Yesterday Nic took James and I on a tour of the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 co-op campaign. We had a merry vintage time, tearing through fortress cities like a diminutive pack of Crusaders, using the game’s absurd jetpack functionality to attack Tyranids, and getting our screens so covered in blood we couldn’t keep track of who was killing whom.
The action giant’s multiplayer PvP looks set to get even more tumultuous. Saber and Focus Home have released an extended trailer that takes you through the two main modes – the PvE boss and wave-killing madness of Operations, and the 12-player PvP carnage of Eternal War, which includes a range of match types. Aside from the ecstasy of dying for the Emperor, both bring back chilling memories of the early days of Gears Of War.
Each multiplayer mode offers six upgradable and fairly self-explanatory classes – Tactical, Assault, Vanguard, Bulwark, Sniper and Heavy. Class abilities include a cloak and a banner that you can heroically plant to infuse the veins of your comrades-in-arms with zeal and allow them to wash away mortal wounds like cobwebs (i.e., strengthen their defenses). Squads are divided into the common Ultramarines and the perfidious Chaos Marines: they look and sound different, but they function the same. You can’t play as a Tyranid or other non-human species in PvP.
Gears Of Warriness of the Space Marine 2 stands out for its huge character models, its stomping handling, its massive armament, and the massive regularity of the map layouts I’ve seen, which favor diagonals over curves. Of course, there’s no cover system. Space Marines don’t hide. Their faith is their shield. They’re also genetically engineered, hundred-year-old giants who wear elephantine armor. One class does get a hand shield, though.
Look out for our collective thoughts on Space Marine 2 next week. My immediate verdict on the campaign is that it’s a blast if you turn off your brain and just soak in the spectacle of dozens of Tyranids swarming your armature. With the choice of difficulty/effectiveness of companions, this is a game for button mashers and AOE fanatics, and anyone who responds to the suggestion of subtlety with justly flared nostrils and a roar of “heresy!”. It releases September 9th. If you’re tempted, here are the Space Marine 2 system requirements.
