As a Warhammer 40,000 experience, Space Marine 2 is excellent at many things. The relentless tide of Tyranids. The firing patterns of each individual model of Bolt gun.
The way Imperial Guardsmen look up at you as if you are a vengeful angel sent from above. As a video game, though, Space Marine 2 has less to boast about. In fact, it is only truly accomplished at one thing: combat.
This is far from the negative critique it first sounds. Space Marine 2, much like its 2011 predecessor, is built on the bones of Gears of War. It offers spectacle and destruction in equal measure, with linear levels designed purely to funnel you from one bloody battle to the next.
Aside from the fun fact that such a singular focus makes it an authentic digital embodiment of space marines (who exist purely to fight in a galaxy-spanning external conflict,) Space Marine 2’s design harks back to the time of the Xbox 360, an era before the bloated, overstuffed ‘everything game’. It’s a modern demonstration that sometimes it’s best to dedicate yourself to one idea rather than attempt shallow versions of every feature currently in vogue. Developer Saber Interactive has crafted such a brilliant combat system thanks to its deep understanding of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
This isn’t a translation of the tabletop game, rather the conflicts those models represent. In fact, Space Marine 2 feels more like an adaptation of the artwork that adorns the pages of Warhammer manuals – so much so that .