I believe everyone knows that THQs Space Marine is coming out this fall. It looks really good. I am a big fan of third person shooters (the great Gears of War, for example), and Space Marine appears to be well done. Very excited for it. At any rate, THQ announced a couple of months ago that they were releasing an XBox arcade game to in "celebration" for the upcoming Space Marine. I don't know about that, as I suspect that they're trying to get those ignorant of 40K in on this, so this arcade game will act as advertising for Space Marine. Cash grab, commercial, fan service, whatever... the point is you have a top down/ isometric shooter for the XBox Live Arcade. Is it any good you ask? Yes, indeed it is...
The Good- the game IS in the 40K universe no doubt about it. The weapons, the Marines, Orks, Tyranids, etc, are all 40K. You play as a Space Marine (you can pick from different chapters) and you can be one of several types (Librarian, Sternguard, etc). Each marine has different combat characteristics- some shoot, others prefer melee. Once you've chosen, prepare for a wild ride as you go into the bowels of an Ork ship, killing all that moves while sabotaging the ship and gunning for the Warboss. It's really fun as wave after wave of Orks come at you (all different types too, including a Weirdboy). There's also Tyranids too (and they make it plausable that both are on this ship, its all good). It's kind of like Gauntlet in terms of enemy numbers (just without the maze). You move with one stick and shoot with the other- kind of like SmashTV. There are power up options to help you along the way too. I must mention the weaponry. They did a great job of making the weapons FEEL and PLAY as they should. Firing a Heavy Bolter is amazing. Using the Librarian's force sword and psychic blast is great. Flying with your jump pack and using your lightning claws is a thrill. Plus, you are just mowing down tons of Orks! You really see why Space Marines are the best of the best in this game. A ton of fun- especially when you play with a friend!The Bad- well, there are a few negatives. The Ork ship is understandably dingy and patchwork, which is great, but the levels are pretty much the same looking. The last level is cool, but the rest are a bit monotonous. Also, the game is really short. Just 5 levels, plus survival mode. It goes by quite fast. Finally, sometimes the camera turns, preventing you from seeing the enemy or you fall into a pit or something because of the turning camera.
Yes, its short and the levels are (mostly) all similar. However, this IS an 800 point arcade game, so you get a good value, ultimately. It is a blast to play though. You feel like an Adeptus Astartes- slaughtering all in your path, while your captain says "show no fear" or "let not the xenos live". Great stuff for a 40K fan (or, an old style arcade shooter / video game fan). I give it 3 out of 4 Marks of Chaos. If you're a 40K fan, pick it up!
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