Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Preview
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If we have any reservations about Space Marine at this juncture, they centre on the game's apparent lack of gameplay variety. Although the campaign offers 15 upgradable weapons, on-rails gun turret distractions, and 'exotics' set piece sections that temporarily gift Capt. Titus with hugely overpowered goodies, there's no cover system, no vehicle control, and no squad interaction. According to Relic, a cover system would detract from the game's 'kill everything before it kills you' ethos, while squad control would amount to little more than 'babysitting' for ruthless A.I. squad mates that really don't need ordering about. Yet we can't shake the worry that just shooting and hacking - no matter how frantic and exciting it might be - could grow old very quickly.
Then there's the voice acting. We're all for the regional British accents spread across humans and Orks alike, they make for a refreshing change. But during the 15-minute demo we must have heard Capt. Titus rally his troops by hollering "Space Marines!" a hundred times over. Thrilling action aside, that kind of repetition is likely to grate well before the game ends. Other bursts of intentionally cheesy dialogue might also dilute the overall experience for some gamers, but we're hoping they'll actually help cement the notion that Relic had its tongue planted firmly in its cheek when it drew up plans for Space Marine. For example, at one point during the action, an Ork boomed: "You're in my house now, Space Marines. And you're not welcome!" We chose to chuckle, others may choose to cringe.
