Space Marine 2 Review
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Review
When you distil down Space Marine 2, you are left with a very competent third person shooter that uses some impressive tech to create a massive sense of scale unmatched in the genre. Although Space Marine 2 lacks in innovation, it compensates with refinement and offers a highly polished, immersive experience. No matter if you prefer solo or co-op, or your level of knowledge, there is plenty here to appreciate and enjoy for everyone, even outsiders of the series like myself.
STORY
You play as Ultramarine Titus, who is the focus of the Secret Level Episode about Warhammer 40k, which serves as a sequel to the events of this game. Between the Secret Level episode and the beginning of this game, it’s evident that Titus is special. He is clearly one of the most gifted and unique soldiers in the galaxy.
The overarching story is that the Imperium of Man is trying to reclaim the parts of the universe that have been lost to enemy forces, but the Tyranids appear and only want to destroy and consume everything. The Tyranids are a bug like enemy force, reminiscent of the Zergs from StarCraft complete with flying units, burrowers and small forces that emulate the Zergling rush as best they can. For the first half of Space Marine 2, this is who will end up in your crosshairs.
Your story takes place deep within this overarching plot as Lieutenant Titus and his squad of two other Ultramarines need to complete missions of the utmost importance in a similar vein to Saving Private Ryan. Eventually, Titus uncovers things he likely shouldn’t have seen and the rest of your journey is about getting to the bottom of things.
During Space Marine 2, you will encounter other marines who speak tales of some of their other missions, and this unlocks the ability to play these side missions as a separate excursion from the main campaign. I greatly appreciated this bold decision as these could have been added to the main campaign to add to the 10-12 hour campaign, but the decision to keep the focus on Titus and keep the pace moving well offering a more focused experience.
Gameplay
The campaign is available in solo or co-op with two other players and if you choose to take on Chaos and Tyranids by yourself, you will play with two bots, who are competent, but never try to steal the show from Titus. They will never need reviving or babysitting, but they also wont be leading point on the missions and saving the day. They are always available to revive you.
Space Marine 2 is a feast for the eyes and ears. The skyboxes are gorgeous, the tech that powers the enemy forces is impressive with a staggering amount of enemies on screen at times and hearing your power sword execute an enemy never got old, unfortunately the animations do. The further the game progresses, the more the visuals popped off the screen with vivid colors and spectacle.
Space Marine 2 relays its sense of scale as movement feels heavy, weapons feel punchy and the world feels enormous. The environments are varied and the speed at which you move through them is fast with solid pacing on the camping. This is aided by the changing of unique powers during some missions including the jetpack, which showcased the verticality of the environment, but also felt incredible to control as you controls the skies above, changing the tables on the Tyranids. Unfortunately, most levels and missions weren’t built around the jetpack.
As busy as the game gets the interface and experience for the user was top notch. Attacks you can parry will flash blue, attacks that you can’t dodge flash orange, when you deflect an attack properly, you can counter with a crosshair logo that appears to deal huge damage, when you can execute they begin flashing red and many other ways that Space Marine 2 keeps you informed at all times despite how hectic it can get.
There is also plenty do keep you busy long after you finish the campaign from Eternal War, which is the PVP mode if you are interested but also there are operations, which are the PVE side missions that were mentioned earlier and inside these modes are six different classes, each with a unique skillset.
CRITICISMS
The biggest issue for Space Marine 2 was that it was lacking in innovation and variation. Obviously, there is the impressive tech that allowed a plethora of enemies on screen at once, which made the the world feel alive, but outside of that, it didn’t feel like it was pushing the genre forward. The missions lacked variation. It was move from point A to point B and usually it was stop midway and defend or flip a lever and defend. It’s the same genre mechanic that has been used for decade and usually, it was monster closet after monster closet.
One of the highlights of Space Marine 2 was the jetpack that Titus was able to use on certain missions. This was under-utilized and could have offered more of that unique feeling that was missing. There was also a shortage of set-pieces to truly emphasize the size and scale of not only these men but the world they are in. There was one that felt reminiscent of Dead Space near the end that was great, but nothing that felt original. The game had some variation spiced in here and there, but it wasn’t enough over the course of the campaign
Combat could have also offered more strategy when fighting the hordes. Being able to get behind cover during some of the sniper sections would have been a nice touch. The engine tech was impressive enough and being able to have some parts of the environment destructible to channel the hordes of Tyranids would have added some much needed strategy, as opposed to emptying endless amounts of bullets and swinging the power sword.
In between missions, there are load-outs that Titus can choose from, but they felt somewhat pointless as you encounter weapon stashes often throughout your missions, allowing you fill up on ammo and swap weapons for what the job requires. Plus you never really know what you will need for the next mission ahead, whether that is a flamethrower or a sniper rifle. It was also best just to stick with your favourites and then swap in the field as needed.
Verdict
The grim and dark universe of Warhammer 40,000 is normally reserved for ultra fans only. Space Marine 2 walks the tightrope of being able to offer a good experience for everyone, and a variety of ways to play, no matter your knowledge of the IP.
With minimal filler, impressive visuals, and strong focus, Space Marine 2 had a clear identity. The pacing of the campaign was on point, as you moved through environments and came to a conclusion just before it overstayed its welcome. Unfortunately, Space Marine 2 fell a little short in other areas including strategy and gameplay variation that took away from the impressive tech that is unrivalled.
What Space Marine 2 lacked in innovation and variation, it made up for with refinement. Since it shares som much in common with Gears of War it would be hard not to compare it to the gold standard for the Blockbuster third person shooter genre and even though it Space Marine 2 falls short of the watermark, it’s the closest any game has come to capturing the essence.