I’m a big fan of Warhammer 40K, and have played many of their previous game releases including the first Space Marine game twice. So I had high expectations going into Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, and I’m happy to report that this may be the best action shooter I’ve played, let alone the best Warhammer 40K game.
The Tyranids make for a devastating foe
I struggle to formulate my praises for Space Marine 2’s campaign for it left me utterly speechless.
As a veteran of the first game, I dived head-first in classic Titus fashion into the campaign on hard mode, and was met with a gloriously challenging slew of missions that had as many fantastic story beats and dialogues as there were broken bones and executions.
What was instantly apparent was how different the Tyranids felt to fight compared to the Orks in the first game. I had a hint of concern that the action would feel too samey, but the nail-biting and explosive action of the first game is perfectly preserved whilst making the Tyranids feel like a different foe, not just look like one.
Not only does this preserve the first game as a solid title to be recommended even today, but it respects the awful tenacity and relentlessness of the Tyranids. There are so many moments where I disregarded distant Tyranid swarms as background noise, only to be met with horror as I realized they were all individual entities that were steadily tearing across the earth to greet me. I should have started shooting much, much sooner.
Getting swarmed by hordes of Tyranids and having to hack your way through their ravenous forms is always an anxious experience, especially when being hounded with ranged fire and larger Warriors coming in to dice you to pieces.
The new parry system employed in Space Marine 2 is satisfying and makes the Tyranids feel like a much more powerful and erratic enemy. At any point a Hormagaunt can leap at you, and engaging with larger foes feels like a proper fight.
I could go on ad nauseam about how much fun the Tyranids are to fight, and how generally satisfying and tense the combat is. Most encounters left me with a sliver of my health and wits, and chaining executions to replenish shields was always a welcome spectacle.
The more you play, the more you truly feel like an Astartes as you face immeasurable odds for victory. Each fight has you wondering how on earth you survived it, yet has you feeling pumped for doing so.
Mechanically, and brushing my love of the IP aside, Space Marine 2 presents a fantastic combat system that puts fun first.
“But what about the Thousand Sons,” you ask? Well, you’ll have to find out for yourself.
Bold visuals, confident writing, great characters, and interesting missions
The story for the first game was perfectly fine and had good plot beats, twists, and characters, but was nothing too amazing. It took a back seat to the action, and that’s perfectly fine as the core gameplay was great fun.
With Space Marine 2, however, the quality of the writing and stories is masterful. I was actively engaged with the compelling characters and their own arcs and interactions throughout the game. The writing is confident and doesn’t pander to any audiences that may be unfamiliar with the lore, and yet those who aren’t will still become immersed in the rich story.
There was not one character who was wasted, and not one plot point that didn’t feel important or part of something bigger.
In Space Marine 2, you’re working with other Ultramarines. Not just Gadriel and Chairon, your squad mates, but with other squads performing other crucial objectives to keep the game running at a steady pace. Although it’s a shame to miss out on those immense tasks in the campaign, you can play with those squads and execute their missions to see what happened in the multiplayer PvE Operation missions.
Even those minor characters who only really take center stage in the Operations are well made and personalized. The interactions between all the Ultramarines in Space Marine 2 are what makes it. It really feels like you’re watching space marines at work, not just big burly soldiers.
When playing through the campaign, not only was I immersed in the relations of the characters and the story the game was taking me on, but I was incredibly impressed by the variety of tasks and the gorgeous visuals.
Every operation in Space Marine 2 is more than a series of “go there and kill those guys!” There is a litany of interesting boss fights and many unique gimmicks for different sections to make each mission unique and replayable in its own right.
I’m so glad they didn’t reuse the same segments over and over again and allowed each one to have its moment in the mission it appears in. Whether its a specific enemy that requires a special method to fight it off or a unique objective that requires more than killing waves of enemies, the task variety in Space Marine 2 is refreshing and complements the intense action and story it takes you on.
Speaking of refreshing, the visuals are breathtaking.
I think I stopped every ten seconds to open up photo mode to snap a picture. I have dozens of images of scenery and combat and they’re all so cool. If I could cram every one of them into this review, I would.
It did seem these stunning sights come at a cost, however, for a colleague of mine was suffering from severe graphical issues that demanded him to upgrade and improve the components of his PC. This may not run well at all on some devices.
This is as concise as I can possibly be about the campaign. I cannot stress enough how incredible the game is to look at, to watch unfold, and how good it feels to crush xenos and heretic filth. If you’re a fan of action and shooter games, or are just a fan of story games, then Space Marine 2 does both exceptionally well.
The multiplayer for Space Marine 2 is both better and worse than its previous title
The multiplayer. The primary reason many of you are interested in Space Marine 2 in the first place. Let me preface this with saying that I haven’t been able to play the PvP multiplayer modes as of writing as they have been offline. However, the systems surrounding multiplayer are exciting and refreshing, although the customization is both better and worse than the first game.
There were no barriers in the first Space Marine game. There was a rich array of both loyalist and traitor chapters to play with, three classes with their own loadouts and perks, and broad and granular customization to create the Astartes of your dreams.
Space Marine 2 has an even bigger library of Astartes chapters to pick from, including extremely obscure Ultramarine successor chapters, such as the Hawk Lords and Tome Keepers, and ones with no founding, such as the Blood Ravens and Minotaurs. However, none of these cosmetics are available for free like the first game.
The assortment of the Ultramarine Successor Chapters are locked behind a DLC and all other armor sets and decals need to be purchased with in-game currency individually (that can be farmed in Operations and won from multiplayer games, don’t worry). Class-specific armor sets, however, must be earned through objectives.
Although this makes for an admittedly cool heraldry tree and the ability to essentially form your own chapters through the multitude of customizations, you’ll have to grind for them unlike in the first game.
Additionally, despite there being a combined total of 31 loyalist Astartes chapters to play as, there are only six heretic chapters. I find this highly surprising, as there were more heretic chapters in the first game.
So customizations are simultaneously exciting and disappointing, but that’s all I can talk about in confidence. It seems the multiplayer functions of the Operations and the multiplayer functions of the Eternal War (the PvP mode) are both separate but also somewhat linked. And as I can only spend five minutes in Eternal War before getting kicked out, I can’t have a thorough feel for its systems.
Cosmetics for weapons and Astartes earned are available in both multiplayer settings, however, your choice of arsenal is level-locked in PvP but not in PvE, leading to different loadouts for each of the six classes in both modes. This may make sense as Operations are multiplayer PvE, but that’s not the only discrepancy.
In Operations, each weapon has an interesting perk tree that improves upon the weapon, and each weapon has stronger versions which are unlocked as you play with them. These versions also double as skins for the guns, allowing for an advanced system of cosmetic and practical customization. However, these amazing systems don’t seem present in the PvP mode.
The strange disparities between PvE and PvP in Space Marine 2 are slightly jarring, and the absence of the weapon perk trees and versions in PvP is a disappointment.
However, one thing that Space Marine 2 does better is the classes. There are six classes, each with their own arsenal limitations and abilities. Additionally, in Operation mode at least, each class has its own Perk Tree. The classes here feel tangibly different and are excellent to play with, allowing for a range of experimentation and having a great time.
Although there’s a lot of disparity between the two multiplayer modes and there have been a couple of steps back from the first game, the Operations and Eternal War are ultimately extremely fun. As Operations is complimented by so many systems, players are going to have a great time improving upon their builds over time. Although I do wish PvP had more supporting systems.
At least there’s no battle pass. Not yet, anyway…
Space Marine 2 is the height of modern action shooters
I know I’m a huge Warhammer 40K fan, but I don’t think I’ve played a shooter campaign as good as what I got in Space Marine 2. It’s extremely well-written and provides a wealth of explosive fun. it makes for a perfect sequel to the story and shows how varied and enjoyable action shooters can be today.
The multiplayer is a mixed bag and I wished I could have played some PvP games before the review, but naturally, there weren’t exactly many others queueing up to play. In isolation, the PvP and PvE multiplayer systems of Space Marine 2 are detailed and incredibly expansive, and I really can’t wait to jump in and play it religiously for the foreseeable future.
I’ve had an incredibly fun time playing Space Marine 2, and I know most of you out there will, too.
Published: Sep 4, 2024 12:00 pm