Know No Fear - A Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (2011) Review

 

Games Workshop/Sega

Though the property grows increasingly prominent outside of wargaming miniature circles, Warhammer 40,000 doesn't have much to show for it video game wise. There are two big exceptions; Real Time Strategy classic Dawn of War and the third person, melee heavy shooter Space Marine.

The player controls Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, a chapter of the superhuman warriors known as Space Marines. His company is dispatched to the Forge World Graia, one of the foundries that supply the galaxy spanning Imperium's endless wars and now the site of a full scale Ork invasion. It's up to Titus to save Graia, now a ruined planet on the brink of defeat, though more dangerous foes may yet lie in wait.

Published by the now defunct THQ, Space Marine is one of the AA games that have largely gone extinct, overshadowed by gargantuan, big name undertakings and surprise Indie hits. And Space Marine is certainly middle of the road. 

Games Workshop/Sega

There's nothing particularly revolutionary about the game, which plays very similarly to Gears of War, trading out cover mechanics for a regenerating shield and an emphasis on messily dispatching enemies with chainswords and similarly anachronistic melee weaponry.

Gameplay wise, Space Marine finds a nice balance between melee and raged options. Titus' main gun is the iconic bolter, which in this game is a compromise between the rocket powered explosive launcher of the lore and the lower caliber assault rifle seen in most adaptations. 

The game cleverly translates other tabletop weaponry into shooter staples. The anti-tank melta gun is akin to most shooters' shotguns and the lascannon serves as a sniper rifle best used for tankier ranged enemies. It's a good mix of weapons that are satisfying to use and benefit from some excellent sound design, adding to their existing weight. 

Melee weapons are less varied. Though the four options receive different animations, most feel like cosmetic changes outside of damage output, barring the appropriately unwieldy but capable Thunder Hammer.

Enemy wise there's even less of a mix, though that's partially because the source material leaves them in a tight spot, though the lack of character model variation draws attention to it. Combat mainly boils down to dispatching large waves of axe wielding enemies,