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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Review

4
  • X360
  • PC

Space Marine's balance between melee and ranged combat separates this savage and brutal game from so many other copycat shooters.

This ork is very surprised about what is happening to his stomach.
This ork is very surprised about what is happening to his stomach.

Has any modern franchise had its core creative ideas as repeatedly ripped off as Warhammer 40K? The bleak, vicious world of the future portrayed by the popular tabletop game--where a hyper-advanced humanity fends off total annihilation from all sides thanks to an all-powerful immortal emperor and his legions of devoted, fearless, power-armored disciples--seems ideal for video game adaptation, regardless of genre. The setting was so appealing, in fact, that other game developers were happy to rip off elements of that setting for their games. Whether the universe’s various armies were lifted directly, or the weapons that defined that universe were merely borrowed as an “homage,” 40K has been plundered by other developers while Games Workshop struggled to properly get its universe out there.

Now, developer Relic--who had great success adapting Warhammer 40K in the Dawn of War series--brings the franchise to consoles as a third-person shooter, a genre already teeming with games that sort of look like they're set in the 40K universe. But Space Marine wisely carves out its own unique take on the genre, trading traditional cover-based antics for a balanced mix of satisfying shooting and brutal, effective melee combat. It’s not as interesting a representation of the 40K universe as the Dawn of War games, but Space Marine’s satisfying combat--at range and up close--makes the game stand out.

The titular Space Marine in this game is Ultramarine Captain Titus, member of the Emperor's personal chapter of armor-clad zealots. When one of humanity’s massive forge worlds comes under an invasion of the greenskined orks, Captain Titus and two other chapter members are deployed to hold the planet before the main force arrives on the planet. Upon landing, Titus must turn the tide of the orkish horde and will discover that there are more chaotic forces on the planet than anyone initially expected.

Slamming down on an Orkish horde from the sky is one of Space Marine's primary joys.
Slamming down on an Orkish horde from the sky is one of Space Marine's primary joys.

Having a ground-level view of Warhammer 40K’s most iconic forces is the real appeal of Space Marine, and it’s on that front that the game delivers with its unique twist on standard shooter tropes. Relic’s savage game asserts that a centuries-old battle hardened super warrior wearing a suit of hyper-advanced and resilient power armor doesn’t really need to concern himself so much with taking cover. As such, Space Marine’s ruthless combat is an up-close and personal affair. Titus comes to battle with the same kind of defenses as Master Chief, a layer of shields protecting a health bar. The shield bar regenerates as you might expect from a modern shooter, but no mere health pack will repair your critical line of defense. Instead, Captain Titus can only regain health by getting in close to his orkish enemies, stunning them and then promptly executing them in some vicious, savage, and awesome way. It’s not the most natural game mechanic, but it forces you to stay closer to your enemies than you would normally get in modern third-person shooters, and it leads to that incredibly satisfying moment when, to save yourself from death, you charge directly into the enemy ranks and begin hacking them to death with chainswords and warhammers. It’s exactly the kind of ridiculous gameplay design that shows how badass the Space Marines are, charging directly into the enemy even at their most dire moments.

Of course, that particular design mechanic wouldn’t matter if the core gameplay didn’t measure up, and Space Marine’s wide arsenal of satisfying weapons sell the action. The default Bolter rifle that forms the core of Titus’ gear is an incredibly satisfying machine gun, good at all ranges and perfect for closing the distance between ranged battes and melee masacres. The rest of 40K’s weaponry also makes the transition to a shooter well. From Lascannon sniper shots that obliterate multiple enemies, to the room-clearing Melta gun sweeps, to the satsifying explosive energy shots of the Heavy Plasma gun, Space Marine’s assortment of weapons (and the frequency with which new weapons are introduced) insures that you have multiple ways to clear out the orkish army. Of course, the real star of Space Marine is the melee weapons which slice apart multiple enemies with a single swing and allow you to execute enemies with some great animations. The melee combat may be a little simplistic (you won’t confuse it for modern character-action games) but it works surprising well as a compliment to the shooting action you’d expect from the genre. The melee and shooting form a fresh combination that helps to underscore why the Space Marines represent the Forge World’s (and humanity’s) best chance against the enemy.

The three multiplayer classes work well in supporting each other.
The three multiplayer classes work well in supporting each other.

Space Marine also allows players the opportunity to get hands-on time on the classic weapons and gear of the 40K universe. Relic’s Dawn of War also faithfully recreated the minutiae of the tabletop game, but that memorable equipment and those classic enemies have never been rendered in more detail than they are in Space Marine. You’ll see (and murder) lovingly detailed Shoota and Slugga Boyz, Squibs and (eventually) Daemons and Chaos Marines as you travel through the skull-strewn gothic stonework that typifies the world of Warhammer 40K. The equipment and environments help to make the world feel consistent and, consequently, seem real and fleshed out.

It’s just too bad that the game’s actual story does nothing to invest you in the game world. Titus’ battle to save the Forge World is mostly cliched, and filled with basic, boring characters. The Dawn of War games do an awesome job of portraying the Space Marines' fanatical devotion to their god-Like Emperor and the extremes to which they’ll go in order to protect humanity and stop the spread of chaos, even if it means eradicating all life on a planet. The Marines are zealots whose devotion is unwavering and who will happily execute a fellow human soldier rather than allow their cowardice. Captain Titus, on the other hand, is a bland straight arrow of a leader, a politically correct Space Marine who too often displays the kind of basic kindness and understanding that the 40K universe avoids. His only real attributes are his devotion to his mission and his ruthless competency. The rest of the game's cast includes Obvious Rookie Who Plays By The Book, Obvious Grizzled Veteran, and Obvious Betrayer, all of whom are called to protect a Maguffin that, in the wrong hands, could destroy the planet or potentially unmake reality. Worst of all, the game directly plays into the object’s role as a Maguffin; the second Titus hands said object to someone else in the story, that character is immediately killed off to keep the plot going. It’s a little disappointing, especially in the wake of Relic’s other games in the franchise, to see such a simple premise for the game, but the core action is still interesting and satisfying enough to make up for the weak story.

In addition to the game’s six-to-eight-hour campaign, Space Marine offers a multiplayer mode that is far more traditional in scope and content than its single player campaign. The balance between melee combat and ranged attacks is still present, but the focus on that gameplay structure is lessened in favor of class-based gameplay. Players can choose to play as normal or Chaos Space Marine versions of the standard, rifle-bearing tactical marine, the slower, heavy weapon-bearing devastators, and the jet pack equipped, melee-focused assault marines. By dividing and segmenting potential combat roles by class and focusing combat on much smaller groups of enemies, Space Marine loses many of the unique gameplay scenarios that make the single-player game so interesting.

Every day is a chainsword party when you're a Space Marine!
Every day is a chainsword party when you're a Space Marine!

That’s not to say the multiplayer isn’t fun, however. All of the single-player weapons make their way online and are still fun to use. In particular, the assault Marine--with his jump jet pack and devastating ground-slam attacks-- is a total blast to play, as he can traverse the entire map with ease and charge directly into enemies. There are only two game modes in Space Marine--Capture the Point and Team Deathmatch-- but both modes work in favor of the class-based structure of the game. And in keeping with the game’s miniature origins, you can customize your marines online with a variety of paint schemes, armor parts, and emblems. The opportunity to hack a Chaos Marine to death as a pink Space Marine is still worth checking out, even if the multiplayer doesn’t always play to the game’s strengths.

Unfortunately, that multiplayer fun is dependent on being able to join a multiplayer game, a simple request that the PS3 version of Space Marine cannot fulfill. Space Marine suffers from some of the slowest matchmaking I have ever seen in a console game, with wait times as long as 20 to 40 minutes to get into a single game. This is made worse by the fact that Space Marine doesn’t kick inactive players from games. I left Space Marine running for two hours unattended, and I still found myself in no multiplayer matches. No matter how far and wide you cast your NAT, you’re probably not going to get multiplayer games any faster. The PC had similar matchmaking problems but was fixed on Relic's end, while the Xbox 360 version's matchmaking works as intended. As a result, the PS3 version is handily the worst version of the three, and although Relic is trying to rush a patch out, you should consider other platforms at the moment if you want to mix it up online.

Still, the core single-player remains unaffected by those online issues, and it’s the real meat of Space Marine. By looking to its own fiction for inspiration, Relic has crafted a fun, exciting shooter that effectively differentiates itself from other games in the genre. Warhammer fans in particular will relish the opportunity to play with the universe’s arsenal, but even non-fans looking for a fun shooter could enjoy Space Marine’s savagery and unique take on the formula. Space Marine isn’t the most substantial release, but it’s a violent ride that proves there is fun to be had by ridding the galaxy of any and all Xenos.

80 Comments

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zombie2011

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Edited By zombie2011

This community is starting to annoy me, you always have to bitch about every little thing.

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boyusmaximus

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Edited By boyusmaximus

I already bought the game, I wouldn't bother reading the review normally, but I saw Kessler wrote it and wanted to indicate my approval. This website needs more Kessler, and less haters.

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EchoEcho

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Edited By EchoEcho

@DeanoXD said:

wow sad to see that so soon after the yearly renewal that the c team is putting up content, sorry but i can't stand kessler and if he is going to be part of GB team i will have to rethink my renewal next year

If the rest of the staff didn't think Kessler's reviews were good enough for the site, they wouldn't be letting him write them. Common sense, sir. You may not like him (for no apparent reason) but by making this complaint, you're also insulting the competence of the people who tasked him with this review.

Personally, I have no issue with Kessler, and he writes smart reviews, including this one. Giant Bomb shouldn't be a popularity contest. The guys aren't celebrities -- they're journalists.

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Irishranger

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Edited By Irishranger

Good work Kessler. Look forward to more of your stuff.

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outerabiz

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Edited By outerabiz

@Cyrisaurus said:

@MattBodega: So if a patch went up tomorrow, fixing everything wrong, would you remove the side review and include the PS3 version in the 4 star party?

Not trying to flip out on you, I love me some Kessler, but this really irked me for some reason.

you can't review a game based on an assumption that it will be patched, that's like giving a game a good score because you suspect that it might get some great DLC down the line, also publishers should not ship broken products.

I personally feel reviewers across all publications have been far to soft on broken games this generation.

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napalm

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Edited By napalm

@zombie2011 said:

This community is starting to annoy me, you always have to bitch about every little thing.

How many times can I quote this?

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Rahf

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Edited By Rahf

I'm guessing that almost all of you probably have at least one current-gen console and a decent PC. wouldn't you want someone to tell you "hey! On this console the game has issues, but the other console you have runs it just fine."

It's sad to see parts of the GB community continuously whine about trivial matters.

PS: Kessler, either have someone proof-read or go over your review. I'm seeing some typos.

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napalm

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Edited By napalm

@Shane said:

Unnecessary to do two reviews, just write a paragraph in the review about the PS3's network issues.

Nobody was talking to you and you were not called upon. Go away.

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AngelN7

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Edited By AngelN7

The only thing that bothers me is that little cupid and the fact he´s happy even when giving a game a 3 star rating this is madness!

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ChristianCastillo

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@Napalm said:

@Shane said:

Unnecessary to do two reviews, just write a paragraph in the review about the PS3's network issues.

Nobody was talking to you and you were not called upon. Go away.

I agree with shane, totally unnecessary.

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satansmagichat

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Edited By satansmagichat

I mean, I think it's important and all that Kessler mentions that bad matchmaking on the PS3 version, but isn't he setting a pretty dangerous precedent giving it a separate score? After all, the PC version of Dead Island has the same rating as the Xbox and Playstation versions, even though it still doesn't work for many people. I understand backing up what one member of the staff does, but like I said, this is setting a precedent I'm not sure GB wants to deal with.

Edit: Nevermind. I see that they've done this before, I just don't check reviews enough to recognize it (Kane and Lynch 2 and Bayonetta, eg). Just ignore what I said above.

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Krakn3Dfx

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Edited By Krakn3Dfx

Why does Giantbomb hate the PS3?

/sarcasm off

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jimi

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Edited By jimi

Kessler you need to work on your review taglines, seriously. However the review itself was really good, keep it up!

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deanoxd

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Edited By deanoxd

@EchoEcho said:

@DeanoXD said:

wow sad to see that so soon after the yearly renewal that the c team is putting up content, sorry but i can't stand kessler and if he is going to be part of GB team i will have to rethink my renewal next year

If the rest of the staff didn't think Kessler's reviews were good enough for the site, they wouldn't be letting him write them. Common sense, sir. You may not like him (for no apparent reason) but by making this complaint, you're also insulting the competence of the people who tasked him with this review.

Personally, I have no issue with Kessler, and he writes smart reviews, including this one. Giant Bomb shouldn't be a popularity contest. The guys aren't celebrities -- they're journalists.

common sense sir, is acknowledging that people have opinions, likes, dislikes and i have mine. Jeff may like kessler that doesn't automatically mean i have to. i am not insulting anyone, is the GB staff insulting game developers when they write reviews of their games when they don't like those games? no they are stating their opinions on the game.

but what i do find disturbing is that the PS3 version gets a separate lower score and GB seems ok with starting and if let to go on a console war on the site. if this was a day one review i might think differently but its not so in my opinion it was done for no other reason then to fan the flames of fanboyzism on both sides.

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russcat

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Edited By russcat

Though I feel it's a bit redundant to call out 40k getting ripped off a lot, since it seems basically to be a rip-off of the Alien / Aliens movies itself, I enjoyed the review, especially the plot synopsis.

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EchoEcho

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Edited By EchoEcho

@DeanoXD: Your dislike of Kessler is an opinion -- I never said you couldn't have that. But disliking him as a person has nothing to do with the quality or validity of his reviews, and that is what I was addressin. But you didn't address the quality of his review aside from saying it was a "bad idea" to let him write them, with your only reason being that you "can't stand him."

You refer to him as being a member of the "C-Team" and state that the fact he's allowed to put up content is enough to make you rethink your subscription -- you can say you're not insulting anyone, but that is very clearly a slight against his competency. Never mind the part where you likened him to a hideous mole.

You also don't seem to realize that by insulting him and claiming he shouldn't be allowed to write content, you are also insulting the judgement of the people who told him to write said content -- namely, Jeff, Ryan, et al. As I said before: If they didn't think his content was of good enough quality to be posted alongside their own, they wouldn't let him post it.

This also isn't the first time that a review on Giant Bomb has given different scores for the same game on different platforms, nor is it a rare occurrence among game review websites in general, so using that as your reasoning for writing off his review doesn't make any sense -- claiming that they did it with the express purpose of fueling a fanboy war makes even less.

You may not agree with the reason for him giving the PS3 version a lower score, but the multiplayer flat-out not working is a pretty big deal when it's half the game, and he decided that half the game not working was a good enough reason to remove a star. The fact that it will be patched out later is immaterial: it wasn't functioning at the time of the review, and you don't review the product as it will exist sometime in the future, you review it as it is now. This is not Kessler fucking things up -- this is how product reviews are handled everywhere.

Like I said, you can dislike Kessler as a person as much as you want -- that is very much your opinion and you're entitled it. But it has nothing to do with whether or not he's qualified to produce content for this website, and dismissing his reviews out of hand just because you have a sour opinion of him is hardly fair.

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mewarmo990

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Edited By mewarmo990

Great, balanced review, Matt Kessler!

To the people bitching,

1. It is perfectly valid to reduce a game's rating for having a broken multiplayer launch. 2. GB editors have given different reviews and scores for different platforms in the past.

@AngelN7 said:

The only thing that bothers me is that little cupid and the fact he´s happy even when giving a game a 3 star rating this is madness!

FYI, on a five-star scale, three stars is a good rating. Just 'good' and nothing more, but certainly not a negative or even neutral score.

Now, change that to a 6 out of 10 and it would definitely have the connotations you're thinking of.

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deactivated-5c7ea8553cb72

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"Bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch and bitch without anything constructive ever said."- Select people in the Giant Bomb community.

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Edited By PsyChronic

This review is on point. Space Marine's campaign strikes a very effective balance between melee and ranged combat. Although I have never been the biggest Warhammer 40k fan, I love the Dawn of War and Space Marine themes. Relic continually does their license more justice than almost any other developer seems capable of doing with theirs (notable exception = Rocksteady with Batman). That said, the feeling of slaughtering massive hordes of Orks and legions of Chaos Daemons with a Thunder Hammer & Lascannon is much more satisfying in an action game than an rts. I hope this is just the first in a series of Space Marine action games. Now, where's our co-op?

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BelligerentEngine

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@Russcat said:

Though I feel it's a bit redundant to call out 40k getting ripped off a lot, since it seems basically to be a rip-off of the Alien / Aliens movies itself, I enjoyed the review, especially the plot synopsis.

40k has basically nothing to do with aliens. The universe is a spin off of Warhammer Fantasy, which in turn has other sources of inspiration "Tolkien etc..." If you are specifically referencing tyranids then yes maybe, but only genestealers the rest of them have basically no resemblance to xenomorphs in form or function. If you are talking about space marines, then also no. The only similarities between 40k's interpretation and the Ridley Scott's version is that they share the same title. Sorry if you think I'm being a dick about this, but I love the 40k Universe all its dumb idiosyncrasies be damned. So please don't say blatant falsehoods.

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EnchantedEcho

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Edited By EnchantedEcho

Yeah Kessler! Leep up the good work, enjoyed reading your review.

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smiddy

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Edited By smiddy

@EchoEcho: God it's nice to see people talking some sense. Thankyou.

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Edited By Sooty

@MattBodega said:

@Cyrisaurus: We review the game as is. As of this morning, Space Marine is still messed up on the PS3 and still fine everywhere else. We've done similar things for Bayonetta on the PS3 and Kane and Lynch 2 on the 360.

Eh you can hardly compare Bayonetta to Space Marine. Bayonetta was a horrible port that ran at damn near half the framerate at times where as Space Marine will probably be patched to fix the matchmaking issues. Kane and Lynch 2 had more severe issues than just having busted matchmaking too.

and from what I'm hearing the matchmaking isn't quite as bad as you are making it out to be. Black Ops matchmaking was pretty fucked up for weeks after release.

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Tennmuerti

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Edited By Tennmuerti

@MattBodega: Good review Kessler, props.

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Edited By mattbodega

@Sooty: The main reason Kane and Lynch 2 scored lower on the 360 than the PS3 was the freezing bug, And the matchmaking in Space Marine is that bad on PS3. Just minutes before the review went live, I tried to join a multiplayer match one last time on the PS3. It took 20 minutes to join a match.

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SmithCommaJohn

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Edited By SmithCommaJohn

SPOYCE MAH-RHEEEEN!!!

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Balex1908

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Edited By Balex1908

So the rating is only because of the matchmaking issues? Is everything else ok, framerate, graphics, controls? Or do we have a new Bayonetta here?

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Orbitz89

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Edited By Orbitz89

@EchoEcho: Thank Christ for people like you.. you know.. people with sense!

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EchoEcho

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Edited By EchoEcho

@smiddy: @Orbitz89: Thanks for the votes of confidence. I don't generally like getting into arguments with people on the internet, because there's a snowball's chance in Hell that you're ever going to change anyone's mind, but sometimes you get just frustrated enough to try.

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Goodfeelings

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Edited By Goodfeelings

I'm probably going to buy this game once it drops down to the $30 range myself. Very interested in it but never really kept up with the W40K universe.