So, a game us geeks have been waiting for for ages...but how does it hold up?
Luckily a demo for Space Marine was released today on Xbox Live (and Steam etc), and these are my thoughts:
First up, unlike other games *cough*Fire Warrior*cough*, which ignore all 40k lore with a vengeance, this game actually makes you feel like a veteran captain of the Ultramarines. Sweet.
If you are knowledgeable of the universe...or the game itself...it is certainly not subtle. Indeed, it is in your face gratuitous, as only a 7 foot tall superhuman with a chainsaw bladed sword can be. There is nothing subtle about the combat, but that is where it excels.
The main character, Titus, feels tight and responsive, and whilst the combat is not as choreographed as, say, Assassin's Creed, it does the job. You point your marine, and off you go. Things die.
As will you, this is not a game where you can steamroller everything, you need to actually stay alive. Luckily, it's not too hard, and is marvellously violent. In order to top up his health, Titus has to smoosh his enemies with rather unsubtle 'Execution' moves. Most of the time, you need to stun an enemy to make some room, then mash B (or your system's equivalent) and Titus will mash up his victim in one of several gory ways. My favourite is the Titus-Chokeslam-Curbstomp (TM).
Which leads me nicely onto another point. Gore. It is all over the shop. You wade in to combat and limbs literally fly. Orks get cut in half, heads go spinning off, and general mayhem occurs. And your armour gets all bloody - which is a nice touch.
The weapons also feel good. The bolter and bolt pistol feel meaty and solid, punching Orks to the floor - and killshots occasionally leave the Orks blown into pieces...which is nice. The stalker bolter (sniper bolter) is awesome. I'm biased as I like sniper weapons, but landing a headshot detonates an Ork's head/chest which is neato. The Vengeance grenade launcher is a bit of an oddity. You can launch up to three grenades (that stick to stuff) and detonate them in sequence. It's nice, and vaporises Orks, but it doesn't feel very Space Marine-y to me. (Also grenades exist, and do their job nicely...y'know, explode and kill stuff).
As for melee, we have the chainsword, which does exactly what is says on the tin, and the power axe - which is cool. Titus gets a bit Yoda when he uses this, and jumps up and spins etc - but the effects are cool, and it cuts Orks up nicely... Both feel nice and solid, as they should, and the impacts are satisfying.
The final thing we get to play with is the Jump-pack. It. Is. Cool. As a fan of assault marines in general, I like it anyway, but taking to the skies, before jetting down to smash stuff up is quality. And is you land on things, they smoosh nicely. I managed to decapitate an Ork with my feet, which I was pretty proud of. So yeah, it feels good - like a proper Space Marine diving in from up high...
Graphics - as I said, they are pretty much bloodstained... The environments are well done, and capture the 40k universe brilliantly - that is to say - grim, dark and full of war. As a long term 40k fan, it brings the universe to life in a way that other games have not, which has got to be a good thing. The animations are smooth etc, and combat is satisfying. Which is just as well considering the game is pretty much a long series of smashing the crap out of things. There are also a few nice touches, like the Space Marines being the right size when you compare them to Imperial Guard, the service studs on Titus' head, some Guardsmen in rebreathers etc.
As for gripes - bearing in mind it is a demo, albeit one that is probably pretty much the final code, I only had a couple.
1) Occasionally the camera can be a pain. Not in gameplay, but during the executions, when the camera pans about, it can get caught on scenery - leaving you with a close up of Titus' scowly (but well rendered) face, rather than the Ork paste he's creating.
2) Clipping. Twice I had odd clipping issues - again during a Execution - when the Ork would be inside a crate or somesuch, but I'd still be mashing him up. Still. I've played each level about 8 times, and these only happened 4 times (2 each for those counting) so I'll forgive it.
Overall then.
Definitely worth a buy if you're a 40k fan, and almost certainly if you're not. The multiplayer also looks sweet, and there is definitely a co-op campaign. Plus the customiser is awesome. If you don't trust me, hit up Youtube and find out some clips.
Last but not least. To those who call it Gears of War light (which is possibly fair in gaming terms, remember the following) I have a few things to say...
1) The Warhammer 40k universe has been since 1987.
2) Bomb Squigs (or fake-tickers as a friend called them) have been around just as long.
If anything, Gears owes it's inception to the 40k universe. As do so many other institutions gaming holds dear (Halo, Starcraft...)
Anyways...When the full game is out I shall review it up...
Laters.
