Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine puts the player in the role of Captain Titus.  In the violent and fantastic future of the Warhammer universe, the space marines are the tip of the spear in the human war effort.  They are huge, beefy, near-immortal, ultra violent and undoubting in their own righteousness.  A perfect avatar for a modern action game.  


Outside the game, the Warhammer universe is a melting pot of all things science fiction and wargaming.  But the dedication of its designers and a huge fan base has kept it engaging and current.  The main complaint with this game is that it hasn't embraced this enough.  There's around a dozen playable factions in tabletop Warhammer or in the Dawn of War series - only 4 make and appearance here, and only 2 are playable (one being a reskin of the other).  In the  Space Marine chapter itself, there's a unnecessary absence of some of the most iconic elements such as dreadnoughts and terminators.  

The game itself establishes the core mechanics and demonstrates that there's more than enough room in the crowded 3rd person shooter market.  Innovative mechanics and interesting changes are spread throughout the game and it plays out smoothly.  Combining healing with melee is a novel mechanic which is mostly successful here, as is the various weapon mechanics and jet packs which pop up from time to time.  The story does an adequate job of establishing the crusader mentality of the marines but the major traits of their bloodthirsty opposition, but little more.  


Overall, the game feels like a solid effort to begin building a new franchise, but that is also its main detraction - it sticks too closely to the mainstream of the genre and fails to tap into the most captivating and interesting parts of the warhammer fiction.   Much like the Dawn of War titles - Relic has only played a small part of the universe here, giving itself lots of room for future sequels. I can't help but feel that this strategy is wrongly timed - at the end of the console cycle, in a crowded genre and with a strong fan base already established I would have liked to have seen a lot more here.  Space Marine appears thin compared to similar titles and difficult to justify at the same price.  


I recommend this game for anyone interested in a new take in this genre and at a more appropriate pricing.  Established fans will have something to enjoy here for now and we can all hope for a strong sequel to this debut.