Area Marine 2 seems to be the present hotness. It is popped off on Steam, hitting a powerful participant rely completely with early adopters earlier than smashing that determine as soon as once more as quickly because the gates had been thrown open by the sport’s public launch. The result’s multifaceted. Not solely do 40K followers get a loving send-up to the world they’ve invested a lot money and time into, however a brand new group of 40K fledglings have been given a bombastic welcome to the far-flung future British artists and sport designers created within the 80’s.
Reactions have been fantastic to see as a longtime 40K dork. One such instance, Forbes author and Future 2 know-it-all Paul Tassi posting his response to seeing cyborg cherubs and candle-lit rooms, is a beautiful reminder of all of the darkish and wealthy flavour that floods the senses in 40K media. Area Marine 2 is a filled with that, and I hope it opens the door for courageous journeys into even stranger depths discovered inside the canon.
Make no mistake, Warhammer is stuffed with all kinds of dope, intriguing stuff. Saber Interactive did a wonderful job introducing us to a slice of the IP by means of the lens of the Ultramarines, which is a great selection. Not solely are they essentially the most vanilla of house marine chapters, they’re additionally the poster boys. Huge blue dudes which are jacks of all trades. However there are different chapters that make them appear bland as compared. The Blood Angels are house vampires. Darkish Angels are house knights, and the Area Wolves are, you guessed it, house vikings that will or could not flip into wolves themselves.
One critisism that Ultramarines get is that they seem to be a bit bland. Whether or not that is completely true is up for debate, particularly given the current lore bombshell with Guillerman when he was re-introduced to the 40K setting on the tabletop sport. However it’s definitely true that they lack a little bit of the sting or distinct fashion of different chapters. You get a style of this variety in Area Marine 2’s opening mission too! Gamers new to the IP could not have noticed it, however members of Titus’ Deathwatch squad are clearly from different chapters. The Area Wolf marine with the axe you see for mere seconds has a bloodthirsty aura not current anyplace else within the sport. This is not a fault of Area Marine 2 in any capability, however a window into wilder waters.
The sport is nice at this, teasing these within the know with little morsels of wider worldbuilding. Simply hop within the PvP and take a look at the heretic skins. Simply take a look at ’em. Sure, within the evaluate I hoped for a wider amount of content material in a wonderful sport, and the multiplayer follows go well with by being a decent however sensible bundle, however what’s current in these characters is fantastic. The characterisation is on level, each visually and with the voice strains. There is a possible risk {that a} participant with a contemporary intrigue into 40K will take a look at the World Eaters or Evening Lords marine and be like, I need a few of that.
And so do I. Area Marines have had loads of love through the years, and I would like to see video games enterprise additional out. There’s an apparent explanation why they get that a lot love thoughts, house marines are extremely well-liked. That is why they get essentially the most fashions on the tabletop, in any case. However there’s gotta be a stability certainly. Someplace between Area Marine 2 and, for example, Kuju Leisure’s Fireplace Warrior. That sport was a primary individual shooter targeted completely on the Tau, and whereas it was a bit shite, had a number of coronary heart behind it. It additionally was courageous sufficient to step away from the massive armoured blokes that permeate popular culture.
Area Marine 2 is a superb wedge within the door for that sort of stuff. We have seen the Tyranids and the way cool they’re (in addition to how they’ve impressed a great deal of different alien races in gaming just like the Zerg), and it is good timing for them to indicate up in a giant means given they’ve solely lately gotten a giant refresh on the tabletop. However let’s get some actually bizarre stuff. Let’s have a look at extra Darkish Mechanicum stuff. Comply with Rogue Dealer’s path and gimme the Darkish Eldar. Present me the Tau, the Necrons. On the Imperium aspect let’s get the Sisters of Battle in right here, or some Imperial Brokers. Or go completely into the Chaos aspect of issues with a deeper dive into the warp and renegade chapters. What’s Huron Blackheart as much as today?
There’s a lot right here, and a lot extra to discover because the years go on. I perceive the realities of operating a enterprise and promoting large video video games calls for a level of sticking to the favored stuff, however the actual hook of Warhammer is how huge all of it is. So this is a message for future sport devs engaged on a 40K sport – give us the bizarre stuff! Shove an area marine on the quilt, certain. Simply make it a Salamander or one thing.