Genre Action, shooter Publisher Focus Entertainment Developer Saber Interactive Minimum requirements Intel Core i5-8600K 3.6 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz, 8 GB RAM, DirectX 12-capable graphics card with 6 GB of memory, such as NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580, 75 GB of SSD storage, Internet connection, Windows 10/11 operating system Recommended requirements Intel Core i5-8600K 3.6 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz, 8 GB RAM, DirectX 12-capable graphics card with 6 GB of memory, such as NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580, 75 GB of SSD storage, Internet connection, Windows operating system 10/11 Release date
September 9, 2024
Localization Text and voice acting Age rating 18+ Platforms PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5 Official website
Played on PC
Extremely epic scale, monstrous visual gigantism, dense but appropriate pathos, countless hordes of enemies and pulsating adrenaline courage, which is only occasionally interspersed with plot exposition – this is exactly the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 everyone was expecting, and, without intrigue, this is exactly what it turned out to be. The project corrected many of the problems of the original game and brought the formula of space marine action to an exemplary form. And although it was not without rough edges, it is difficult to tear yourself away from the new adventures of Lieutenant Titus.
Titus is demoted, but still pompous, brutal and absolutely devoted to the Emperor.
⇡#Courage and honor!
It’s been about a hundred years since the first part. Lieutenant Titus has atoned for all suspicions of heresy with blood (both his enemies’ and his own) in his loyal service to the Emperor in the Deathwatch and has once again earned the right to carry a bolter in the elite ranks of the Ultramarines. And the time, it must be said, is opportune: the Imperium is bogged down in a bloody conflict with the Tyranids – an unstoppable horde led by a powerful swarm consciousness. Titus, as the best of the best, must rush into the thick of the conflict and, shoulder to shoulder with his brothers in arms, eradicate the threat to all of humanity.
However, even though the charges were dropped, the past does not let go – Titus will have to prove his loyalty to the Ultramarines and the Imperium more than once or twice, regularly facing sidelong glances, hints, and sometimes direct accusations of heresy. And this turned out to be a pretty good conflict: you should not expect Hamlet-like passions, but the plot line of relationships with brothers in arms and proof of his true devotion to the common cause turned out to be convincing.
The recoil and the feeling of hitting the barrels are simply cosmic – it’s a pleasure to shoot
The good dramaturgy is supported by truly solid gameplay. In general, the gameplay cycle is the same as in the first part – we are thrown into a mission in which we have to fight our way through hordes of enemies with the help of various melee weapons and a large arsenal of firearms. But in form, Space Marine 2 offers an absolutely enchanting experience: how fun it is to fight countless hordes of xenos, fire from various bolters and thermal weapons, break into a crowd with a chainsword at the ready, perform a couple of simple but spectacular combinations, parry a treacherous attack, make a spectacular finishing shot at one monster, and then gut a particularly huge evil creature in a wild bloody finisher (restoring the armor that was pretty battered by the battle). This is the kind of experience you expect from a game in the epic universe of Warhammer 40K.
And so that the grand battles do not become boring, the developers prudently supply new types of guns, blades and hammers throughout the story. And the gameplay also includes elements designed to add variety to the bloody space opera. For example, segments with jetpacks change the very approach to battles, making the bulky space marines much more maneuverable and mobile (and open up opportunities for spectacular blows from above). Sometimes the shooting and slaughter are seasoned with scenes where it is necessary to protect certain objects on the map, or make your way through dark catacombs teeming with small deadly creatures that can only be dealt with by keeping your finger on the flamethrower trigger. Sometimes the action is diluted with fights with bosses or the appearance of a new side in the conflict…
Flying into a crowd of enemies on a jetpack in a crushing hammer attack is not only spectacular, but also tactically justified!
As in the first part, the initial threat is overshadowed at a certain point in the plot by the good old heretic Chaosites. Dramatically, this move is completely justified and gives scope for the development of Titus’ story, but in terms of gameplay, the game begins to lose a little in the dynamics of battles, so the fun noticeably sags. Shooting at the Chaotic Marines, Terminators and Sorcerers does not give the same courage as before – tough, bastards – and visual registration of hits from almost all types of weapons is practically absent. And the small minions of the dark gods, although they cheerfully fly apart from hits, feel much less interesting opponents than the Tyranids.
It’s not that the game gets boring, on the contrary – the plot picks up speed, the stakes rise, and the emotional significance of each fight increases. But the pleasure of shooting and fighting begins to sag. And this is due not only to the fact that the enemies have become tougher, but also to the way the game was balanced. Despite the fact that the campaign structure and narrative are clearly built as a single-player adventure, it is obvious that the basic option for completing Space Marine 2 is still co-op, where players coordinate their actions and approach each battle tactically. And in this case, the game certainly does not lose its courage, and the Chaos fighters hardly feel as unpleasant “damage sponges” as in a solo game with bots. And although it is quite possible to complete the story with AI companions, it feels like some of the fun is gone. And this idea is fully confirmed in the multiplayer match modes.
If the enemies do manage to knock down the mighty Titus, the AI allies will quickly rush to help. However, you can only fall in battle twice. On the third, there is a checkpoint
⇡#War never ends
In parallel with the events of the campaign, another story is developing – no less important in the overall context. After all, without the coordinated actions of the brave paratroopers from the second squad, Titus and his team would suffer one crushing defeat after another. And it is we, in the company of friends or random players, who will have to fight for the Imperium as part of a group of three players in six operations.
Tactics in this mode come to the fore, because there are even more enemies, and elite enemies too. And the tasks themselves are designed in such a way that without coordinated work they are almost impossible to complete. For example, somewhere you will need to move cargo, somewhere to build a defense as competently as possible along a small perimeter of the control zone, and sometimes to succeed you will even have to jointly solve a kind of puzzle.
Hardcore fans of “Waha” will be extremely pleased with the character editor – literally any piece of armor can be painted as you like
The success of missions is influenced by the correct selection of classes, and an understanding of their features, the specifics of the arsenal (each class has its own limitations), as well as other nuances. For example, a powerful support warrior will increase the survivability of his colleagues with a barrier, and will also cover enemies with fire from heavy weapons; a sniper is perfect for quickly and accurately eliminating elite targets, and a bastion is incredibly effective in close combat, and will also protect comrades with his powerful persona (but he does not have access to firearms). The assault and vanguard are somewhat similar to each other: both are able to quickly reduce the distance with the enemy: one with a hook, the other with a jetpack. And the soldier is both the most versatile (thanks to a wider selection of weapons), but also the most unremarkable, with a rather strange ability – scanning a certain area for enemies. Heretics and xenos are already pouring out from everywhere, why scan them?!
For each sortie, fighters receive experience and some local cash, which can be used to purchase new class perks that significantly strengthen the paratroopers, upgrade weapons with powerful improvements (for example, increased head damage after reloading an empty magazine), as well as armor options and color schemes. True, they don’t give out very much currency, which, of course, slows down the upgrade significantly. And at some point, going through the same missions over and over again, even on increased difficulty, will get boring. So, having had enough of the cooperative experience, you can safely enter the “Eternal War”.
The bosses in the “operations” are original, and the fights with them are much more intense than in the single-player game.
It offers a completely different experience – in three modes, players will have to plunge into battles between Chaos Marines and the Imperium in classic multiplayer battles. In one, you will have to clash for three key zones, hold the captured ones, recapture the ones taken away and try to dominate at least two zones so that the winning score reaches the coveted mark faster. In the second, the principle of the battle for key zones has been preserved, but the points themselves now appear randomly and you will have to show ingenuity and speed to stay ahead. And where would we be without a classic battle in the “wall to wall” format, where you need to make a certain number of “frags” faster than the opposing team with team efforts. And although the “Eternal War” looks like entertainment “for show”, it will still give a couple of memorable epic moments.
***
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is easily one of the best games in the “40,000” genre – it gives a truly authentic experience of the universe so beloved by many. It is beautiful in its sincere and genuine brutality, although it is not without its weak moments.
Advantages:
powerful and tough action, perfectly immersing you in the world of Warhammer 40K; excellent shooting feedback and an excellent combat system in general; the main campaign is full of appropriate pathos and spectacular moments, and even catharsis is in place; the co-op missions of the mode are good…
Flaws:
…it’s a pity that there aren’t many of them yet; battles against the Chaosites aren’t nearly as exciting as fights with the Tyranids; the campaign was clearly created with co-op in mind – the stupid AI comrades don’t help you avoid the feeling of “one against all”; minor technical problems like a couple of crashes and freezes.
Graphics
Brutal landscapes, gloomy base corridors, colossal temple complexes – everything is done atmospherically, in detail, beautifully and with great love for the Warhammer 40,000 universe. This passion is felt in the development of armor, weapons, and even mere trifles like terminals. Exceptionally high-quality visual execution.
Sound
The sound design is superb – it conveys the heat of battle, and the frightening roar of the advancing swarm, and adds even more credibility to the juicy shots from the bolters.
The music seemed to me to be slightly short of the extreme pathos that is happening on the screen. Hardly a single composition will be remembered, and in the moment they do not enhance important moments, but are perceived as background strumming.
Russian voice acting is present, and it is quite good. At least technically: sound mixing, speech distortion effects, features of the environment – all this is at a high level. There are no questions about the selection of voices either, all the actors perfectly fit the images of convinced fanatical warriors, interpersonal conflicts are played out well, and the chemistry between the characters is definitely felt.
Single player
An action-packed campaign that will appeal to fans of the first game and fans of shooters in general.
Estimated time of completion
The main campaign will take you eight to ten hours, and additional modes will captivate you for another four to five hours. But this depends on how much you like to play the same maps on increased difficulties, and, of course, on how often the developers will deliver new content to the game.
Collective game
The Operations mode is a great complement to the main campaign experience: six challenging missions that will require coordinated actions and the ability to use all available weapons with maximum efficiency.
And “Eternal War” offers three standard PvP modes, such as team deathmatch or battles to hold key points.
General impression
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 lived up to all the hopes and expectations placed on it – it’s a great brutal action game with spectacular production, a simple but strong narrative and some good online fun. The Emperor approves of it, and so do we!
Rating: 8.0/10
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Source: 3dnews.ru
