includes a competitive multiplayer, that allows you to go online, and battle other Ultramarines to the death.
THE HIGHS
A Few Good Men
As you play through "Space Marine" you begin to realize that the team at Relic got a lot of things right. The controls, gameplay, balance, and graphics are all fundamentally sound, and that coalesces into a familiar, yet satisfying experience. Players won't feel like they're fighting with the game at any point, making it enjoyable from beginning to end.
First To Fight
Seemingly in an attempt to set itself apart from some of the other similarly designed games on the market, "Space Marine" exchanges cover-based gameplay for more melee-based battles. It's a welcome change, especially since melee executions are both satisfying and one of the only ways to recover health. Couple that with the fact that you won't find Captain Titus unintentionally auto-locking to walls as you walk by them, and your Chainsword (thats right, Chainsword) is likely to become your Ork-smashing weapon of choice.
Space Marines Never Get Tired
Easily one of the best features of "Space Marine" is the constant run. Click in with your left stick and you're off, until you decide you want to stop; not when your character gets winded. Sometimes it's the little things.
THE LOWS
Hoards of Orks
Relic seems like they settled on some ideas that worked early on in the game, and stuck with them throughout pretty much all of "Space Marine." The gameplay does vary too much; it's essentially run and gun or hack-n-slash depending on your style. The enemies don't vary too much; there's a few varieties of Orks, but you're going to see pretty much all of them in every battle. You feel like you're playing through the same battle sequence over and over.
Annihilation And Seize Ground
"Space Marine" includes an obligatory multiplayer mode, which, overall, is actually not that bad, however there are a few small things that keep it from being great. Matchmaking doesn't seem to be implemented all too well, with first time players being thrown to the level 20+ wolves as soon as they start playing. On top of that, the leveling up doesn't seem to happen quickly enough, making the progression feel like the pace is off, inevitably delaying the unlocking of weapons and armor upgrades. That being said, the matches themselves are enjoyable, but limited to only two modes (versions of deathmatch and capture and hold), with only a handful of maps to support them.
What Kind Of A Marine Are You Again?
The name of the game is "Space Marine," however Captain Titus is constantly referred to as an "Ultramarine" throughout the entire game. It's a small gripe, but for as generic as a term that "space marine" has become, "Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarine" seems like it would have been a less convoluted and more accurate title.
THE VERDICT
"Warhammer" fans that also dabble in video games will be sufficiently pleased with "Space Marine," and everyone else may be too. At its' core, "Space Marine" is a solid game; it looks great, plays smoothly, and is adequately compelling. However, when you look at the big picture, which includes a multiplayer that's just close enough to good to be frustrating, and campaign gameplay that is pretty much the same as every other third-person action game on the market, "Space Marine" isn't perfect. For gamers that enjoy shooting and smashing things (especially Orks), "Space Marine" is worth at least some of your time – I'd guess about 11 days from the publishing of this review.