'Warhammer 40k: Space Marine' demo: More than a 'Gears of War' clone

Relic Entertainment is no stranger to the “Warhammer” series. The developer has seven PC “Warhammer” releases under their belts, though many of those titles were real-time strategy games for the PC. However, the upcoming Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows release “Warhammer 40k: Space Marine” will be a third-person shooter. Though I myself haven’t played any of the Warhammer RTS games or even table top games (in a long, long time anyway), I had been keeping “Space Marine” in my peripheral since I heard about it. Though it easily could’ve been a “Gears of War” clone, “WH 40k:SM” takes measures to make sure that the distinction between the series are immediately noticeable.

I’m well aware that the Warhammer series has been around looong before the popular third-person shooter from Epic. With that said, Gears will be the game that “WH 40k:SM” is most often compared to – and for obvious reasons. Both series feature large, bulky, armor clad soldiers waging war against all manner of ugly monstrosities. However, “WH 40k:SM” presents a very different game than that of the Gears universe – one that is more focused on adrenaline pumping action with an emphasis on melee combat.

In “WH 40k:SM,” players take on the role of Captain Titus, leader of the Ultramarines second company defending the forgeworld, Graia. Co-op with a second player will also be available, though I’m not sure if it’s online or splitscreen (or both). It should also be mentioned that 8 vs. 8 competitive multiplayer will be available in the final version of the game, featuring traditional deathmatch as well as an objective Domination-esque objective mode. Plans for a CTF mode are allegedly in the works as DLC after the game is released.

In the demo, which appears to take place early on in the game, Titus and two other Space Marines must stop an Ork assault on an Imperium factory. The size and scale of the levels is tremendous, making the lumbering Space Marines seem tiny by comparison. The Orks have numbers on their side but Titus and the Ultramarines are the best of the best and carry a cadre of potent weapons into battle that easily help turn the tide in their favor.

Captain Titus practices the Space Marines' brand of diplomacy

Where “Gears of War” employs a cover system to give combat a more tactical feel, “WH 40k:SM” eschews the concept of cover and encourages players to enter the fray using Titus’ array of ranged and close combat weapons. In terms of weaponry, Titus carries a Bolt Pistol, Bolter assault rifle, grenade launcher and sniper rifle (you’ll have to excuse me, I can’t remember the actually names) but also carries a Chainsword, which is just what it sounds like – a sword combined with a chainsaw. The interesting thing about melee weapons in “WH 40k:SM” is that there is no need to switch to them, they are always available at the press of a button. Though you’ll only see Titus carrying a melee weapon when the pistol is equipped, melee strikes can be doled out fluidly and easily while using any other weapon. Grenades round out Titus’ arsenal and are perfect for clearing large hordes of Orks.

Though I’ve had my eye on “WH 40k:SM” for some time, I was wary of the game for a few reasons. Relic isn’t exactly known for making third-person action games and I was worried the game might be too clunky or play slowly. Also, I was slightly concerned it would just be a Gears rip-off like that game “Quantum Theory” seemed to be. Luckily, I seemed to have been worrying about nothing.

“WH 40k:SM” plays very smoothly with little lag even when the action heats up and the gameplay/character movement are also very fluid. Also, “WH 40k:SM” really only compares to Gears in visuals alone – Captain Titus replaces the cover/run action with an evade dive to get away from (or closer to) enemies. On higher difficulties, you’ll need to keep Titus on the move as Orks generally attack in large numbers of varied enemies. There are standard brawler units who carry axes and larger berserker units who carry huge clubs and deal massive damage, along with smaller enemies, kamikaze enemies as well as Orks who use guns to attack from a distance. In addition to the dive roll, Titus will also have access to a jump pack in some areas (which replaces evade). This rechargeable jetpack allows Titus to move quickly around the battlefield, surprise and attack enemies from above and also allows Titus to perform a dive-bomb maneuver that stuns or kills nearby enemies.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed before you’re accustomed to the way the game plays. In fact, I ended up dying a few times in the first few battles because I waded into combat, swinging my Chainsword willy-nilly and managed to get overrun pretty quickly. Titus has a Focus/Rage meter that builds as he finishes off Orks that, when activated, heals him as well as making his attacks more powerful and invincible for a period of time. There was also a really cool visual effect that went along with turning on the rage meter. Little visual touches like this also help to differentiate “WH 40k:SM” from the more grounded in reality Gears series (well, you know, as much as a series about humans fighting cave-dwelling humanoid monsters can be based in reality).

Overall, I found myself really enjoying “WH 40k:SM.” The visuals were slightly on the cartoony side but maintained a slick style that adds to the brutality of the combat. The combat itself is fast, fluid and very easy to pick up and the tenacity of the Ork hordes will keep you on your toes even through the most casual of encounters. I kinda feel like I need to point out the way that the melee combat also makes use of the “speed up/slow down” format made popular by Zack Snyder is movies like “300.” This element isn’t very heavily emphasized but I know it’s a stylistic element that some may be getting tired of by now and won’t appreciate seeing it. I, on the other hand, think it fits very well in “WH 40k:SM” and feel like it adds just a little kick to the fast-paced combat, allowing you to somewhat savor the destruction you wreak on the Orks.

The demo for “WH 40k:SM” is available today (Aug. 24) in North America and the full release is scheduled for Sept. 6 in North America and Sept. 9 for Europe. Despite how much attention this game should receive for being a competent, fun action title, I’m almost positive it will be overshadowed by the multitude of high-profile releases this fall/winter. For instance, “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” was just released this past week, “Dead Island” is releasing the same day as “Space Marine,” “Gears of War 3” comes out on Sept. 20, with several other big name titles like “Rage,” “Batman: Arkham City,” and “Battlefield 3” all coming out in the weeks following. There is no doubt that this will be a tough release for Relic’s latest Warhammer title and it will be interesting to see if it will be able to holds its own against the numerous AAA titles coming out. It may not be a game I buy immediately, but after a little time spent with it, there’s no doubt I’ll be filling the shoes of Ultramarine Captain Titus sometime in the future.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – When in Rome

I honestly don’t know why I took so long to finally play “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.” Despite putting the first Assassin’s Creed down a few hours into the game, I thoroughly enjoyed AC2 and sunk tons of hours into the story. And from everything I’ve seen and played in AC:B, if you enjoyed the series’ second offering, you’ll absolutely love the third.

AC:B begins very quickly, throwing both Desmond and Ezio into the fire almost immediately. Desmond and crew set up shop in Ezio’s villa (Monteriggioni) while Ezio and his crew are being forced out of said villa in the 16^th century by the remaining Borgia family members including new antagonist, Cesare Borgia, a ruthless commander who has plans of his own for Rome and Italy.

The first main difference between AC2 and AC:B is the move to one, large world map rather than a collection of different towns/regions. This was a great design choice and one that makes AC:B feel more like a sandbox game akin to “Grand Theft Auto” more than either of the last two entries in the series. Rome offers an incredibly large, varied area to explore and is packed to the gills with secret items (such as flags, treasure, feathers, etc.) and side-quests that it’s very easy to completely lose track of the main storyline missions as you make your way across Rome, disposing of the Borgia and revitalizing the city.

In AC:B, the Borgia return as the penultimate villain and this time, their control over the city of Rome is much more encompassing and obvious than before. As in previous games, Ezio must synchronize areas by ascending to different points on the map so that you can view the details of that area on the world map. In AC:B, a majority of those viewpoints are now part of “Borgia Towers” which must be ignited to remove the Borgia’s influence over an area. When approaching a Borgia Tower, you’ll notice the area is restricted, meaning that any guards who catch sight of you will attack immediately. Each tower has a captain which must eliminated before it can be ignited and scaling these towers is often a very puzzling affair.

I don't know why the Borgia keep messing with Ezio. It never ends well.

But removing Borgia Towers also has another effect on the game. Not only does removing them allow easier movement around Rome, but they also free up recruitment slots for assassins. At a certain point in the game, Ezio will be able to save certain Roman citizens from being terrorized or killed by the Borgia. After being saved, these people will pledge their allegiance to Ezio and join the Assassin’s Guild. Ezio can call on these assassins to assist him in the field or he can send them on assassination contracts to earn XP, money and items.

Even without the use of your assassins, who can also initiate a powerful attack called the Arrow Storm which will kill all guards near you, the combat in AC:B is a little disappointing. Where AC2 rewarded the player for being patient in fights, looking for openings to counter-attack, AC:B basically turns Ezio into a one-man-army who has little trouble dispatching large crowds of Borgia guards. Where Ezio used to rely on well-timed countering or running rather than fighting, there’s really no reason you can’t just slaughter every guard who bothers you. And even though it’s fun to play as an unstoppable killing machine, it slightly misses the point.

Luckily, there is a whole lot more to do in AC:B than fight. Side-quests, guild missions, buying stores and landmarks – there is much more to do in AC:B than any game in the series before it. Lairs of Romulus take the place of Assassin Tombs and still provide plenty of great platforming puzzles. There’s so much to do in AC:B that the story narrative suffers a little because of it – so often I found myself running around the various areas of Rome, collecting money/flags/treasure, buying shops and sending my assassins on contracts that by the time I did decide to start another memory (mission) I had mostly forgotten what was happening or why it was happening. On top of that, the narrative in AC:B just doesn’t have the same direction that AC2 seemed to have. Whereas in AC2 you started out as a young Ezio who learns the ways of the assassins to challenge the greatest power in all of the known world; AC:B’s story arc of Ezio continuing his fight against the Borgia just doesn’t have the same impact.

Outside of the things mentioned above, the biggest addition to AC:B is multiplayer. I’ll be honest, I haven’t put a whole lot of time into the online mode of AC:B. Then again, being honest, I didn’t really enjoy the mode very much. Though most of my dislike came from being a low level, inexperienced player thrown in with people tens of levels above myself who was continually being destroyed by higher level players, I just didn’t dig the overall format of the mode.

Each session of multiplayer is basically a deadly game of hide-and-seek. You start each game on a map full of the same 10-12 character models and are given a target to locate and terminate. A radar at the bottom of the screens shows how far you are from your target as well as if they are in your sight or not. What should be a slow, psychological game of cat-and-mouse too often seemed to devolve into a veritable train of assassinations – your target is killing someone so you move in behind them and earn a kill only to be killed by your pursuer. It was way too often that I got killed in AC:B without even knowing someone was right behind me and the “stun” attack the game suggests I try using never seems to do, well, anything really. Whether I’m being chased or otherwise see my killer coming, the stun move never seems to work. I may go back and give the multiplayer in AC:B another shot later on but what I’ve already experienced was so frustrating and opposite of fun that I probably won’t (especially with the glut of AAA titles coming out this fall/winter). I appreciate the idea, Ubisoft, and the concept sounds like a lot of fun, unfortunately that’s just not what I got when I played.

Overall, though, AC:B is a fairly tremendous game. AC:B is perfect if you’re the kind of gamer who gets completely absorbed in collecting/completing all a game has to offer. Heck, it’s great no matter what kind of gamer you are. If you enjoyed AC2 (or even the first AC, which I wasn’t a fan of) you owe it to yourself to check out AC:B.

Brink DLC "Agents of Change" free for limited time

It’s been a while since I played Brink last. After completing the campaign missions a few times each, I really didn’t find much reason to keep playing. The game itself is fun and I like the concept but considering it doesn’t play as smoothly as current best-selling FPSes (Halo, COD, Battlefield etc.) and the online mode is odd at best and broken at worst, it’s tough to make time for Brink.

Earlier this week, the first DLC pack for Brink, dubbed “Agents of Change,” was released and is free for the first two weeks. The pack includes four new missions – two per side – that take place in the bright color schemes of the Founder’s area of The Ark. Unfortunately, these missions are no more or less exciting than the previous missions available in Brink – so if you weren’t wowed before, “Agents of Change” probably won’t do much to bring you around. Also included in the pack are new abilities (the UAV, Napalm Grenade, Pyro Mine, Field Regen Unit and Tactical Sensor), two gun attachments (bayonets and shields), as well as new oufits and clothing items (The Limey and Sad Punk).

I’m not very certain why exactly Splash Damage is giving this content packed DLC for free. Whether it’s because they felt guilty because Brink was a mess at launch or because they’re just naturally generous, I don’t really know. What I do know is that it isn’t often we gamers are offered a DLC pack stuffed with content for literally nothing.

The two new missions take place in the bright, clean, futuristic Founders’ area. In the Founder’s Tower, the Security Forces must find and disarm a bomb planted by the Resistance fighters. The Resistance are making another attempt to destroy the Founder’s Tower and it is up to the Security to stop them. In Labs, the Resistance are making a push to steal an experimental substance from this as-yet untouched laboratory area deep underneath The Ark.

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating – Brink is an unfortunate game. Prior to its release, Brink seemed to have so much promise. The way Splash Damage presented the game, which combined free-running mechanics with a vibrant color palate and objective-based gameplay, sounded like it had an incredible amount of promise. After playing it though, I’ve consistently found that Brink is not much more than a buggy, sluggish, chore of a game. Playing Brink solo will test your patience to no end – enemies are relentless and near impossible to outsmart while friendlies run around aimlessly, getting gunned down without doing much. It’s clear that Splash Damage intended Brink to be played online but the online mode was a laggy mess when the game was released. And the current online situation doesn’t seem to be much better.

I played through all four chapters of “Agents of Change” earlier today and each time I played online, I found myself in a game with exactly one other human player. One. I’m not sure if the community for Brink has already disintegrated or if the alleged game updates from Splash Damage (that were supposed to limit the number of human players per game to minimize lag) have anything to do with it, but playing with one other human just isn’t fun and definitely not what you want from an online FPS. I’ve also ruled out my own connection as the problem, considering I’m using the fastest FiOS speed available and no one else in my house was using the network while I was playing. I found the whole experience pretty odd (and a little disappointing) and will continue to play periodically to see if I can eventually find more well populated games.

I’ll probably play Brink a handful more times before retiring it back to the “Reserve” pile of old games I’m not playing but don’t want to sell off. I wish Brink offered a better overall package than it presents because I love the setting, the art style and the play style of the game, but its execution and glaring online problems make Brink little more than a “what could’ve been” game.

Borderlands 2 – What I’m taking away from the Game Informer cover

On Tuesday 8/2, the internet exploded with talk about Borderlands 2. Not because any real info, screens or even a release date had finally been released by Gearbox, but because a rumor was circulating around that Borderlands 2 would be coming out sometime in 2012. Now, I guess it was exciting because it was literally the first talk of the breakout series since the last DLC pack that was released (Secret Armory? Robo-lution? I can’t remember). Seeing as how Borderlands was a huge hit for Gearbox, not just critically but financially (for example, Borderlands is one of the top selling ‘Games on Demand’ on Xbox Live), I wasn’t all that surprised that some rumors about the game had finally started circulating.

Today we were finally graced with some real info about the hotly-anticipated sequel – that it would be out sometime in 2012. Wait, that’s not exactly accurate. The press release states it will be out in 2K Games’ 2012 “fiscal year” which spans from April 1, 2012 to March 1, 2013. Pretty big window there, especially when you consider that it might actually more than a year before we get our hands on the sequel to what, I feel, is one of the most addicting, fun and well-made games of the current generation.

I honestly couldn’t tell you how much time I sunk into Borderlands over the past few years. With games started for each character (Roland and Lillith probably being my two strongest, followed by Mordecai with Brick bringing up the rear. Sorry, Brick, but the rocket launchers are pretty weak) and untold hours spent in the standard campaign and the DLC packs, Borderlands easily offered as much playtime as games like Oblivion or Fallout 3. The formula in Borderlands was near perfect – a huge open world with seemingly limitless amounts of loot and action to be found. Often I’ve described Borderlands to friends as a “first person shooter Diablo.” Though the “dungeons” aren’t generated on the fly, like Diablo, the fact that there seems to be an endless amount of loot (weapons, items, armor, etc.) to be had and the ability to tackle these vast environments with friends is a proposition too tempting for anyone fond of grinding to pass on.

While there isn’t much new info to go on right now about Borderlands 2, it is apparently the cover story for the upcoming issue of GI. Unfortunately I don’t have a subscription to GI anymore but I might have to go out and pick up a copy since there will no doubt be a long preview article with plenty more screenshots along with it. Speaking of screenshots, the Borderlands 2 cover of GI is pretty cool looking and currently the background for my laptop.

Why yes, that is a shortcut for the original Fallout

If the above image is too small, you’ll want to search out a larger file because there are a few neat little details strewn about the GI cover. First and foremost, the stocky dude with the kick ass beard and faux hawk. I’d say it’s pretty safe to assume this guy will be one of the treasure hunters featured in the game, since one of the few details I’ve read is that Borderlands 2 will again take place on Pandora. The next detail about him you’ll want to note is the amount of guns he’s holding – does this mean Borderlands 2 will introduce dual-wielding? Perhaps this guy will be the new Berserker and dual-wielding is part of his skill tree. But on top of that, one of the guns he’s holding looks like a standard assault rifle while the other is a three-barreled beast of a minigun. Looks like it could be a heavier class of automatic weapon or possibly a new type of modification you’ll be finding on loot throughout the world.

Next up are the other characters/possible enemies shown. Firstly, Stocky Faux Hawk has his foot on what looks like the standard midget class of enemy from Borderlands and not too far away from him is another, fairly standard looking Bandit (who is most likely also probably dead). But, here is where things start to get more interesting. The enemies in Borderlands were basically just humans and animals (scythids, spiderants, crab worms, even the aliens were basically human enemies) but the GI cover shows off a few new possibilities. To the left of Stocky there are two, bipedal robots with red glowing eyes, which, to me, indicates they’re probably enemies. This is important because robot enemies really only made an appearance in the “Robo-lution” DLC and even then they were just Claptrap versions of regular enemies. These two robots, however tiny they may look, could hint at a new robot class of enemy or maybe even a new antagonist to the series (similar to the Crimson Lance but using sophisticated robots to do their dirty work).

In fact, behind these two is a much larger mechanical looking beast that could either be flying, touching down or walking over that ridge. It’s tough to say what exactly that thing is but if history has proven anything about Borderlands, you’ll either be riding or killing that thing at some point. I should also point out the three jets soaring in the skies above this mechanical walker. Though it’s impossible to tell if they are friend, foe or just an artistic detail, they could indicate that Borderlands 2 will feature a wider array of vehicles to use – rather than just the same one (or two if you played Secret Armory) vehicles all the time.

Next, behind Stocky, we see a giant green monster of some sort hanging off a jutting piece of rubble. This thing looks none too happy and though it’s hard to make out much detail on it, it definitely has some sizeable claws and from the way it is perched on that column, it seems very nimble as well. Hopefully this means more large enemies to fight instead of just varying sizes of bugs to squash over and over.

Finally, perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the image, we can see what appears to be either a huge space station or spaceship in orbit above Pandora. Perhaps indicating we’ll be leaving the planet and continuing our treasure hunting in space? Or at least aboard some sort of space craft.

I’m going to continue ogling this GI cover and if I come up with anything new I’ll make sure to post it here. For instance, why do the space craft, the walker on the ridge and the bipedal walkers all seem to have the same Claptrap-esque monocle vision apparatus? Might be making something out of nothing but they do all seem pretty similar…

Regardless, we’ve got a looong time until Borderlands 2 is released. Gearbox has stated that they will be showing the game off at Gamescom in Germany and PAX Prime later this month which will no doubt provide plenty of fodder for Borderlands enthusiasts/addicts like myself.