A Brutal Return to the Grimdark Future
It should come as no surprise, given the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 that the original game would see a resurgence too.
However, going one step further, SEGA, Sneakybox and Relic Entertainment have brought out a new version of said game. Now going by the title of Warhammer 40,00: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition this new version promises to bring not only the base game to our shiny Xboxes, but all the DLC as well, gathered in one neat place.
Having never played the original game, I’ve come to this experience with fresh eyes, and here I shall present my thoughts for your reading pleasure. Hopefully, at least! So, grab your Bolter, let’s get stuck in.
To Preserve the Forgeworld
One of the things I love about games set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe is the amount of back story and lore that they bring with them. Honestly, it seems that you could spend the next twenty years reading up on all the details and still not really scratch the surface.
In this particular game, we play the role of Captain Titus, of the Ultramarines Space Marine chapter. Orks have invaded an Imperial Forgeworld, a massive, planet sized factory where the Empire builds the weapons it needs for its fight for survival. Obviously, losing this facility would be bad news, not only in terms of the weapons that would be lost, but for the fact that all these weapons in the hands of the Orks sounds like a really bad idea!
What this means is that we are sent to secure key positions until reinforcements can arrive. Of course, things are never that easy, and we should expect to fight for every metre of ground that we hope to secure. Can Titius and his battle brothers keep the horde at bay, or will the Orks get their grubby mitts on the weapons? Well, that depends how good you are at shooting, I guess!
Gritty Grandeur
Having never played the original, I’m going to have to tackle the developers word for the improvements that have been made. They claim that the sound has been remastered in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition, and that the character models have been redrawn. Generally, things have been given a tickle with the HD brush.
What I can say for certain is that visually this comes across with a hint of the Xbox 360 generation; a bit muddy. Honestly though, that works really well for this game. Having a shiny HD world would have ruined the atmosphere, in my opinion, and the world looks and feels like a planet teetering on the edge of disaster. The Space Marines look great too, with the Ultramarine armour an unstoppable fighting machine. Further, the different variety of Orks is of a high quality too, especially as they disintegrate into a bloody mush under impact from bullets or melee weapons. The various worlds that we wander around have been well realised, helpfully filled with waist high cover to hide behind.
Similar praise must go to the audio as well; the battle roar being very well represented, all alongside Bolter fire, chainswords revving and Orks yelling. There’s enough here to ensure it all brings the battle to life in your living room. Slightly surprisingly, the voice acting is also on point, with Titus’s growling voice well acted, and the rest of the incidental voiceovers sounding decent: even the Orks that we speak to have a good voice, and a distinct British accent, which is nice!
Campaigns and Carnage
Gameplay wise, we’re looking at a split game; one of two halves. There is the campaign, and then there is the world of the online multiplayer. Starting with the latter, the world is well populated, and there are plenty of people playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition. There are a couple of offerings to get involved in too, with the standard versus multiplayer being well represented, as two teams go fighting it out.
More to my personal taste is the Exterminatus mode, which is as near as dammit Horde mode from Gears of War 2, my favourite multiplayer game of all time. You can play either of these modes in public servers, or if you have sufficient friends and a point to prove, in private lobbies too. The netcode for the game is very good and works well, and I have had zero issues playing any of these modes.
Campaign mode follows Titus through the twists and turns of the story, and features absolutely brutal gameplay, which I am here for. There is a mixture of attacks that you need to employ, and Titus can switch between them at will. Going from shooting enemies at long range over to melee weapons when the enemies are treading on your toes is seamless. You can also stun enemies with a melee attack, and executing them restores some of your health. This can make it quite hard (but not impossible) to die, as when you are surrounded, you can often heal yourself faster than you can be damaged. Unless you play on the higher difficulty levels, of course, where your health bar disappears in a flash.
Jump Packs and Finishing Moves
As you go through Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition, various new weapons and abilities come your way, and my favourite has to be the jump pack, which allows a couple of tonnes of armour to not only jump, but to crash to earth, damaging anything that is in the vicinity. This looks great, as do the various finishing moves that Titus can pull off. Truly wince-making to look at, slicing up Orks is a great deal of fun.
A Bloody Good Blast for Warhammer Fans
While it isn’t quite as good as the sequel, Warhammer 40,00: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition does more than enough to make a case for playing. This is a game that is fast, bloody and brutal, complete with a story that keeps pushing you on through the campaign.
With a well populated online world, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition has more than enough to keep you out of mischief.
Important Links
The Iconic Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Returns with Master Crafted Edition on Xbox, PC, Play Anywhere and Game Pass – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-iconic-warhammer-40000-space-marine-returns-with-master-crafted-edition-on-xbox-pc-play-anywhere-and-game-pass/
Play Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted on Game Pass (or buy it!) – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/warhammer-40-000-space-marine-master-crafted-edition/9nds24hs4n02
