BURN the heretic. KILL the mutant. PURGE the unclean! Fear denies faith! Life is the Emperor's currency, spend it on this game!

I really love this game, it really brings the world of Warhammer 40k to life. It tells a pretty entertaining story (I mean, it's not Bioshock levels of deep but still entertaining). Gameplay it's not spectacular but still plays as a solid shooter (specifically a third person shooter). You have a shield but it's relatively frail, you're main source of health is to use a melee combo that knocks other characters unconcious; when you see the cue, you can initiate a pretty gruesome finisher that's brutaly satisfying (possibly Doom 2016 brutal) and restores a bit of health. I enjoyed the Exterminatus (1 to 4 vs. waves) and the various deathmatch type online gameplay (as expected of games this old, it's just not as populated as it used to be). Back in the day I enjoyed the Dreadnought Assault DLC, During Multiplayer had all kinds of cool armors you could earn. Unfortunately you might be hard pressed to get into a game as the online activity seems practically gone. Perhaps they moved on to Eternal Crusade.

Shame about THQ, they started making some really good games before they had to close their doors. This is one of those games you wish they'd churn out a sequel for to see where the story goes but you know it will never happen.

Fantastic game, captures the atmosphere perfectly. Shame the multiplayer is dead.

It's not a bad game, but it has its issues. The game is generally fun but combat can become stale. Here's a breakdown:

Pros:
- Certain gameplay elements are quite fun, such as the jump pack (death from above!)
- Follows 40K lore so the fans should be pleased.
- Various weapons to use and you can choose which combination to go with
- Be a space marine badass! Nothing like a furious charge into foes and giving them a taste of the emperor's fury delivered by your blade or thunder maul.

Cons:
- Gameplay is repetitive, movement is clunky. You're essentially moving from one area to the next to shoot then melee enemies. There are some dodge rolls but your character is about as agile as a rhino wearing metal boots trying to navigate a messy construction site. I get it, space marines are in power armour, but they're also supposed to be fast and agile (apparently).
- From my understanding, space marines can heal faster than regular humans, yet at best he has some invisible shield that soaks some damage before breaking and your hitpoints go. Your health does not recover unless you stun and execute enemies, or you use your special ability to recover health. Perhaps some health vials or medipacks would have helped.
- There is no upgrade system. Your marine is as weak or strong at the start as he is at the end. It's a little disappointing not being able to tweak things like in DoW 2.
- There are a lot of orcs, but it feels like mowing them down is short-lived when the choas dudes appear. This is partially because of the linear nature of the game and when you're defending a point or person, they tend to resolve their issues quickly before the horde gets too overwhelming.
- Be prepared to suffer the consequences of your poor weapon loadout choices. Oh, so you think that badass thundermaul is going to bail you out of trouble when you run out of bullets? Tell me again how space marines are supposed to be able to heal when you're eating bullets, lazer fire and grenades before you even get to the enemy.
- The mechanics of the game leave a lot to be desired. It's not quite a cover-based shooter, but you can't melee your way through everything. There will be areas where you're pinned down, relying on a plasma pistol and unable to get to the enemy because they're on an unreachable platform. So you use up your bullets trying to take down the sponges while Renegade guardsmen chew through your armour...then come some grenades to flush you out, forcing you out in the open where heavily armoured chaos marines wait with bolter fire.
- The AI is infuriating. Your AI team mates are stupid and sometimes don't shoot, they sometimes draw enemy fire but generally speaking you're the primary target. That is, the enemy will ignore your squad mates and charge straight for you. There is also a special place in the Warp for the chaos marines and orcs whose artillery fire is so accurate, they can fire while moving and still hit you.
- Be prepared to get pinned down, a lot. If you were expecting a non stop action, orc slaying fest with your chainsword, think again. This game doesn't know what it wants to be at times. If you charge in to melee them, you can get overwhelmed easily, so you end up shooting first to thin their numbers before meleeing a few for extra health. The game is not quite a tactical shooter and not quite a melee/action hack and slash. Because you're so weak, going full on melee is not feasible, but the enemies can be bullet sponges so you may run out of ammo, forcing you to run in and most likely die. There is also a tendency for them to leave you with little room to move when the hordes + long range fire come in. So get used to pointing your pistol around the corner to get a few shots in before the enemy gets close enough to melee.

It's not a bad game if you overlook those flaws. It's interesting and fun at times. But there are too many instances where you're walking from one room to access another, or from one elevator to access another. It would have been better if the game gave you more freedom to choose, such as a class or through upgrades. Would not have minded some terminator armour, either.

I'd give it 6/10. Get it on sale.

Tehre is noh time to beh lohst!


Batul Brothas!


Spehss Mahrens, todeh the enemeh is at oua doar! We know oua duteh and we will do eet. We fight for our honor as Blod Rehvens,
as SPESS MAHRENS, and we fight in the nehme of the Empra!


And if we die this deh we die in gloareh, we die heroes' deffs, but we shall not die, no! It is the enemeh who will tehste
deff and defeat!


As you know! Moast of oua battle brothars are shtehtioned in SPEHSS, Pruhpeared to deep strike! Oua perimeter has been
pruhpeared in the even dat oua enehmies should be so bald and so foolish. We have plehced numerous beacons, allowing for
muhltiple, simuln-tehneous and devashtehting defensive deep strikes


The Codecks astartees nehmes this maneuvah Steel Rehn. We will descend upon the foe, we will ovawhelm them - we will leave none
alive! Meanwhile oua ground fawses will ensue the full defense of oua headkwaters


We are the spehss mahrens! WE ARE THE EMPRA'S FUREH!

Having just finished this game i can say that it was truly enjoyable from start to finish. The characters are true to form and the storyline is typical of the 40K novels. This game doesn't pretend to be something it's not and it never tries to reach above it's station. If you are looking for a great third person splatter-fest then this game is a must. For fans of the 40K universe or just someone looking to mash bad guys in a multitude of violent and gory manouvers this is one for you.

FOR THE EMPEROR!

8/10

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is pretty cool I guess.

Set in the distant future where mankind decided that skulls on everything was totally in. The Imperium of Man has spread thoughout the known galaxy with the guidance of a super powered god-like figure known as the Emperor of Mankind. But the Emperor was betrayed by his favored son, Horus, and after a bloody civil war and the defeat of Horus, the Emperor was left as a crippled body upon a golden throne, which is the only thing that's keeping him alive.
Now 10,000 years later, humanity is beset on all sides by mutants, aliens, and the forces of Chaos.

But it's not all hopeless, for the armies of mankind also have the Space Marines! genetically altered and augmented super soldiers clad in power armor and armed with weapons that would break your arm if you as much as tried to use them. These Space Marines are split into chapters, and no chapter is greater than the Ultramarines, warriors who lead and try to set an example for all Space Marines to follow.

So basically they're the brown-nosing nerds of the 40k Universe.

You play as Titus, a Space Marine captain of the Ultramarines. Which is to say he's the star quarterback on a team made entirely out of quarterbacks. You and your team of similarly jacked super soldiers are deployed on the planet Graia, a Forgeworld that focuses on military development as well as the development of super cool giant robots! Graia is under attack by Orks, a war-like race of fungus based aliens that consist entirely of soccer hooligans that come in sizes ranging from big to Big to BIG. Also little Goblins called Gretchins, but they don't matter.
Titus must secure the giant robot making factory so that the orks don't strip down the giant robot sitting inside for parts. Which would be...Heresy? I think?

Yeah, heresy!

Space Marine is a third person shooter with an emphasis on getting down and dirty with your enemy. Which is sexy, but also not. You are given a plethora of weapons to carry, as well as a choice of melee weapon for when you have to put your arms up at 10 and 2 against the alien scumbags. While your weapons fill most of the essential shooter roles, one stands out the most, which is your standard issue Bolter, which is an assault weapon that fires .75 calibre rounds which are explosive tipped and rocket propelled.

I don't think understand what I just said. You are essentially firing the fist of an angry at anything dumb enough to not be born human, and sometimes humans as well because screw em.

But sometimes the orks get close and you have to have a strong word with them, and what better way to do that then with a chainsword. A chainsaw sword.
A sword that doubles as a chainsaw.
It's a chainsaw on a stick.
Am I even getting through to you right now?

Not only do you have a Chainsword, but you also have a power axe, a weapon covered in a blue-hazy force field THAT IS CAPABLE OF DISRUPTING THE MOLECULAR BONDS OF MATTER WHEN IT STRIKES
And a thunder hammer, a giant hammer... Also it explodes.

How the game works is that you mix your two styles of combat together, engaging your enemies from a distance with your ranged weapons and then closing in with your melee weapon to give them a stern talking to.
And by that I mean murder.

Your enemies will always outnumber you, so 9 times out of 10 you're going to be in melee combat anyway. The melee itself isn't all that impressive, you have an attack button and you have a stun button, but you can also grab stunned enemies and turn them into a fine red paste for health. That's the only way you can get your health back, you execute the stunned enemies in a gory fashion which refills your health like you're some sort of buff vampire.

Or you can get really mad for a few seconds and let your health refill that way.

Luckily, the weapons in this game are crunchy enough to feel rewarding for every playstyle so don't be afraid to mix it up. You're going to get into melee combat, either way. So at least the weapons feel nice to use.

Titus himself, as a Space Marine, is a pretty heavy fellow, but don't say that to his face because you might hurt his feelings, and Titus is a nice guy. You monster.
Oh yeah, also he can kill you.

The Space Marines move with weighted thuds to every one of their steps, making them seem like lumbering oafs at first, until you get Titus to go into a charge. Now he's like a rip roaring ♥♥♥♥♥♥ rhino that can smash down everything in his way. Space Marines are surprisingly agile for their size, but I guess that comes with the whole Super Soldier thing. You'd think that at least their pauldrons get in the way, but they don't seem to have a problem with them.

But should you play Battlemallet 40,000: Star Guys?

It's pretty good, especially if it's on sale. I haven't played the multiplayer since it came out, but I remember having a little fun with that as well, so you at least have some staying power with the game, if people even still play. The 40k universe itself is fairly unique and the dialogue and characteristics of the characters might actually catch you off guard if you aren't familiar with the source material.

I would say check it out, it's nothing amazing but it's still fun to play. The game can drag on near the end, which is a complaint I've been having a lot recently. Where a new enemy type basically forces you through a gauntlet of rooms filled with them before you can reach the end. It kind of feels like they almost ran over their dead line making this game since the last part of the game has encounters the game itself isn't really built for. Space marines in this game don't take cover, and there's a lot of shooting going on near the end.

Also the last boss is bogus, but the boss before him is pretty good.

Combatcroquet 40x1000 gets 7 giant pauldrons out of 10.

It's pronounced Ro-boot-ay Gill-ee-Man, by the way.

The Codex Astartes supports this Curator: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Dickbuttexperience#curation

From Relic, the same people made 40K 'Dawn of War', which is still the most popular 40K RTS. Space Marine is still the most popular shooter in the Warhammer 40K universe.

It's a fantasy/military 3rd person shooter with a decent single player and a dedicated multiplayer fanbase for versus (mainly 'Seize Ground' mode) and also for horde mode ("Exterminatus").

The voice acting in the main game is a bit of an uncomfortable mix of well spoken English people and a very extreme military regime, that's a bit like Rome and *ahem* others that were influenced by them. But this is true to the tabletop games of Warhammer 40K and it's all in good fun.

There are elements of gore as you slay the Orks, but whilst they're often grizzly, there's nothing truly objectionable about the visuals or the theme. It will appeal to people with less than moderate world views, but no more so than the endless shooters based in current real world conflicts. At least this is a heightened fantasy world and can just be enjoyed as a game, without being politically incorrect.

Many other 40K games have tried to capture the same enthusiasm these games by Relic still enjoy, but none has a five year history of online games every day of every year.

'Chaos' DLC does get played, the only one you'll want to join groups to find players for is 'Dreadnought' - there are regular arranged games for that, but if you log on randomly, you won't find a 'Dreadnought' game usually.

The rest is all alive and well every day.

There's no developer support, Sega took the title a little while back, but has not done anything to it.

And there are no dedicated servers which means on the plus side, the game will continue so long as people wish to play. But on the minus, there are host migrations in game as it flips to find the best host - these can sometimes take a few seconds, which seem like hours in the heat of play.

In all, you'll get your money's worth from this if you enjoy online shooters with a fun array of Sci-fi weapons, equivalent to pistols, shotguns and rifles in other games.

Here you can level up to make your Marine better, weapons cool down or get melee abilities etc. But you can use jump packs and things right from the off.

There is a skilled player base. Some hackers and the usual racism, sexism and abuse to be found in all online games, alas. But don't let that put you off a good game - there is a mute button for each player if you tire of the "banter" and you can happily ignore text comments if being picked on for your nationality, political views or player ability is getting in the way of the fun.

There are far more friendly people than hackers and abusers. And the vast majority of your experience will be an addictive team battle arena you want to come back to :)

The Orkz are on a rampage in their quest for more Dakka, are you a bad enough guy to stop them?

Leandros doesn't think so.

Recently started playing this again after the disappointment of Eternal Crusade, and I must say...

This game is better than I remember. It gets the 40K atmosphere exactly right. The campaign is fun. The gameplay is smooth. You feel like a Space Marine.

For the Emperor!