Space Marine Review

Developers Relic are no strangers when it comes to the Warhammer 40,000 license with a number of successful games in the Dawn of War series which have seen a number of expansions and a sequel which has also seen it’s own expansions.
For Space Marine, Relic have changed things up with the third person genre, similar to what they did to RTS games with the launch of Dawn of War, they are offering a similar approach but switching up the rules, the result is for genre filled with cover-based shooters Space Marine is a refreshingly needed departure.

Lets start off with the main thing Space Marine does to separate itself from it’s competitors, in this game you won’t be hiding behind cover for the majority of the game, quite the opposite Space Marine openly encourages the player to get stuck in, the reasoning being the only way to regain health is by performing brutal executions in the heart of close combat.

Not only does this give this game a unique play style but it also introduces a risk and reward system, you can’t hang back and wait for things to recharge you have to get stuck in. There are moments in the campaign where you are totally surround by Orks and you have to rely on these executions to survive and it is just carnage and well, once you have come out of one of these encounters with a bodies scattered beneath you it’s an awesome feeling that you survived at all.

A downside to the satisfying combat is that it can, or should I say could get repetitive over the course of the single player campaign but due to smart level design and a nice variety in enemy types it keeps things feeling fresh. The game can’t be played in just one way you have to be switching things up between ranged and close combat and this is when the game is at its finest. Slicing up Orks with a chainsword rolling out of danger to pick off an Ork shoota with a head shot and this switch is seamless.
Even in saying that it would have been nice to see a wider array of combos at your disposal for the close combat weapons because they all have very similar combos.

Shooting feels good. All the guns have a nice weight to them especially some of the mounted guns like the heavy bolter which you can rip off and carry around mowing down the Ork horde.
Throughout the game you will use a nice assortment of weapons and you will find your favourites, there is even a nice touch of weapons drops at locations so you can switch up equipment.

The campaign will rank in around six to eight hours, it will have you tackling an Ork invasion, fighting a Warboss and pushing back the waves of Chaos. One thing that can be said about the campaign it has variety, the objectives and level design are very good, it will keep you on your toes from the majority of the time. Its worth noting that the pacing of the game is great, the game can be finished in two sittings purely for the fact you never feel like you want to stop.
My personal favourite sequences are the ones that use the jump pack, number one it allows for much greater movement and number two it is so much fun using it to crash down on your enemies from above. It also offers up a change of pace to the level design, jump pack levels will feature a vertical theme which is a nice contrast to the ground gameplay.
The early part of the game I found to be a little slow, while entertaining it took awhile to really get into it but once the third chapter of the game rolled in everything picks up from the challenge of the gameplay to the story and level design everything becomes that much better. It clicks.

For what it is worth the story found is Space Marine is decent but I’m not sure how well it will be received by players who aren’t familiar with the 40K lore. The game isn’t afraid of going all in, for fans they will enjoy this. Especially some of the later missions that reference certain places and events and some nods to other Relic games. Anybody that is new to it may come out with more questions than answers or simply confused as to who an Inquisitor is for example.

Aside from the main story plot there are servo skulls that can be collected which act as audio diaries which shed some light on the larger story at play, they do a good job of making the story richer, especially the ones that deal with characters that you meet so you can see things from their perspective while you aren’t there. The downside is you have to access these through a menu that breaks the immersion.

Once your done with the single player there really isn’t a lot to keep you going back for more, there are higher difficulties and the servo skulls but apart from that there isn’t much to bring you back, that is where the multiplayer comes in.

With many games now some kind of multiplayer is almost a guarantee and Space Marine is no different but there is one big difference the multiplayer is great and it can easily stand on its own.
The multiplayer game is a classed based made up of three classes, Tactical, Assault and Devastator. Each class has their own unique weapons and perks which are unlocked through levelling and by completing weapon challenges. Outside of this, there is the customisation option that allows for custom armour and paint schemes with the option of unlocking more armour types by completing challenges.

There are two options, versus multiplayer the standard versus matches that consists of capture the flag, team death match and domination. From what I have played the domination game type is the most popular and for good reason. The game just flows a lot better when there is a focus on objectives on the map over team death match. However, there is a downside, some matches will feature three points that focus the combat and other maps that will have five and this just spreads out the players. The maps with the three point are far, far better as conflict is a lot greater and focused.

The multiplayer is fast paced and fun with a focus on strategy you have to play to the strengths of the class, for example the Devastator is a beast at long range and with perks to increase his armour he is a great tool to use to capture or to hold points. If you rush around without thinking, you will end up dead nine times out of ten.

The second mode is best compared to the horde mode found in Gears of War. Here you will have the same options of classes but you will be teamed with three other people. As a team, you have the choice of two maps each with twenty rounds and every five rounds it will switch up to a new arena on that map. The last round of the five waves is when everything is thrown at you and it can be a task to survive, but if you are killed you can buy yourself back in with points your team has earned.
I can see myself sinking a good few hours into this mode because with a group of friends or random players this mode is enjoyable.

Visually the game looks great anyone that has played Dawn of War 2 will see some similarities here as it uses the same engine. The game features richly detailed character models and some nice lighting and effects which sets the atmosphere of the 40K universe.
One thing that does stand out at times is the environment there are times when it just looks flat lacking detail. It is a shame really, because the game shines in so many other areas

The overall presentation aside from for a few environments is top tier; one aspect that deserves some attention are the brutal animations of the attacks and executions. One of my personal favourites is the one where you pick up an Ork with one hand while sawing him in half with the chainsword all the while gallons of blood fill the screen. Moments like that sell, you completely as to what this 40K universe is like.

CONCLUSION
 
What can I say other than this game is fun, it’s easy to pick up and play with a solid single player and a multiplayer component that is worth your time, even the few minor flaws don’t detract from the overall experience.
Anyone that is familiar or are die hard fan of Warhammer 40000 will thoroughly enjoy the experience here in Space Marine it captures the universe perfectly in glorious slaughter. Fans of action games or shooters will find something they can enjoy in Space Marine and if anything else It is refreshing not having to hide behind a wall.