Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Official Game Guide Strategy Guides and Books

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Official Game Guide Product Details

Released on 09-Sep-2011

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine receives soundtrack release

  THQ and Sumthing Else Music Works are teaming up to release a soundtrack album for the hit sci-fi shooter Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.

  Launching in retail and digital outlets this week, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - The Soundtrack features a collection of tracks from the powerful orchestral score of the new Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC title from Relic Entertainment.

  The music was composed by Cris Velasco, known for his soundtracks for the God of War series, alongside Sascha Dikiciyan, composer for last year's movie spin-off Tron: Evolution.

  Together, the duo has created epic themes and Hollywood-style arrangements that perfectly accompany the grand, cinematic action seen in the game itself.

  Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine puts players in the role of Captain Titus of the Ultramarines as they gun their way through a brutal and involving recreation of Games Workshop's grim sci-fi universe.

  The title has proven a big hit among UK gamers, holding on to second place in the all-formats sales chart for two straight weeks.

  Published: 21/09/2011

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Review

  Titan

  The premise of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) is titanic on a couple of fronts. A third-person action game taking place in a brutal, 41st millennium science fiction setting, it puts you in the shoes of Captain Titus, leader of the human Ultramarines, the Emperor's chosen armies in an ongoing battle for the survival of humanity.

  It's your job to defend the forge world of Gaia, a strategically important planet dedicated to the production of weaponry, vehicles and tools used in battle. Work has ground to a halt on the planet due to the arrival of Ork invasion forces, while legions of Chaos Daemons, also keen to put the boot in and bring about the fall of mankind, lurk on the periphery. The Orks' main goal is to steal a Titan, a giant, walking robot fortress that could turn the tide of battle in their favour.

  The game features eight or so hours of visceral combat sure to satisfy action fans, while developer Relic's dedication to the Warhammer license will delight followers of its source material, Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniature war game. Everything looks and feels authentic, from the detailing of the marines' armour to the scorched, futuristic war-torn environments.

  War machine

  Captain Titus is basically the ultimate military badass, nine foot of superhuman meat adorned in power armour as heavy as a car and equipped with a selection of weapons primed to eviscerate anyone who stands his way. The game plays out from a third-person perspective and brings to mind Gears of War, minus that franchise's acclaimed cover system - Space Marines don't do hiding behind rocks, they charge into battle head first.

  This is a tactic you'll employ nine times out of ten when faced by hostiles. As well as allowing you to turn opponents into red mist, it's also essential to keep you alive as performing close-quarters 'execution' moves recharges your health. You'll storm in, stun enemies and then finish them off with a swipe of your chainsaw, a stamp to their head or a spine-cracking axe blow to the back. It's brutal, uncompromising stuff, but a mechanic that makes for one of the most satisfying health pick-up ever.

  Executions also build up a 'fury' metre that can be used to increase your melee attack abilities or slow down time if used when you're wielding a ranged weapon. While they aren't the game's primary focus, Titus has access to a number of weapons that can be used from a distance. You can carry up to four guns, from satisfyingly powerful assault rifles and grenade launchers to more exotic fare like a plasma gun that emits bursts of ionised gas and another which handles like a fire-spitting shotgun.

  Titus also has a rationed Jump Pack move which lets you boost high into the air before crashing into the ground and shattering anyone standing nearby. Needless to say, in this hyper-violent world you're never short of ways to tear enemy limbs off or turn foes into wisps of superheated dust with the minimum of fuss.

  Something for everyone

  Relic gets Space Marine's pacing just about right. Some players will occasionally find the endless battle nature of proceedings a little repetitive, while others will probably be irked by an inconsistent check-pointing system which can unnecessarily result in sections having to be replayed. However, the developer breaks things up with a couple of big set pieces like defending a train and a ruined bridge, and with a few (but arguably not enough) of the always fun Jump Pack sequences.

  There's plenty to like here, but perhaps the biggest achievement in this bloody, action-centric take on the franchise is that it looks and feels exactly as a Warhammer 40,000 game should without alienating newcomers. Its presentation, story and characters offer a great amount of fan service, but its gruesome action gameplay will also appeal to people who've never played the tabletop game before.

  GAME's verdict

  Good:
  + Warhammer universe is brought to life.
  + Brutal, satisfying combat and weapons.
  + Cool new take on the health system.

  Bad:
  - Orks' cockney-geezer dialogue wears thin.
  - Some poor check-pointing.
  - Could do with a few more big set pieces.

   

  Review by: Tom 'Ultramarine' Ivan
  Version Tested: X360
  Review Published: 13.09.11

  Published: 13/09/2011

• Space Marine to receive free co-operative mode add-on

  THQ has announced that its new shooter Warhammer 40000: Space Marine will receive a new co-operative add-on mode next month.

  Titled Exterminatus, the downloadable extra mode will allow up to four players to assume roles in an elite Space Marine squad and face off against hordes of enemies as they seek to rack up high scores.

  Gamers will be able to choose to play as Tactical Marines, Devastators or Assault Marines and utilise the special abilities of each class, as they earn progression towards their multiplayer ranks.

  Exterminatus will feature two different scenarios, Assault on Hab Center Andreas and Escape from Kalkys Facility, each of which includes its own set of challenges and global leaderboards.

  The new content will be made available free of charge in October 2011, while the main Warhammer 40000: Space Marine game hits stores this week.

  Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, it is a robust shooter/role-playing experience that puts players in control of Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, a genetically-enhanced warrior tasked with protecting humanity from alien threats.

  Published: 05/09/2011