(release) 9/6/11
(developer) Relic Entertainement
(publisher) THQ
(platform) Xbox 360, PS3 (reviewed on), PC, Onlive
The realm of Warhammer seems a bit odd on consoles. It hasn’t differed too much from its real time strategy origins, so when a new console game is announced in the Warhammer 40K universe that isn’t a PC exclusive, it tends to generate some buzz. This has been tried before, with entries on the Sega Saturn/PS1 (1996’s Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels) and the PS2 (2003’s Fire Warrior). These games were met with very little commercial or critical success. Maybe it was because they were much more action oriented than their PC cousins. People were used to real time strategy, not mediocre first person shooting. However, there is still hope. With advances in technology and game design, did Space Marine mark a triumphant return for Warhammer fans? In short......erm......no.
First, some bad news. I’m not an expert in Warhammer 40K lore, and in my experience with the game it doesn’t do much to help bring you up to speed. It feels tailor-made for Warhammer fans, like a movie you’re thrown in the middle of where you know none of the characters or storylines. When you do get the feel for the story, you’ll find it’s not very enthralling or interesting in the least. You play as Captain Titus, the leader of a group of space marines called the Ultra Marines. You’re tasked with eliminating as massive force or Orks hellbent on destroying and conquering everything in their path. This is about as generic as it comes, especially if you’re one of the many who can’t relate to the narrative. You and your small band of fellow marines trudge through one area to the next, massacring every ork unlucky enough to get in your way. And that’s about.......it. Really. There is hardly any deviation from that formula. Cutscenes are there to help develop the story but they appear too often and break up the flow of the game. Yes, there are a few parts of the game that offer decent entertainment, but it’s all been done before. Much better, in fact.
Here’s some, albeit short lived, good news! At its core, Space Marine is all about the combat, and it’s the best part of the game (but that’s not really saying much). It’s a mix of over the shoulder shooting mechanics and the frenzied melee combat of God of War or Dante’s Inferno. There isn’t a cover system, but I don’t mind that because it forces you to stay on your toes and be alert at all times. You can’ just hide behind cover taking out one enemy at a time. Along the way you’ll find several different guns, from your standard pistol and machine gun, to chargeable plasma rifles and sniper rifles. You can switch between them at anytime with the d-pad. I found myself using mostly the pistol as it had decent stopping power and infinite ammo. You can use any of them to your hearts desire though because ammo is fairly plentiful throughout the course of the game. Titus can only carry one melee weapon at a time and these aren’t quite as diverse. He starts with the chainsaw sword, and can upgrade to power axes or huge, glowing hammers. Unfortunately, There really isn’t much of a difference between the melee weapons. Some may be faster than others, but I never noticed myself favoring one over the other. They all feel basically identical, and this isn’t helped by the fact that the combos are really barebones. You have a weak and heavy attack and a slew of button combinations between them, however when you upgrade to a new weapon you don’t unlock any more moves. The combos don’t change whatsoever. It’s just really lazy game design on the developer's part. Hell, there isn’t even a block button. Eventually you’ll acquire the jetpack for limited amounts of time and begin raining down hammer strikes from above, killing dozens of orks at a time. It makes combat a lot more fun and dynamic for a while, but it doesn’t happen often enough.
Things don’t get much better in terms of presentation and design. While the graphics aren’t necessarily bad, they don’t do anything to stand out from the crowd. Characters are modeled fairly well but won’t have you admiring them and the level design meets the same fate. Industrial, rust covered battlefields and uninspired corridors seem to endlessly repeat themselves until the credits roll. There is no exploration at all (unless you count an odd room tacked on to the side of a hallway with an audio log collectible). You are funneled from one fight to the next, with nothing to do in between. I really did have to force myself to continue playing the game at points, that’s how disinterested I became.
FINAL WORDS:
All in all, there’s not much to say about Space Marine. It feels shallow and dull, like a movie licensed game that only garners interest from the most rabid of fanboys. It doesn’t offer anything that other franchises don’t do much, much better. I’ll go as far as to say that any other game in this genre will run circles around this mess. It’s unfortunate, though, because the subject matter is somewhat interesting and some of the gameplay was fun at certain times. In the hands of a different developer, someone with a fresh take on things, this could have been a worthwhile endeavor. That’s not the case here, however, and I really think that even the most diehard Warhammer fans should think twice about picking this one up. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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