Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 – Early Reviews Are In And It’s Looking Good
A handful of outlets have gotten access to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s preview and they all agree: The Emperor Approves!
If you’ve been following Space Marine 2 like we have then you know the game is slated for release next month. The official release date is September 9, 2024 if you’re curious. Now, there was supposed to be a Beta, but that got pushed back for other reasons which I’m not going to get into here. But that doesn’t mean the hype train isn’t real. And that also means the hype isn’t unwarranted. My YouTube feed today has been positively glowing for Space Marine 2.
Space Marine 2 Early Reviews: It’s GOOD
The overall vibe for the game thus far is the same: It’s GOOD. And these are just a handful of the videos that popped-up. Now, you might not 100% agree with IGN, GameSpot, Force Gaming, and Skill Up about particular reviews for games. But when ALL of them agree that the game is good, I take that as a positive sign for Space Marine 2.
Much of the gameplay from the videos we’ve seen before. Although there were a few clips showcasing more combat and executions as well. And a lot of the footage looks similar. That’s mostly because they were all playing through the same portions of the game as Titus. So…yeah, that checks out. Having said that, I’m still super pumped about this one.
Personally, I can’t wait to dive into the campaign with some buddies and tackle it. And then, once I’ve wrapped that up, I’m looking forward to some of the longer-tail activities to do. I’m really looking forward to the PvP scene to see how that develops. I put a lot of hours into the first Space Marine PvP side of things. I’m curious to see how this one stacks-up.
Space Marine 2’s visuals were all universally praised by the reviews. There’s a lot of amazing details in this game that I can’t wait to pick-over. The way the armor moves on Titus, to the set pieces that looked pulled straight from the tabletop, to the way the Guardsmen will behave around the Adeptus Astartes — it looks amazing. Maybe it’s just the early video clips and it’s all smoke and mirrors…but I doubt that. Visually, I think the developers absolutely nailed this one.
Critique and Criticism
Of the reviews the one sticking point I’ve noticed is that the melee system takes some getting used to. Not that it’s bad, mind you — just not as fluid as the reviewers hoped. While the animations are crisp and movement is great the executions and combat timing can be a bit jarring. The criticism of the executions wasn’t about how visually amazing they are (in fact, they can be quite satisfying). But rather the way they stop the flow of combat in the game.
The combat has been described as a bit of Sekrio and Shadows of Mordoor-esque. To me, it looks a lot like the first Space Marine game’s combat — which I loved. The third person style suits this game well as you get to see Titus hacking and slashing. And then you get the over the shoulder angle when shooting. And there’s the ADS into the scope if you’re sniping, too. I say bring it on.
I’m planning on playing this one on PC. I really want to try this one out with both a Keyboard and Mouse and compare it to a controller. Both of which you can do on PC. One review (I believe it was the IGN one) mentioned the controller felt a little awkward for melee.
While I haven’t played it yet, I remember melee combat feeling a lot better on controller for the first Space Marine game. But that was just because it felt more natural to mash a button with my thumb than to press a different key on my keyboard. Then again, that was a long time ago… perhaps things have changed!
Space Marine 2 Preview Links
Below you’ll find links to the various YouTube videos. I’m not including them as some sort of endorsement for their channels or anything like that — but I feel like it’s important to link back to the source. Watch them or not. This isn’t a sponsored thing. But be warned: there might be minor spoilers in those reviews which is why I’m not embedding the videos below.
Force Gaming – Space Marine 2 Preview
GameSpot – Space Marine 2 Hands On Preview
Skill Up – Hands on Impressions Space Marine 2
IGN – Space Marine 2 The Final Preview
Space Marine 2 arrives September 9, 2024. Are you ready?
