Relic Entertainment, best known for hit RTS games, such as Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War. Throwing their hat into the ring the third person shooter ring, Relic created a third person shooter-action hybrid set in the Warhammer, which sets an excellent frame work, and is a love letter to the Warhammer 40,000 universe. While the game has a great foundation, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines falls short on features, length, and replay value, with the story being more than a little excuse to slay hordes of Orks
Story
An invasion on the one of the forge worlds, that supplies the armies of man with weaponry, has come under attack of a million strong Ork horde, looking to loot and pillage. Losing one of the Titans, a massive walking mechanized machine, is not an option, and it is decided that the Ultramarines must be sent in, to secure the key assets, until reinforcements arrive. Players take control of the space marine Titus, who is a captain of the Ultramarines. The story does its job of keeping players interesting in the game, moving forward to slay baddies. Providing cliché plot elements, such as warp resistance, but never explaining certain things, it keeps the game moving forward, but sometimes feels like a cop out. Space Marine’s writing is acceptable, but will never impress anyone, seemingly staying close to the lore of Warhammer 40k as possible. Relic does a great job of depicting the Ultramarines as honorable, brave soldiers in the might of the Emperor, but also human.
Gameplay
Space Marine is nothing short of interesting, Relic does a fine job of creating a fast paced game. Mixing your standard ranged gunplay third person shooter, with an up close melee oriented action game. This style fits Space Marine surprisingly well, Titus feels powerful, being a genetically enhanced human, as he should be. Having a variety of equipment, ranged weapons from a bolter to the melta gun, each gun has a unique play style.
Keeping players in the action, Space Marine has a health system that rewards getting down and dirty. To recover health, Titus must stun an enemy, an icon will appear over that enemy, and then you must execute them, in a VERY satisfying bloody mist. Titus has the option of using several different melee weapons at his disposal, the classic chainsword to the brutal power hammer. This is when the real difference comes in for Space Marine, melee combat is downright entertaining. Melee weapons make the player feel like a walking one man army, unstoppable in his huge bulky metal armor. Each strike, each blow is lethal, powerful, and amazing feeling, making the player wanting to charge into the heat of battle head first.
However, this all feels like a framework that something a sequel would fix. Campaign is around 4-5 hours long, which in this day and age is abysmal. The health system while fine at the beginning of the game becomes problematic towards the end, when it becomes a standard third person shooter. I often felt myself hiding behind cover, as the unrelenting lasers from Chaos Soldiers, quickly chipped off my armor, and put me at low health. It feels like everything Relic was going for, was thrown out the window, creating frustration for the player, as the play style suddenly changes. Ai is laughable, often getting stuck in walls, or shooting behind cover, Titus’s squad is no help at all! No customization, players just swap equipment that’s lazily resting on top of boxes, you see before any new section. The enemy variety per race can be counted on one hand, while they are used in creative ways to keep it fresh, I wish relic added more variety and broke away from the Chaos or Ork type of baddies.
Multiplayer exists in two forms, a coop horde mode, which is not yet released, and 8 vs. 8 competitive modes with 3 classes you can pick from. Competitive mode does allow players to customize their own space marine, changing anything from colors, and armor style. Players can complete challenges based on the guns and equipment they use, which in turn unlocks perks. You earn exp by getting kills, assists and winning matches, when enough exp is earned, you level up, unlocking more equipment. Multiplayer felt laggy, and again like a base foundation. Most of my matches had lag that ruined it, but when no lag was found, it was a blast, just like the single player.
Graphics
Massive, is how Space Marine feels. Relic does an exceptional job of bringing the world of Warhammer to life. Enemies are detailed, fluid, taking all your strikes, blows, and bullets like a champ, then slicing into pieces or bloody gore. The depiction of all-out war is very alive in Relic’s hybrid game. Structures are massive, towering over the already huge and bulky space marines. I stopped quite a few times, just to admire, just how huge and well detailed the environments are. Relic took loving care in crafting this world, it is great to look at, stomp, maim, and kill in. Every detail in the Warhammer 40k lore is carefully detailed, from the space marines war scarred metal suit, to the giant titan and its menacing appearance. This is Warhammer 40,000, the game will not push the boundaries of graphics, but everything is fluid, and richly detailed.Sound
Sound in Warhammer is amazing, Relic does an extraordinary job in bringing every gun, shout, and thunder, which sounds and feels real. Hearing the witty banter of them Ork Boyz, as you saw into a group of them is oh so satisfying. Weapons sound like they have power and heft behind them, as you charge into battle, hearing your massive metal bulk, step by step. Ripping into the flesh of countless bodies of Orks, is both gruesome and believable sounding. Grab a chainsword and go to town on hordes of Daemons or Orks, the sound of the saw cutting into flesh, keeps you wanting to tear into more enemies. Titus gets to use a jetpack, the crashing boom, as you drop what feels like tons of force from above on your enemies, sounds impressive and fun. The environment is filled with the sounds of war, guns going off, cries, “WAAAAGH!” as Orks charge into the fray. Voice acting is good and believable, while not giving any emotional acting, it more than does the job, and fits the Warhammer 40,000 theme. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine has a lot right going for it. It fully realizes the world of Warhammer 40k, with detailed graphics and exceptional sound. Gameplay is both fun and addicting, but leaves you wanting. Space Marine also has a very short 4 to 5 hour campaign and multiplayer that may or may not develop a following. Everything in Space Marine feels like a base and not a complete product, but Relic has an excellent foundation to build on.
0 comments:
Post a Comment