This is the thrill of being a Space Marine; seen from the bloodthirsty viewpoint of a frontline trooper.
As with most of my reviews, I often like to describe the game's visuals first and that's exactly what I'm going to do here. To put it simply: Space Marine is a gritty, technologically stable, good-looking game with impressive graphics. Going into more detail, it's worth pointing out that there certainly are more beautiful games out there, but it should also be noted that the amount of enemies and the action you will see on screen in this game is both frantic & enormous; meaning that some of the more advanced visual effects had to be put to the side, if the game was to run with a steady frame rate on all three platforms. With that said - PC gamers should not worry about receiving a "consolized" port of a game, as that is obviously not the case here. Relic must obviously remember their roots as a PC developer, since Space Marine is exceptionally well-optimized for a multi-platform game on the PC. Actually, it is so well-crafted that most mid-range systems should be able to run it on maxed out settings without any problems whatsoever.
However, it's not just Space Marine's technological fidelity that stuns - its environments, characters, weapon effects, in-game objects and animations all look fantastic as well. Everything has the very distinct art style of the 40K universe, but the game doesn't try to create its own unique take on the appearance so it's all still quite believable and there's a certain amount of realism in the visuals that only immerses further; at the cost of a more original form. Character facial animations are surprisingly complex for a third person action game with so much chaos on-screen, but they're obviously not anything quite like the spawn of L.A. Noire's extremely lifelike motion capture technology. Also, I have to say that this game has the best and most accurate depiction of the Space Marines' power armour suits… damn, they look badass.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. After all, believe it or not, there is a plot to all of Space Marine's glorious mayhem and gore. Graia is a "Forge World" of the Imperium of Man (in other words: a planet that is devoted entirely to the production of military weaponry for the Human Empire). It is here that some of the Imperium's most prized weapons (the skyscraper-sized war machines called Titans) are made in the Manufactorum Ajakis. Unfortunately for the Empire, hordes of Orks launch an attack on Graia. The Liberation Fleet cannot risk the loss of an immensely valuable military asset such as the Titan 'Invictus', but their estimated time of arrival suggests that they may not get there in time. Thus, super soldier Space Marines of the Ultramarines chapter are deployed as the vanguard of the Imperium's might, in an attempt to weaken the enemy forces before the main fleet lands and to ensure the security of Invictus. Among them are Captain Titus (who is also the protagonist of the story and the player character), his trusted Sergeant Sidonus and a rookie marine named Leandros. Of course, the plot thickens when the Inquisition gets involved and a new enemy enters the scene.
To be absolutely honest with you, I was genuinely interested in this game's narrative and its characters - which is much more than I can say for some other titles in the action genre. Also, it is obvious that the Space Marines are quite stiff as characters - but it should be remembered that the Ultramarines have always been known to be especially so, yet Relic have somehow managed to turn these soldiers into likeable personas. Some of the other characters are also very interesting, such as the initially mysterious Inquisitor Drogan and - of course - the star of the show: Lieutenant Mira of the Imperial Guard. She is undeniably one of the best supporting role female characters shown in recent games. She is strong, able to pull herself and her soldiers together even in the most difficult of situations, isn't shown as weaker than any of her comrades and isn't used as a love interest for any of the male characters.
But enough about the game's plot, since we all know that Space Marine's best element is its gameplay. I've heard many angry 'fanboys' claiming that this game is a copy of the famous shooter created by Epic Games, called Gears of War. Let me tell you already that what they're saying is complete and utter rubbish. Firstly, the games don't even run on the same engine. Gears of War is powered by the Unreal Engine, whilst Space Marine runs on the Phoenix Engine - which is a heavily modified version of the same technology that was used to make Darksiders. Furthermore, power armour and the chainsword have been around since 1987 when Warhammer 40000 tabletop games first hit the shelves… Gears of War was released in 2006.
Moving on, Space Marine is the exact opposite of GoW in terms of gameplay; since in it you play as the ultimate badass and you do not need to rely on cover. That's right, there's no need to hide behind objects to regenerate your health. Sure - you have some shields that restore when not attacked by hostile forces - but once those are down, you have a health bar that does not magically refill itself when you run away. Actually, Relic encourages players to stay in the battle and use the might of Captain Titus to its fullest. This is because the only way to replenish your health is by performing brutally satisfying executions on stunned enemies. However, it's not all about mindless slaughter as it is crucial to perform these distinct killings at the right time (preferably when you are down to the last few and weaker or slower enemies), since every time an execution is carried out, Titus is still vulnerable to all other attacks. Surprisingly, this mechanic works exceptionally well. It combines the best of both worlds: the convenience and reliability of a renewing shield, with the challenge of restoring your health through some less traditional means.
Okay, so what about the combat itself? That seems awfully similar to Gears of War, doesn't it? Well - no, it does not. The Epic Games' shooter is just that; a shooter. Space Marine, on the other hand, gives you the option to shoot your enemies, but melee combat is just as important and sometimes even more effective. It is also the best means of 'crowd control' when you are overwhelmed by hordes of bloodthirsty, axe-wielding Orks. Gears of War does not put such an emphasis on fights that are "up close and personal", whilst Space Marine concentrates mostly on combat that happens at short-to-medium range. In the end, it is this amazing mix of ranged and melee warfare that makes this game feel so unique and sets it apart from all other third person action games out there.
Lastly, any claims made to suggest that Space Marine rips off Gears of War's visual style are also completely invalid. It seems that those annoying fanboys have got their argument the wrong way around. You see, it's not Space Marine that profits from looking similar to Gears of War… it's Gears of War profiting from taking so much from the visual art style of the Warhammer 40K universe. Now I think we can all agree on the fact that Space Marine is not a clone of Gears and, if anything, it's Gears of War that borrows a huge amount of elements from Space Marine's original source material. Don't get me wrong; I'm not hating on Gears, but saying that Space Marine is a rip-off is… MADNESS - especially when there's so much evidence against that statement.
Nowadays, it seems that any shooter out there feels incomplete without a multiplayer mode because developers are so convinced about making short singleplayer campaigns. Space Marine has a fairly short campaign of no more than around 8 hours - plus a few hours more if you want to get all the trophies and in-game collectibles called Servo-skulls (which give some nice background on how the Ork invasion happened). The pacing and momentum of the singleplayer seem almost perfect, but that's still a fairly short campaign. Thankfully, some very addictive multiplayer modes have been put in place to engage the player for hours on end long after the credits roll.
First, however, let's talk about player progression and customization. Like in most other multiplayer shooters, players gain XP by playing online matches. As these experience points are gathered, players gain levels. Each level usually has some nice unlocks (such as a new weapon, loadout slot or perk). Customization is absolutely brilliant in Space Marine. Since in most modes you get to choose between playing as a Space Marine or Chaos Space Marine, you can modify the appearance of each one of your playable characters. Most armour is unlocked through playing competitively and carrying out armour challenges. Some absolutely badass options can be unlocked here and the colour of each and every piece of armour can be changed to suit your taste. Some additional perks can also be unlocked through these challenges.
The online part of the game is divided into two main categories: Versus and Exterminatus. Versus is a collection of various competitive multiplayer modes that we all know and love. It's mostly standard stuff, though the real hitter here is "Seize Ground", which is your fairly ordinary battleground like mode where each team has to capture specific points on a map and hold them to receive points. It's nothing original, but it's extremely well executed and somehow feels fresh.
On the other hand, there's Exterminatus which is a co-op "horde" mode. This one is also nothing new in the genre, but it is so well-crafted that it is most probably the best horde-based game mode that I've seen in any action title so far. Players team up in a group of up to four players to hold their ground and carry out simple objectives on a chosen map, whilst armies of Orks are being thrown at them in waves. Every five waves, a new arena is introduced so there's always a nice change of environment to keep things fresh. This goes on until twenty waves are completed. After that, bonus waves are introduced - which throw even more crazy enemy types at you and your brothers-in-arms.
Overall, both Versus and Exterminatus add up to make one fully-featured package that's completely worth your money and will very likely have you playing the game for a long time. The only problems I really have with this part of the game's design are how the Versus modes are not very accessible to new players and the occasional bugs in some game types. It's not the modes themselves that aren't accessible, it's the competition. Some of the unlocked weapons can give you a considerable advantage over newcomers. Still, those who stick around just a bit longer will unlock the same stuff anyway so it's not that much trouble. As for the bugs; they are quite rare, though sometimes severe enough that you'll have to quit the match and lose all the XP you gained during it.
Finally, it is time to summarize what Space Marine offers:
GAMEPLAY - 9/10
A seamless and masterfully shaped mixture of solid third person shooter elements and astonishing melee combat make it a blast to play.
STABILITY - 8/10
It seems that there are some minor glitches in the multiplayer from time to time, but the singleplayer is fully stable and otherwise there's nothing to be concerned about.
STORY – 7.5/10
Although it's not master storytelling, Space Marine's plot is a generally interesting tale with likeable characters that will probably make you wish for a sequel.
GRAPHICS - 8.5/10
It's no technological marvel like Crysis 2, Killzone 3 or Metro 2033, but it's still a great looking game for this genre and it has plenty of aces up its sleeve.
SOUND – 8.5/10
Powerful voice acting, grand music and some very believable sound effects make up Space Marine's audio elements; all of it is quite outstanding.
LONGEVITY – 8.5/10
A short yet satisfying singleplayer campaign, plenty of trophies and achievements to pick up, some really addictive multiplayer modes and a lot of rewarding unlockables will make you stick around for plenty of time.
All things considered, I have to say that Warhammer 40000: Space Marine is an action game like no other. Its unique blend of visual style and incredible gameplay makes it somewhat original and different from other games in the genre. Fans of Warhammer 40K - look no further. If you have been searching for a game that lets you experience the thrill of being a Space Marine, however for once not from the tactical and strategic aspect of the commander but the bloodthirsty frontline trooper viewpoint, then there is no better video game out there to fulfil your desires. Now if only we could see more species from the Warhammer universe in this game…
OVERALL RATING - 8/10 (Impressive)