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Intro

Space Marine is the sort of game I think any reasonable person wants to love. Like a stray kitten on the side of the road abandoned in a box (or something like that). The game shouldn't need much intro most people who would read this already get the basics of what we're talking about so we'll skip the niceties and move on with our day.

Relic is not new to Warhammer 40,000. Most of us here have probably played the Dawn of War series of RTS games at some point. Relic is pretty good at the RTS, but they've never delved into a shooter before. I think we can all join in in hearty applause for the fact that this may be one of the most well done first attempts at a new genre ever. Playing Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine really doesn't feel like a first time delve into a new genre. Relic plays it out like masters, and players should be able to feel all the work that went into the controls and feel of Space Marine game. Many games squander this kind polish in favor of fancy graphics and flashy game play. But Relic it seems isn't one for style over substance. The game play of Space Marine is strong and will please not just fans for Warhammer 40,000, but I suspect others as well.

Playing Space Marine, makes you feel like a Space Marine. You're fast yet heavy, strong, yet not unkillable. The weapons feel like they hold power, and swinging a chainsword into a horde of orks or another player is very satisfying, perhaps the most satisfying melee combat to appear in a shooter. I myself was hesitant of it many months ago but now having played the game am very impressed at how seamless it is to switch from melee to ranged combat and back again. The jump pack controls are superb giving the feeling of jumping up on your thrusters and then slamming back down with enough force to crush whatever unfortunately happens to be underneath you. Relic deserves a lot of credit. Many games try and fail to create this feeling of control and power that fits perfectly into the game play, but Relic has nailed it on their first try.

Single Player

The single player campaign is where I started so I'll go over this first. In Space Marine, you play Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, and rush off to save a vital Warlord Titan on a planet besieged by orks. The game takes you through a diverse and well designed world of environments and against the hordes of orks that you can shoot, slash, and smash your way through with a variety of weapons that you come across over the course of the game. All the typical shooter fare is here. The standard bolter, the LMG in the form of the Heavy Bolter, and the melta gun serves as a suitable shot gun. Included among these are the melee weapons, which may be one of the funnest parts of the game and a break from more typical shooters.

That said, the single player has many problems. Pacing is bad in this campaign. You do a wide range things from defending a position from attack, to soaring into the air chainsword swigging with an assault pack, to gunning down Orks from the side of a Imperial Guard Valkyrie. The sad part, is that you never really get to enjoy any of these things. Just as you're starting to get into what you're doing and are ready for more- That's it. Its over and the game has thrown you into something else. I love the diversity in the campaign but desperately wish I'd been given more time to enjoy the various things I did, especially the assault pack sections of the game, among others. The story isn't bad, though fans of 40k fluff may notice a few oddities. In part, I do feel a little disappointed that we never really get much of an experience in the universe of Warhammer 40,000 in the game. Fans will be filled in, but new comers will leave feeling like the fiction was shallow and without depth. Space Marine does no injustice to the 40k universe, but I don't really think it does it justice either. The story is pretty predictable, and fairly standard for Space Marine focused 40k fiction.

Despite my criticism, single player is worth playing through at least once. Anything else is just gravy. What we all really expect out of our shooters these days though, is the ability to plug into the nearest wall, and starting shooting some poor guy across the country in the face.

Multi-Player

Multiplayer is, pretty darn awesome. Tactical marines feel tactical. Assault marines smash stuff, and Devastators shoot things with big guns. All the classes fit together wonderfully, and with a few exceptions are well balanced from my current experience. They are all fun to play, have their own challenges to overcome, and offer some good experience and their own play style. I especially applaud the Devastators who Relic has balanced well in a world of shooters where LMG's tend to be spammable death on roids. The weapons are varied and fairly well balanced. The multiplayer is a fun experience, especially with the ability to unlock armor pieces and customize your look. I think that even if you have no interest in Space Marine, at least rent it on your choice of console and give the multiplayer a try. It's worth a go through.

Some balance issues do exist. The bolter is somewhat a worthless weapon once you have the plasma rifle or the storm bolter. Even with a perk given over to the unlocked kraken rounds, the bolter can't compete with these later weapons. Assault Marines are not initially easy to play, but once you've had practice, well... A good Assault marine is overpowered. Especially if they use the Thunder Hammer or its mace Chaos counterpart, which amount to instant kill weapons. It's very difficult for a Tactical or a Devastator to survive once the Assault Marine gets close, which isn't that hard for a player with practice. Especially in Seize Ground, assault marines can easily dominate another team on some of the maps (especially Basilica). A good tactical can avoid melee long enough to kill an assault with some careful rolling, but Devastators will have a hard time and must take care in positioning and not be too lax. This is a minor issue and really only comes close to game breaking while an assault is using their hammer or mace. It helps that it actually takes quite a bit of practice though, so not just any noob can pick it up and start pwning without really trying.

The real problem for multiplayer though, is that you're going to run out of things to do pretty fast. The maps are excellent, and I don't think I dislike any of them, but there's only five. You only have two game modes, Annihilation aka team deathmatch, and Seize Ground, aka conquest/domination. The balance of the maps is good and they are varied enough to offer fun, but only having five can be pretty devastating especially with only two game modes. Challenges aren't really that challenging. You'll complete all of them in due course and don't really need to try to achieve any of them. Some players may like this, cause armor and perk unlocks are connected to the various challenges, but it would have been nice to have some that would take some effort to achieve.

There are a few other things that can be said of the multiplayer. Mics can be annoying if you're a PC user. You can only mute players manually, or by turning receiving to 0 in your Steam settings (not advised for Team Speak or Vent users). This can be quite frustrating, especially when someone enters in the middle of a game and you're treated to the wonderful sounds of whatever their doing (sarcasm). The lack of a minimap I also feel is worthy of mention. There is no way to know the location or status of teammates without visually seeing them other than the skull that appears when they die. This can make it hard to move as a group or coordinate with friends. Oddly, I find numerous friendly fire fights break out, I suspect because its hard to tell the difference between the Space Marines and the Chaos Space Marines in the heat of battle. You can end up firing rounds into a friendly and achieving nothing while an enemy assault jumps in and smashes you with a hammer. It is also worth mentioning that while Seize Ground successfully prevents spawn killing for the most part (assuming you aren't spawning onto a teleport homer or a point) you can base lock the opposing team by covering the exists, which is a frustrating experience if you happen to be on the unfortunate locked team.

Conclusion

In the end, Space Marine's only real draw back is that there just isn't that much to do. The campaign is fun but I don't see normal people playing through it more than a few times (I have learned never to underestimate the ferocity of some die hard 40k fans). You never get to enjoy anything you're doing long enough to really fall in love with any particular part of the game. Multiplayer only has 5 maps and 2 game mods. Progression will be fun, but once you've unlocked armor, hit max level, and completed most of the limited number of challenges most of which will be completed on your way to level 41 anyway, I don't really see much else to do. Space Marine suffers from content shortage (caused I suspect by a smaller budget than say, Halo Reach or Gears of War). I feel that after a week, most players will have done everything to do and the community will die with the upcoming releases of Gears of War 3, Battlefield 3, and Modern Warfare 3 (year of the 3's eh?). Still, you will probably recover your $50 investment in Space Marine, so its not like its not worth playingr or buying. I recommend the game for anyone. Its a fun experience, and the quality of the core game play is a treasure to itself.

Most of the problems in Space Marine, are problems of omission. Things that were just left out of the game. That said, what is in the game is marvelous. I can't stop praising how wonderful playing Space Marine feels. Part of me thinks the game will die fast, but another part does wonder just how long it can go. If you're a fan of 40,000, I say get it. You'll probably love your time with Space Marine. If you're not a fan, well... You might not even be on this forum to read this review, but if you are I do suggest giving it a try. There just might be enough awesomeness here to entice you. I suspect in part, especially given the ending of Space Marine's campaign, that this may not be the last 40k shooter we see. Relic has done an amazing job with the core of the game, and while it lacks content, I hope that it makes enough money to encourage a sequel and a bigger budget. If we all honor the Emperor and pray to the Machine God, maybe, just maybe, we'll be treated to another Space Marine down the road, and maybe one that can provide the content to back up the excellent work that Relic has begun here.

P.S. There are no free hats. I lied.

Excellent review, I agree whole-heartedly. I do wish there was more content, but I'm extremely pleased with the game mechanics and the single player and multiplayer are both very fun for now. Considering the limited budget compared to blockbuster games, this is the best news we 40k fans could hope for. We can rest assured that any future DLC will be giving us more of a game we already enjoy rather than trying to patch over something that's broken (which is how I originally expected the game would be on release!)

The thunderhammer isnt that bad if the person isn't also using the upgrade perk, then it will instantly kill you for the most part, but if you are traveling with a group, the best that assault can hope to do is go 1:1

I wish HP was a little higher, or you could carry a sword+shield combo or something, it is extremely difficult to resist the urge to use the hammer, i really want chainsword + healing upgrade + extra HP to work well, but you just get cut down too fast.

in a month when they release the horde mode, I think they would release some more maps, or dare i say.....new gamemodes!!

bombboy1252 wrote:in a month when they release the horde mode, I think they would release some more maps, or dare i say.....new gamemodes!!

Here's hoping the game sells enough for a constant stream of DLC and addons
it really is a really good game, with some tuning and more content it could be a great game.

Hopefully some of most DLC will be free. Releasing a game for with so little content and then asking $5 for more is a little dishonest I think.

Add in CTF and FFA plus 5 more maps and I'd be happy.

I was told there would be free hats?

nectarprime wrote:I was told there would be free hats?

Fine.

Slargs Review of Space Marine:

Game seems pretty good right now, Chowderhead be a jerk/heretic (Yo Slarg, lets boot up a game to get you used to it. "Ok, sounds fine to me" *Chowderhead has slain Slarg. Chowderhead has slain Slarg. Chowderhead has slain Slarg*)

Vengeance shalt be swift, Chowder. Vengeance shalt be swift.

I need to buy this game but i've been so busy. Nice review
Wish I had time to play it but damn my junior year of high school! *shakes fist*

MrH wrote:Add in CTF and FFA plus 5 more maps and I'd be happy.

Capture the Chapter/Warband Standard

Would be great.

CTF would be awsome in this game, devestators/havoks defend raptors/assault caping, tactical marines being all tactical like. fun time could be had.

My main complaint about the storyline is...

\

Aside from that, it was fun, but in retrospect I kinda agree that they needed to give us more time on the special sections.



Oh, and CTF rarely ever works. I haven't seen CTF done well since the Quake and Unreal series' last games.

Melissia wrote:My main complaint about the storyline is...

Spoiler:

How goddamned lame and cliche the story is in regards to the Inquisitor. Seriously Relic? Come ON! Would have been much better if the Inquisitor was killed off instead of corrupted.

\

Aside from that, it was fun, but in retrospect I kinda agree that they needed to give us more time on the special sections.



Oh, and CTF rarely ever works. I haven't seen CTF done well since the Quake and Unreal series' last games.

I know he was, but it's still essentially the same thing in effect.

Point is, the Inquisitor himself wasn't a traitor.

Anyway, would love CTF, or, dare I say... Last Man Fething Standing!

The whole thing with the Inquisitor isn't even a spoiler, which is kind of the sad part. Its all pretty cliche for SM storylines, but its not bad. It just really needed more time to brew in the oven so to speak (and maybe a little subtlety...) Its blatantly obvious which direction the story goes in Space Marine, so there aren't really any surprises. I do really wish they'd built more on the relationship between the three primary Ultras in the story though. Where was some potential to make the story more 'human' that way.

The only thing "strange" to me was Black Templars as bodyguards for the Inquisition ( since new Grey Knights kill everybody who ever saw them we must assume Maleus is using ordinary Astartes now ). Of all the 1000 Chapters they could choose they chose ones who are known for their rebellious nature and often saying "no" to the Inquisition.

It was nice to see them in even one 40k game dough...

Thank you for ruining a potential surprise in the Singeplayer, donkey-cave.

The game was out on September 6'th. today is September 9'th. Are you telling me you couldn't finish game by this time?
I finish all games in around 13 hours ( if they have a VERY long campaign ). And the video was on YouTube on the September 7'th, so everybody could see it.

The game has been out a day in some countries, if you're going to post spoilers make sure you warn people.

Brother Coa wrote:The only thing "strange" to me was Black Templars as bodyguards for the Inquisition ( since new Grey Knights kill everybody who ever saw them we must assume Maleus is using ordinary Astartes now ). Of all the 1000 Chapters they could choose they chose ones who are known for their rebellious nature and often saying "no" to the Inquisition.

I also found this extremely strange. The BT's appeared and I just stared at my screen wondering why they hadn't gotten into a brawl with that guy on the ride over

Don't worry about spoilers. This story is predictable and this isn't really all that revealing. Though Coa I would suggest more discretion in the future. I operate on the 5 year rule myself

I played the demo on ps3 and found the game boring as hell. I felt like I was playing Dinasty Warriors.

Brother Coa wrote:The game was out on September 6'th. today is September 9'th. Are you telling me you couldn't finish game by this time?
I finish all games in around 13 hours ( if they have a VERY long campaign ). And the video was on YouTube on the September 7'th, so everybody could see it.

I have a life outside of Dakka and my computer, I don't play videogames everyday.

Use spoiler tags, and stop being an ass. Oh, and in the U.K., it came out today (or yesterday I suppose their time)

Karon wrote:

Brother Coa wrote:The game was out on September 6'th. today is September 9'th. Are you telling me you couldn't finish game by this time?
I finish all games in around 13 hours ( if they have a VERY long campaign ). And the video was on YouTube on the September 7'th, so everybody could see it.

I have a life outside of Dakka and my computer, I don't play videogames everyday.

This, plus I chose to play MP and save SP for times when my internet connection on my 360 doesn't feel like working.

It hasn't even been a week yet, SPOILER TAGS.

LordofHats wrote:The bolter is somewhat a worthless weapon once you have the plasma rifle or the storm bolter. Even with a perk given over to the unlocked kraken rounds, the bolter can't compete with these later weapons.

A very well written review, with this exception: The bolter is a beast of a gun when you have both perks equipped, enough so that you truely aren't found wanting any other perk when you use them both.

Kraken Rounds: Doubles the Damage the Bolter does.

Target Locater: Makes the Bolter the most accurate gun in the game.

I have seriously sniped people who have the Stalker with my Bolter.

I have not used the target locater myself. However I stand by that damage wise, even with Kraken bolts the plasma rifle and the storm bolter bring enemies down faster. Especially with the storm bolter at close range.

Nice review, I'm going to buy this one as I was already planning on doing so.

LordofHats wrote:

nectarprime wrote:I was told there would be free hats?

Fine.

*puts on hat* Thanks for the hat.

Free Hat! Free Hat! Free Hat!
Yes, free Hat McCullough!

Ok, this bad joke aside does anybody else noticed how often "Space Marine" is shouted in the game? I played like 30 minutes and it felt like every ork and every guardsman had to shout this every time they saw you. It started to be annoying pretty fast. I know I play a Space Marine, no need to say this so often.