By William Bernard
We’re going to take a break from the norm here. Instead of looking at another mobile or Facebook game, we’ve decided to tackle a full on AAA release, namely THQ and Relic’s latest offering, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine. We’re big fans of the setting here at the Tukko office, so we couldn’t really help ourselves when this game came out to give it a proper run through. All together, the game serves up plenty of action and fun, despite being a little shallow when compared to its peers.
Space Marine takes place in Games Workshop’s brutal science fiction setting of the 41stMillennium. Mankind has spread throughout the stars, forming a quasi-religious interstellar government in the process, and is constantly at war with savage alien races, demonic entities, and all other sorts of nasty stuff. It’s a deep and complex world, and well worth checking out for any fan of science fiction. Leading the struggle against the enemies of mankind are the Space Marines, genetically engineered super soldiers, bristling with armor and weaponry. You play as Captain Titus, a member of the Ultramarine chapter, and are tasked with saving a world from a savage Ork invasion.
Orks in space? Well yes, that’s one of the many charms of the 40k universe. Truth be told, the storyline for Space Marine isn’t exactly stellar, but it does at least try to showcase the conflict of order and chaos that the 40k Universe has generally held as a primary theme throughout its publishing life. Apart from the aforementioned Captain Titus, it’s difficult to really grow attached to any of the ancillary characters, only because they simply seemed more like an afterthought.
Despite that, the story is WELL TOLD, through good use of cinematic cut scenes and in-game chatter. After a brilliant introduction, your character is thrown head first into the conflict. The game plays from a behind-the-back perspective, similar to anyone who may have played Gears of War. The action gets hectic and fun fast, with a combination of shooting and melee mechanics thrown in. There’s always something to shoot at, and the melee kills are particularly satisfying, capturing the violent essence of the setting so well. As you progress through the game, you will collect a variety of weapons, although you’re always limited to carrying four at most in addition to the melee weapon of your choice (the exception being the Hammer, which limits you to TWO ranged weapons)
Enemies will come at you in waves, and these can be incredibly imposing at first, as the visuals and sounds in the game do a fantastic job of making your opponents seem like the fierce, war thirsty beasts that they are. The developers have aced hitting the feel of the game perfectly, and you’ll be completely engrossed into the game in no time.
Unfortunately the game suffers from a lack of variety. Eventually the game continues to throw the same situation at you over and over again –clear a room of enemies, defeat several waves of enemies, etc. This can get a little tiresome after a while, and although the game does throw in some variety occasionally, they are too few and far between to really make a difference.
The final boss is also quite a let-down, as the game builds up the tension dramatically only to rush you through the final encounter to the credit sequence. You really won’t feel a great sense of accomplishment defeating the last boss, at least we didn’t.
Multiplayer remains a fun diversion, although again, not particularly deep. There are two main modes, team death match and capture and hold. You start off with a basic load out, but as you gain multiplayer ranks (which happens quite quickly) you’ll unlock more slots and weaponry with which you can customize your character. You will also be allowed to browse through a large selection of paints and liveries with which you can then further customize your character. Don’t expect Space Marine’s multiplayer to blow anything out of the water – but for what it is, it still remains fun.
And that’s really the sum of it. Despite its drawbacks, Space Marine remains a very fun game. The action is fantastic, the visuals and sounds absolutely amazing, and the multiplayer a fun diversion. Fans of the setting will absolutely want to check it out, and even for those new to the entire Warhammer 40k universe, Space Marine offers a fantastic taste of what kind of place it is. The game won’t win any awards, but it certainly has earned a spot on my shelf.
Click here to visit Warhammer 40k: Space Marine.
[Download the file here Tukko Rating | Warhammer 40k: Space Marine]
[Tukkolabs]
Tukko Rating | Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
By William Bernard
We’re going to take a break from the norm here. Instead of looking at another mobile or Facebook game, we’ve decided to tackle a full on AAA release, namely THQ and Relic’s latest offering, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine. We’re big fans of the setting here at the Tukko office, so we couldn’t really help ourselves when this game came out to give it a proper run through. All together, the game serves up plenty of action and fun, despite being a little shallow when compared to its peers.
Orks in space? Well yes, that’s one of the many charms of the 40k universe. Truth be told, the storyline for Space Marine isn’t exactly stellar, but it does at least try to showcase the conflict of order and chaos that the 40k Universe has generally held as a primary theme throughout its publishing life. Apart from the aforementioned Captain Titus, it’s difficult to really grow attached to any of the ancillary characters, only because they simply seemed more like an afterthought.
Enemies will come at you in waves, and these can be incredibly imposing at first, as the visuals and sounds in the game do a fantastic job of making your opponents seem like the fierce, war thirsty beasts that they are. The developers have aced hitting the feel of the game perfectly, and you’ll be completely engrossed into the game in no time.
The final boss is also quite a let-down, as the game builds up the tension dramatically only to rush you through the final encounter to the credit sequence. You really won’t feel a great sense of accomplishment defeating the last boss, at least we didn’t.
Multiplayer remains a fun diversion, although again, not particularly deep. There are two main modes, team death match and capture and hold. You start off with a basic load out, but as you gain multiplayer ranks (which happens quite quickly) you’ll unlock more slots and weaponry with which you can customize your character. You will also be allowed to browse through a large selection of paints and liveries with which you can then further customize your character. Don’t expect Space Marine’s multiplayer to blow anything out of the water – but for what it is, it still remains fun.
And that’s really the sum of it. Despite its drawbacks, Space Marine remains a very fun game. The action is fantastic, the visuals and sounds absolutely amazing, and the multiplayer a fun diversion. Fans of the setting will absolutely want to check it out, and even for those new to the entire Warhammer 40k universe, Space Marine offers a fantastic taste of what kind of place it is. The game won’t win any awards, but it certainly has earned a spot on my shelf.
Click here to visit Warhammer 40k: Space Marine.
[Download the file here Tukko Rating | Warhammer 40k: Space Marine]
[Tukkolabs]