an angrier Gears of War?

Warhammer in video games, there are dozens and dozens of different titles, with specific approaches too: real-time strategy game, turn-based RTS, MMORPG, FPS, Action-RPG, card game, it There really is something for everyone. But what interests us today is the game Space Marine 2, scheduled for September 2024 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. It is the continuation of the opus published in 2011 and which had decided to embark on very naughty and totally uninhibited action, a bit like Gears of War. The press rather liked it, the public too and this is undoubtedly what pushed Game Workshop to launch into a sequel, admittedly late, but with even crazier ambitions. This sequel will also keep the Gear of War-esque approach, but by injecting a Left 4 Dead component since co-op and multiplayer will also be at the center of the experience of this sequel. But before diving into the different game modes, we will already discuss the technical aspect of this Warhammer Space Marine 2, which as you have certainly noticed, is stunningly beautiful. We have been complaining about the lack of truly next gen games since the advent of the PS5 and the Xbox Series, but with Warhammer Space Marine 2, we feel that the Saber Interactive studio has given itself the means to achieve its ambitions.

VISUAL BUTCHING

We’ll let you admire the images that are shown in our video, but clearly, the game is sending out some good big Kobe steak, starting with a particularly careful modeling of the main character: Captain Titus who we are going to play as. In his Ultra Marine armor, he gives the impression of fearing absolutely no one with his metal frame which seems indestructible. In addition to the rough edges that we can see everywhere on his armor, damaged by the numerous battles that forged it, we can see lots of small details here and there, like these pieces of fabric that move realistically as you move. of Titus, or this pendant that we see at the end of a chain hanging around his right arm. All this contributes to this feeling that Titus’ armor weighs his weight, that it is a big tank that is very heavy to move, but which will not prevent him from fighting with strength and vivacity, but that we will talk about it when discussing the gameplay. Because we obviously also have to focus on the environments, which have also been the subject of very particular care. You just have to take a look at the ruined settings that you cross – and which bear witness to the battles that have multiplied between Humans and creatures – to see the visual richness of the game. Here too, it’s teeming with details in everything like, whether it’s ransacked buildings, the carcasses of vehicles left abandoned on the battlefields or even the corpses of creatures more disgusting than the others, the images speak for themselves.

Speaking of enemies, the strength of this Warhammer Space Marine 2 is that it does not skimp on the number of creatures to destroy on the screen. They arrive in hundreds, waves that must be eradicated, knowing that most of the time, each creature dies from the slightest bullet. By multiplying the enemies in swarms, this increases tenfold this epic sensation where stuffing into a pile is an exceptional sensation. Enemies generally fall under heavy fire from bullets, especially since we are never alone on the battlefield, since allies also assist us. A somewhat futile assistance, the idea being above all to give this feeling of a great war where the screen is loaded with events of all kinds. Bodies explode, blood flows, bombings multiply on the screen, buildings collapse, tanks tumble from all sides, squads of soldiers also participate in this war, in short, it’s a great spectacle that the developers do not hesitate to highlight it with very beautiful panoramas.

THE RETURN OF THE FENIX

So obviously, for the last few minutes that you’ve seen these splendid images, it’s impossible not to say that the game has such an obvious Gear of War vibe that it feels like plagiarism somewhere. In fact, Warhammer Space Marine 2 is not Gears of War in its gameplay mechanics, especially since the Focus title does not have a cover system like the Epic Games game. Here, it’s head-on combat and in order not to end up burned in your armor, you have to be the first to defeat the enemy, either with your arsenal or with your melee combat system, which also allows you to distinguish from Gears of War, which never developed melee combat, however. We hope that for Gears 6, the developers will think about evolving the formula elsewhere… Coming back to Warhammer Space Marine 2, there is a real interest in doing close combat. Already because it’s fun to use the famous sword-chainsaw, or sword-chainsaw in good French, but also because the developers have put in place a parry and execution system which not only punctuates the clashes, but also allows you to regain vital energy. Basically, with each enemy killed in melee, you recover a little health, but the percentage increases depending on how you kill, but what type of opponent you have in front of you. This therefore means that you have to stay in the heart of the action to stay alive, and this is also the reason why there is no need to take cover or run away from the enemy, because the more you the more you do, the more you are rewarded.
The game even offers a berserk which, once activated, will allow you to be faster and more aggressive, without forgetting this finish him mechanic which consists of executing the biggest enemies in a more cinematic way. And this execution allows you to gain additional life.

NASTY & JOUISSIF

In any case, everything is done so that this surplus of action is as uninhibited as possible, in order to make each situation both epic and pleasant, and this is also why death is not really punitive, since each game over, we reappear just before the start of the arena. Obviously, when faced with gameplay of this type, you have to pay attention to balance and especially to the variety of situations to avoid getting bored after a few missions. Warhammer Space Marine 2 promises to be varied in its environments with several different biomes and a renewal also in the bestiary. Since the Warhammer license is vast, it is not forbidden that Space Marine2 draws on its lore to surprise us. And then, once the single-player campaign is finished, it will be possible to turn to the 3-player coop mode which will allow you to do the campaign differently, especially since you will have to expect levels created specifically for cooperation. A multi mode in 6V6 has also been announced for clashes which already promise to be brutal. Each mode will allow you to play up to 6 complementary classes of Space Marines ranging from Bulwark and his shield to the Sniper capable of disappearing thanks to his Camo Cloak. The icing on the cake, and this is a first, Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 will have a character editor to create your avatar from head to toe with a wide selection of colors, heraldic symbols, shoulder pads, gauntlets and more. We might as well tell you that with all that, Warhammer Space Marine 2 is one of the games we are most looking forward to in 2024 and that its release, set for September 9, has already been set on our calendar…