Space Marine Demo - Review

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.

It's been far too long.

Well, I haven't posted since January.
That seems frankly ridiculous, but I have been so busy (training to be a teacher no less) that it just sort of slipped.

As such, I have made a mid-year resolution to post more often, and regularly, to get things off the ground again.

So, just to start things off, a brief post about what I've been up to on the hobby fronts - in this case 40k...

For some reason, I've been on a mad reading kick recently, and I decided to list my favourite three 40k novels that I have read this summer (this is an important note, as there are so many on my 'to re-read' list that it's not even funny...)

Anyways - in no particular order:

1) Prospero Burns


Perhaps my favourite 40k story, this book is set during the infamous Horus Heresy.
Written by Dan Abnett, it shows the author at his best, with subtle conversational twists and brutal action mixing to make an engaging story. Perhaps the most remarkable feat of the tale however is moving the Space Wolves mythos away from the caricatured stereotype of rowdy space vikings, to a rather darker, more sinister place. These are not the drunken thugs of old, but the Emperor's executioners, and Abnett builds a compelling and intelligent tale around their pride and martial prowess. However, this is not just a tale of the Wolves, but also their interactions with others, and the twisting loyalties that typify the Horus Heresy itself.
An excellent read.

2) Hammer of Daemons


If the previous book was a more subtle affair, this story is, in my opinion, the 40k universe distilled. Everything is over the top, everything exaggerated, and yet it is never boring.
At some points it can feel somewhat unbelieveable, even within the bounds of 40k, and yet I couldn't put it down. Ben Counter's writing style is not as subtle as Abnett's, but he does an excellent job of portraying a daemon world, and the multiple of horrors contained within. Ever set piece is a bloated feast of violence and is all the more spectacular for it. This book is not a one trick pony however, and there a good few twists and turns to keep things fresh. A great pick up and read book, very entertaining and enjoyable.

3) The First Heretic


Aaron Dembski-Bowden's book The First Heretic also falls during the Horus Heresy, but focuses on the Legion that arguably started it off - the Word Bearers. This book is, as far as I'm concerned, an excellent read. The character's are engaging and well written, and you can feel their plight as their Legion's position changes throughout the book. It is not the tale of a Legion that turns to the Dark Side, so to speak, but a rather more tragic slow descent of a son looking to please his father. Indeed, it highlights the shades of grey that the 40k universe works so well with - the Emperor is not the all mighty Good Guy, nor is Lorgar the Big Bad Guy. That is why this book works, it shows the gradual decline of one of humanity's brightest stars, and shows just how the Heresy developed - with one faltering step towards the avalanche of betrayal that it ended with. An excellent read.

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Well, that'll do for now, just a few of the books I've read this summer, and there are a wealth more that I can recommend, but I shall perhaps leave that for a later date...

Star Wars Miniatures Scenario Part 2

Ok. So I have ended Scenario 1, and collated what happened etc, to make the next part of the story.

Now, although I have Scenario 2 in draft form, I have an assessment this week that takes precedence but, when that's out of the way, I will make sure it goes up. However, here are the results from the last one, in story form...

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Teeth placed his charge on the wall, calling back to his partner as he did,

“How you doing Slim?”

“Nearly there.” His partner called, placing his demolition pack on the underside of the shield generator. Rolling backwards as it beeped to confirm it was armed, he yelled to his partner.

“Go, go, go!”

Teeth detonated the charge, blowing a hole in the wall as Slim ran towards him. Barely slowing, Slim leapt through the gap, kicking a droid to the floor as he did.

“Clear!” He yelled as Teeth came to follow him. Suddenly, several laser bolts ploughed into the floor beside him, forcing him into cover.

“They’re on us!” He called. Leaning round the corner, he saw a lumbering B3 droid coming towards him. “We have trouble.”

“And that’s not all!” His partner called. “They’re inside!”

Slim spun back to the broken wall, glancing into the control room. Sure enough, several droids were moving in, trying to remove the charge.

“Frag out,” Teeth yelled as he hurled a grenade into their midst, “I think it’s time to leave.” Vaulting through the wall, he sprinted towards the extraction point.

“You get the door,” Slim called, firing into the control room “I’ll hold them here.”

“Sergeant, where are you?” Roared Teeth as he dodged the incoming shots of the B3.

His was answered by a fusillade of laser bolts as the Clones opened fire, causing the B3 to reel as it was struck repeatedly.

"We have your back.” The sergeant’s voice crackled over the intercom, “Let’s get this done.”

Teeth hurriedly placed his charge on the door, blowing it apart.

“Slim, we gotta go!”

“On your six!” Came the reply as Slim broke away, sprinting across towards his partner.

The Clone’s intercom was suddenly interrupted by a scream. Glancing across at the Clones, Slim saw the B3 unleashing a salvo of rockets that tore them apart.

Sliding into cover he took careful aim, firing shot into the rear of the B3. Convulsing as its core systems were compromised, the massive droid turned towards Slim, his rocket launchers hurling munitions his way.

“Kark!” Slim cursed, scrambling to his feet as he tried to avoid the blast. The missiles detonated just as he stood, throwing him from his feet and slamming him through a wall. Coughing, he tried to stand as the his shielding failed, but his legs buckled underneath him, and he collapsed. Running from cover, Teeth dragged his comrade to his feet, and began to drag him away, when a silhouette appeared over them. Turning slowly, he saw the massive arm of the B3 rise to target them both.

“Not like this...” He breathed, waiting for the crack of the droid’s cannon.

THOOM

Teeth winced, then opened his eyes. The B3 tottered slowly, then fell sideways, a gaping hole in its side.

“ARCs, this is CT-3345, Guns. Sergeant is dead, but you are free to go. Good luck.”

“Good work trooper,” replied Teeth. “ARCs out.”

“Hold on Slim,” he whispered to his unconscious partner, as he dragged him into the lift shaft that would take them to the roof, and evacuation.

Propping up his friend, Teeth crouched next to him, gun ready, as the lift rose. Counting under his breath, he paused at five and listened as the sound of the detonation charges reverberated up the lift shaft. Opening a comm channel he contacted his pilot.

“Raptor, this is Teeth. Mission is a success, but Slim is down. We will need emergency medical supplies, inform HQ.”

Placing his hand on his partner’s shoulder as the affirmative reply came in, Teeth spoke aloud,

“Hang on. Just hang on, and we’ll be out of here.”

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Results: Republic Victory.
Slim is pretty mashed up, so we'll see what happens there later on in the story...

Stay tuned for the next Scenario that follows this...

Star Wars Miniatures Scenario

Last year, Wizards of the Coast called time on their game Star Wars Miniatures. However, after the termination, a group of dedicated fans, led by a team from SWMGamers.com set up what came to be know as the Virtual Sets (or V-Sets for short). These fan produced sets aimed to create new stats for the existing range of models to keep the game alive for as long as possible.

Now, after the release of the first V-Set - Destiny of the Force - I thought I would do something to keep the game alive.

I have always enjoyed story driven campaigns in my games, and I decided that now would be a great time to combine that with my enjoyment of SW canon. As such I have decided to produce a series of linking scenarios that are informed and shaped by feedback from players, in order to create a story that ties into the existing wealth of Star Wars canon.

As for the story, it starts on a canon planet, with two canon characters who I have named for this story. As to what happens next, who knows, it depends on the results of this scenario.

Characters - Our two ARC lieutenants were first seen as the two Lieutenants in the Muunilinst 10. For this story they have been identified as Alpha-43 (Teeth), who wielded the PLX-1 in the episode, and Alpha-11 (Slim), who shot his way through a AAT in the episode.

The Muunilinst 10

Now that we know who we're about to see, let's move on:

The Scenario:

Breaking the Shield:

The heavy rumble of artillery continued, splintering the hastily constructed barricade that sheltered the beleaguered Clones. The battle on Jeyell had been raging for weeks now, with neither the Republic nor the Separatists able to maintain any momentum. Despite their initial gains, the forces of the Republic had found themselves thwarted by an experimental shield system deployed in several battlezones on the planet. The shields generated a close force field around nearby droid units, rendering them almost impervious to blaster fire. The introduction of these shields had startling repercussions across the planet, as even the weakest droid units became hard to destroy. For the Republic high command, the destruction of the main generator in the city of Fayar became a vital priority.

Standing up on the firing step and taking several, hastily aimed shots into the oncoming droids, Sergeant CT-8678 cursed as he dropped below cover again.

“We need to destroy that shield system, it’s stopping us from doing anything.”

The Clone next to him nodded in agreement,

“I’ll try the Comm again sir.”

The sergeant turned to the trooper next to him, barking out an order,

“Guns, pour some fire on those Clankers!”

The Clone named Guns, wielding his repeating blaster, stepped up onto the firing plate, unleashing a torrent of fire that briefly silenced the oncoming droids.

“Any reply?” The Sergeant asked the Comm operator.

Nodding as he signed off the channel, the operator replied,

“Affirmative sir, command has dropped two ARC troopers in the area, tasked with the demolition of the generator.” He paused briefly, “We’ve been ordered to move up to draw fire, sir, so that they can succeed.”

The Sergeant snorted. “Glory hogs.” Turning to the remaining men in his section he addressed them quickly.

“You heard the order, we need to push up to the Clanker hotspot to buy the ARCs some time. Strap up and load your weapons, we’re moving out.”

Alpha-11 took a casual step out of the diving LAAT/i, letting himself fall towards the battle below. Looking sideways at his partner, Alpha-43, he remarked to him,

“Nice day for it, isn’t it Teeth?”

He heard his partner laugh,

“It is Slim, it is indeed.”

A voice cut through their headsets as they approached their target,

“Radio silence now, target is in view marked on your HUD. Good luck.”

“Luck? Never needed it before.” Remarked Slim, as the ARC troopers activated their grav chutes, dropping silently to the battle below.

Scanning his comms, Teeth sent a wide sent a message to the closest Republic forces available.

“Troopers, this is Alpha-43, we are in position and proceeding. We will need cover to succeed, if able, move up and engage targets that present themselves.”

The comm. Link crackled as the reply came through.

“This is CT-8678, we hear you, we have pressed through into the shield generator control area."

Scenario:

Having being inserted into the battle in order to destroy a vital objective, the ARC troopers must eliminate the shield generator before Separatist reinforcements overrun them.

Scenario Special Rules:

Surprise Insertion:

The droids do not know that the ARCs are on the battle field, allowing them to make their way to the objective stealthily. However, no-one stays hidden for long in warfare.

If an active droid character (any droid that is not currently a Reserve droid) ends its turn with line of sight to one of the ARC troopers roll a d20 and consult the results below:

16+ Alerted – all droid reserves are alerted and may activate this round.

11+ Suspicious – droid reserves are alerted, but may not move/attack until the next round.

6 + Does not detect anything – nothing happens.

If the ARC troopers are in cover then -4 from the dice roll.

As soon as the Demo Charge has been placed, the alarm is sounded and all droid reserves are alerted and may be activated in the following round.

Reserve droids:

Because of the security of the position, there are several un-activated droid reserves around the battle field. Whilst they can be attacked, as soon as they are they will all be alerted (as if they had rolled an 11+) If they are left, they will be activated when the Demo Charge is placed. If a Reblic character comes within 2 squares of a Reserve droid the Separatist player may roll a d20 (consult the table above) to see if its self defence mechanisms cause it to activate. I f a droid activates in this way, the remaining droids remain un-activated, as they have not been disturbed.

Shielding:

Until the shields are destroyed by the Republic, each droid Separatist has the Shields 2 special rule (as detailed in the Star Wars Miniatures rules glossary) but only against attacks from non-adjacent enemies.

Vital mission:

The ARC troopers have been given access to deadly equipment for this mission:

Demo Charge – used to destroy the shield generator. Replaces attacks to place the charge.

Can be destroyed by a droid (except the B3) – destroying a Demo Charge Replaces Turn. The charge will detonate 3 rounds after activation.

Shape charge – One use. Each ARC has a Shape charge. Replaces attacks – remove 2 squares of wall adjacent to the ARC, these squares become difficult terrain. Enemy characters within 2 squares of a shape charge take 20 damage, save 11. If a shape charge is used, all droids (including Reserve droids) with 12 squares may roll as if they had line of sight to the ARC troopers. (Using a big explosive isn’t exactly subtle.)

Experimental Shields: Each ARC trooper has the Shields special rule, however if a 1 is rolled, the shields fail and cannot be used again.

Extreme training: Having fought on Hypori and Muunilinst, both ARC troopers are adept on their feet. As a result, they have the Stable Footing rule.

Victory Conditions:

Republic:

2 VP (Victory Points) if the Demo Charge destroys the shield generator.

1 VP for each ARC trooper that makes it to the extraction point by Turn 10

Separatists:

2 VP if the Demo Charge is destroyed.

1VP for each ARC trooper killed.

Forces:

Republic:

Alpha-11 (Slim) – Republic Commando Sev 16

Alpha-43 (Teeth) - Republic Commando Scorch 16

Clone Trooper Sergeant 10

Clone Trooper with Repeating blaster 23

5 x Spaarti Clone Trooper Demolitionist 25

Separatists:

3 x Battle Droid 12

2 x Security Battle Droid 16

Battle Droid Officer 8

Reserves

3 x Battle Droid 12

Super Battle Droid x 4 40

B3 Ultra Battle Droid 32

Set up:

The green highlighted area = Shield generator

The Red highlighted area = Extraction point

Blue Droids are the Reserve Droids.

The Republic player starts this scenario.

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Closing comments:
I hope the scenario is fun, I have only tested it a few times...

If you do play it, and would be interested in furthering the story of the Battle of Jeyell, and the ARC troopers, then can you either comment here, or PM me on SWMGamers or Bloomilk with the following information to help me build the story:

Who won.
Who survived (seps and Republic)
Any out of the ordinary moments (e.g. critical hits or the like)

A quick thank you.

As I said before, I've missed out on bloggin a lot of things, but as far as I can think of, the most important right about now (other than moving in with my girlfriend) is seeing Coheed and Cambria.

The date 15/11/10 is going to be burned into my mind forever.

Southampton Guildhall played witness to the 'Heed in 2007, and I was there, and my mind was blown.

This time around I took my dubious Coheed fan girlfriend. She came out of the gig with a mile wide smile too. You can't not love them.

I'm not going to go into the set list etc, as I don't need to.

I have the memory of singing 'Here We Are Juggernaut' and 'A Favour House Atlantic' with my girlfriend until it hurt. I have the memory of 'Delirium Trigger' and of course the epic 'Welcome Home'.

So yeah, it was amazing, and still makes me smile.

Thanks Coheed, you did it again.

Well. It's been a while.

Yeah.

Something had to give. I moved house, got accepted onto a teaching course and had to start, y'know, working properly. My life has never felt so much intensity, and in the end I neglected this corner of the internet in order to keep my head above water.

But enough excuses.

I've still been able to perform some geekly duties however, and as I keep a mental chronicle of d20s I have rolled and controllers I have held, I thought I'd ease back into this blogging thing gently.

So, where to start...

Retro game:

I was recently deprived of my 360, meaning I had to resort to the ever faithful PS2 for gaming support. And lo, upon trawling through my dusty games shelf I found a hidden gem that I never got round to completing - Zone Of The Enders: The Second Runner.



My first brush with ZOE was, like most PS2 gamers, simply a game to play to get the MGS2 demo...and as a game that I purchased for a demo, it was awesome.

So when I saw this and brought it many moons ago, I was hooked on the ridiculous super robot fighting, as is normal, but ZOE 2 had even more to offer.

It is sumptuous to look at. Released during the crazy boom in cel-shading, ZOE 2 stands high above its peers. The colours are dynamic and inviting, movements crisp and clear, effects are satisyingly visceral. It's a treat.



The story too is a gem, spiced up with excellent little anime cutscenes it tells a great story of oppression and revenge, with some nice tie ins to it's predecessor.

But, what makes it better perhaps, is the gameplay. Fast, frantic, fun and above all engaging, it was an excellent game to come back to, just frustrating enough to give a challenge, but fun enough to keep you trying.
So yeah, good job Konami. Even if I am 7 years late in completing it...