Well . . . it’s Warhammer.

You remember that girl from high school. You know the one. That girl you watched from a distance as you admired her apparent perfection. If only you could talk to her, you knew you’d be the happiest guy in school. And then, against all odds, you found yourself sitting next to her. Pared up as part of a science project. All your dreams were about to come true!

. . . And then she opened her mouth and started to talk. All style, but nothing between the ears.Warhammer 40K: Space Marine is that girl.

Flimsy metaphors aside, when I first started hearing about Relic’s third-person-shooter, I couldn’t help but get excited. I’ve never followed the Warhammer 40k universe very closely, but I did enjoy the Dawn of War RTS titles. And it was the gritty, fantasy/sci-fi universe that I enjoyed most.

The idea of being able to jump into the over-sized metal boots of a Space Marine and experience the universe in a genre I am more comfortable with was something I was eager to do. On that front, Space Marine delivers in spades.

Warhammer’s brutal world translates well to this genre. Visually, the game is gritty and visceral. The universe’s three main factions really come to life from this new perspective. The ork warboss is one of the most enjoyable enemies I’ve experienced in a long time.

Unfortunately, these things are all just superficial. Underneath the slick veneer of the W40k universe lies sub-standard and dated gameplay that prevent the game from achieving anything truely spectacular. Space Marine is, at heart, an arcade-style brawler with guns. Sadly, the game lacks any depth in the combo department. There’s the weak-quick / mid-medium / slow-strong attacks with stuns following the same pattern. That’s it.

The control itself is a bit clunky, and outside of a few scattered jump-pack segments, the game glues your feet to the ground. Given your role as a heavily-armored Space Marine, I could easily forgive this if it was done well. Instead, I often found myself “stuck” on debris due to clipping issues or poor level design. The issues weren’t game-breaking, but they were bad enough to become an annoyance.

Space Marine does manage to shine in a few areas. I enjoyed all the game’s weapons, and found myself using every one at one point or another. Each felt good to use, and their various strengths were distinct enough to give each weapon a specific purpose. Better still, each weapon added to the whole “bad ass one-man-army” Space Marine vibe.

The game’s story was nothing too inspired, but it was written well enough to showcase exactly what makes Warhammer 40K unique. The Orks are the simple-minded but singularly focused horde that refuses to surrender. The Chaos army is sly, deceptive, and evil. And the “good guys” . . . well, they’re not much different than the bad guys. Sure, they fight in the name of the righteous . . . but they do so to a dangerous extent.

Relic stated they did not want to make another “cover based shooter”, which may account for some of the simplicity in design. I was excited for that; what I didn’t expect was for enemies to be able to shoot me through world geometry. Good or bad; the game truly is meant to be played in a straight-forward all-out-attack style.

It’d be wrong to say I didn’t have any fun with the game; it’s just a shame to see the title fail to nail such a simple design. The same can be said for the game’s slim multiplayer offering. Currently, the game offers two competitive modes — team deathmatch and capture the control points. Playing will earn you XP which will accumulate until you reach the next level. Reaching a new level will unlock some new perk that can be used in game a-la Modern Warfare.

Various deeds will also unlock new customization options for your character. While I love being able to chose my color scheme and armor options, it’s all been done before. Worse yet, it’s all been done better.

Space Marine is not a complete throwaway, but it utterly fails to stand out in an already crowded season of blockbuster games. If you’re a fan of Warhammer, you may want to check the game out. If you’re not, go play something a little more polished — there’s plenty to chose from.