The Games Workshop has stood as a shining beacon in town centres around the world as gathering spots for nerds, geeks and every available derisory word we can think of.
We don't feel bad saying that because some of us hecklerspray writers (cough ahem) were included in that ?nerdy? few who devoted far too much time to the table top franchise [You’re all perverts – Ed.].
For a number of years, table-top games have dared to jump from dice to the 21st century with several releases such as Space Hulk, Dawn of War, Fire Warrior but to little success except for inside pre-existing fan bases. Developer Relic Entertainment should however buck that trend with Space Marine, a gratifyingly violent third-person shooter/hack-n-slash combo that even non Games Workshop collectors can enjoy.
You take up the role of Captain Titus (voiced by Mark Strong), leader of a faction of Space Marines known as the Ultramarines who are sent to a world that is being besieged by millions of Orks to hopefully turn the tide and rescue some massive robot like weapon.
Admittedly, the story isn't very original and you soon find out that there is very little backstory to the game, with audiences frequently asked to fill in the blanks and get on with it. In one instance, there’s a character who we learn is part of ?The Inquisition? who our Ultramarines for some reason fear and respect, but at no point is it explained why we're aiding this trumped up psychic twerp.
It's all a little bit disappointing, but then once you get into the frantic mix of blasting Orks away with massive, powerful weapons and giddily dismembering bodies left, right and centre. Basically, forget the story – you have a bloodbath to be getting on with.
That said, this dumb fun soon loses flavour. The game is genuinely difficult, even with frequent weapon power-ups and special moves. Sadly, the whole thing just doesn't seem to relent. At times, you get the feeling that you and your little merry band of marines are the pocket of resistance amidst a seemingly never ending sea of bloodthirsty Orks.
Never ending isn’t a good thing in the gaming world, unless you’ve got no life.
The online mode is just as bad. The whole thing feels terribly thin and with only a handful of game choices and levels to choose from, the whole thing becomes something of a chore.
The choice of weapons feels somewhat limited and compared to the likes of Call of Duty or Battlefield Bad Company, only vaguely saved by the option to custom-make your own character for online play.
What we have here is the potential for a great series. Space Marine is better placed for potential sequels that any other game of its type out there; the only hope is that they have a little more ambition and open up their geek shaped doors to create a more immersive experience than this first outing.
7/10
This rubbish was written by James Wright who we found hanging around on a street corner, crying.
Follow hecklerspray on Twitter or else we’ll kill you in your sleep or join our Facebook group if anyone is still daft enough to use it or BUY ONE OF OUR STUPID T-SHIRTS OR WE’LL KILL EVERYONE YOU’VE EVER LOVED!