Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 248 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 180 out of 248
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 248
  3. Negative: 29 out of 248
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  1. XRAIN
    Oct 10, 2011
    7
    Good action game, but could have been much better. It other wise hits the Warhammer 40,000 atmosphere, but it goes for a miss with orks, because of lack of different orks. I was disappointed about the fact, that there's only tankbustas, shoota boyz, 'ard boyz, ork boyz, weirdboys and nobz. The orks were made for variety. I also found Dawn of War version of their speech to be way better.Good action game, but could have been much better. It other wise hits the Warhammer 40,000 atmosphere, but it goes for a miss with orks, because of lack of different orks. I was disappointed about the fact, that there's only tankbustas, shoota boyz, 'ard boyz, ork boyz, weirdboys and nobz. The orks were made for variety. I also found Dawn of War version of their speech to be way better. When leaving missed ork potential, the single player is brilliant, though repeatitive. You get to use jump packs, but only few times. The action is great though, thanks to encouraging to rush to the battlefield instead of staying in cover. The multiplayer had a lot of potential, but it's ruined by connection issues. Almost every match I have played is laggy. I don't encounter this problem in games like Halo Reach at all, so it's annoying. The high level players also get much better weaponry, which is annoying. Other than that, the multiplayer is good too. If you like Warhammer 40,000 universe, Space Marine is very good game for you to buy, even though it could have been improved. Even if you haven't been into Warhammer 40,000 universe, it's still good game, but you might find some things bad instead of good (For example, you might find Titus' voice acting horrible, but it actually is right in the Warhammer 40,000 universe). I recommend buying this for the Emperor, even if you are heretic.… Expand
  2. AlossForWords
    Sep 8, 2011
    7
    Not mad about this game, just wish there was more offered. It seems like everything was created for someone who wasn't familiar with 40k, but sometimes developers forget that the 40k audience is going to be their greatest consumer anyways! This game has great bits to it, but also suffers from mediocrity.
    The action in the single player was great. But pacing seemed to be somewhat of a    Not mad about this game, just wish there was more offered. It seems like everything was created for someone who wasn't familiar with 40k, but sometimes developers forget that the 40k audience is going to be their greatest consumer anyways! This game has great bits to it, but also suffers from mediocrity.
    The action in the single player was great. But pacing seemed to be somewhat of a problem on two aspects. The only thing that spiced up combat was when you acquired a new weapon. This happened at a consistent rate throughout the campaign, but it never made up for a lot of the monotony of combat. You might have to turn on a machine here or there, but there is no combat scenario that is really interesting or challenging. There aren't many different enemies between the orkz and chaos, and there is never really any sense of desperation or urgency in combat. Fight. Kill. Rinse. Repeat. Another pacing problem seemed to be with the story, I feel as if too little happened for too long. You never traveled to other planets, you essentially had one goal in the game, you stay on the same planet doing menial tasks to accomplish a slightly more important goal which will eventually lead you to your main goal, which in the sense of the whole Warhammer 40k universe, seemed extremely unimportant. The combat style is very similar to Gears of War - the only difference however is that GOW created interesting scenarios with combat instead of throwing wave after wave of enemies at you. The executions are a nice touch to the combat system, but are certainly not enough to make up for the lulls in the combat.
    The multiplayer is a fresh breath of air, nothing too special here, but definitely something to keep your attention until another 40k game comes out or just any other top-tier multiplayer game like MW3 or BF3. It adds a new perspective to the 40k universe which is really nice. I think it would have been awesome to add more races to the game, at least in multiplayer. the Tau, Necrons, playable Orkz or the Eldar would've made for some very fun multiplayer possibilities.
    All in all - I'm not mad that I bought it, just wished it was a more in depth 40k game.    … Expand
  3. SkizDriz
    Sep 20, 2011
    7
    Nothing new in this shoot'n'slash action game. But for what it does, it does it well. Not everyone is into romanesque space marine stuff, but at the least it is comical. The gameplay is fully realized, and entertaining. Unless you are way into the 40k universe, there is no story here.
  4. gaminghud
    Oct 3, 2011
    7
    Space Marine is an enjoyable experience. Although it didnâ
  5. Dyskresiac
    Sep 14, 2011
    6
    Space Marine (Or as the Orks say it, "Spice Marine") is a good game to pass the time, but surely by no means worth $60, at least for the singleplayer. Considering it can be beaten in 2 sittings, I HIGHLY suggest renting it. It's a fantastic rental. But this game will be down to $30-$40 rather quickly. It's good, but it's just not great. Otherwise, you'll enjoy it, beat it, shelf it.Space Marine (Or as the Orks say it, "Spice Marine") is a good game to pass the time, but surely by no means worth $60, at least for the singleplayer. Considering it can be beaten in 2 sittings, I HIGHLY suggest renting it. It's a fantastic rental. But this game will be down to $30-$40 rather quickly. It's good, but it's just not great. Otherwise, you'll enjoy it, beat it, shelf it. And I can't stress this enough. It's REALLY short.… Expand
  6. giovanni
    Sep 11, 2011
    7
    My two cents on Space Marine. The game isn't bad at all, but it's not great either. There will always be reviews that give 0's or 1's in any kind of game but that, as i always say, is just going a bit too far.The graphics are very good, the story is quite interesting even though a bit expected (imo) and the combat is really visceral and satisfying although it's shooting and crushing orcsMy two cents on Space Marine. The game isn't bad at all, but it's not great either. There will always be reviews that give 0's or 1's in any kind of game but that, as i always say, is just going a bit too far.The graphics are very good, the story is quite interesting even though a bit expected (imo) and the combat is really visceral and satisfying although it's shooting and crushing orcs and demons over and over again. Still, it succeeds to offer quite some fun mostly cause of the different weapons you can use and the sheer brutality of the blows you inflict in melee combat. All in all quite a good game to play although not really offering anything new, apart from the joy of playing a kick-ass space marine.… Expand
  7. Ansatsu83
    Sep 8, 2011
    5
    Its an ok game. Worth a look once it comes down in price or has a massive balance patch in multi-player. Here is an in depth review of the flaws the game has vs the perks.

    Extremely noticeable flaws: There are some massive overpowered items in the multi-player game mode. Some of the weapons/abilities are always going to be used over the others. Some abilities do not even work properly.    Its an ok game. Worth a look once it comes down in price or has a massive balance patch in multi-player. Here is an in depth review of the flaws the game has vs the perks.

    Extremely noticeable flaws: There are some massive overpowered items in the multi-player game mode. Some of the weapons/abilities are always going to be used over the others. Some abilities do not even work properly. Some weapons do not work properly.

    Example: I left click to shoot the plasma cannon, it either fires with a quick tap or with a full charge, no in between. Trying to fire it rapidly screws it over, trying to charge it gets you zerged by anything but other devastators. On an odd note once fully charged its an instant kill weapon or two hit weapon. Also it doesnt require the user to be fully still before the fire. What is it that we notice here. First off, broken firing mechanics, second, overpowered full charge, third, ability to charge behind cover and shoot around a corner.

    Example 2: Assault pack, they can equip a martyrdom style perk, where if they die the thing explodes. This causes a few issues, first it can be instant kill if you are close to them. Devastators cannot get out of range in time. Second if they toss two grenades down and land on top of them to kill themselves (e.g. suicide run) it is an overpowered situation. They need to reduce the damage on the assault packs.

    Another big issue is that the campaign is far too easy, even on hard. The first time I played through was on hard, I died a total of five times due to trying to learn the maps and getting put in bad situations I am not prepared for.


    What would make this game better? Co-operative campaign, a bit better enemies that aren't a pushover. An ending that doesn't fail miserably. A boss fight that is more challenging than the previous mini-boss fights. Tons of balance tweaks, which should have been done before it was released. Also a very nice combo system that isnt this 1, 2, 3, 4 left click to do combo, instead to take skill in melee. Right now a good Assault marine or a devastator with plasma cannon will always dominate anything,

    I hate to say it but this game is about as good as "TAU: Fire Warrior." Except instead of being a shooter of its own THQ cloned Gears of War.

    If they were to do a mix of battlefield series and savage 2 for a Warhammer 40k game they would do justice to the series, but they will never do this since they just do not understand the universe. Their close inner workings with games workshop still ended up in failure.

    This game is moderate, not good, not extremely bad, but it needs a massive overhaul.

    Am I having fun with it though? Absolutely, its fanastic gory slaughter. Mindless and repetative.    … Expand
  8. Sceptic
    Sep 7, 2011
    6
    It's an ok game.That's it really.A Gears of War style game set in the magnificent 40k universe sounds great.However,with a library full of of lore,why Relic and GW picked such a generic setting and story is beyond even this 20 year Warhammer players understanding.Gameplay is dull,the graphics merely acceptable and the controls are functional.Enemy A.I is a disgrace.A very disappointingIt's an ok game.That's it really.A Gears of War style game set in the magnificent 40k universe sounds great.However,with a library full of of lore,why Relic and GW picked such a generic setting and story is beyond even this 20 year Warhammer players understanding.Gameplay is dull,the graphics merely acceptable and the controls are functional.Enemy A.I is a disgrace.A very disappointing title from the makers of the worlds best board game/hobby.… Expand
  9. xMaschine
    Sep 13, 2011
    6
    For a product that was highly anticipated and heavily marketed, it turned out to be only mediocre among a sea of modern shooters and action packed titles. What little fun factor there is wears off after the first half of the game, once the enemies transition from Orkz to Chaos. There isn't much satisfaction in the kills and parts of the game turn out to be annoying and irritable, whenFor a product that was highly anticipated and heavily marketed, it turned out to be only mediocre among a sea of modern shooters and action packed titles. What little fun factor there is wears off after the first half of the game, once the enemies transition from Orkz to Chaos. There isn't much satisfaction in the kills and parts of the game turn out to be annoying and irritable, when you ought to be having fun. I know many people that are familiar with THQ and the WH40K universe are saying to themselves the dev team could have done a better job with Space Marine.… Expand
  10. Billlllllllll
    Sep 8, 2011
    5
    This games single player is really the only thing that can really be played, it's multiplayer is imbalanced and has little to no content. The single player campaign is 'meh' at best, between simplistic melee controls and the millions of bugs/glitches such as allies doing nothing, sync kills disappearing into walls etc. Worth a rent at most
  11. marcsterix
    Sep 8, 2011
    5
    Campaign Mode Review:

    Graphics: No breakthroughs, but definitely not dated and pleasing to the eye. Art design was good, no lack of material from Games Workshop to go on and they kept the look and feel. Animations are solid and play well without any glitches. Sound: Score was ok and in theme. Voice acting was clearly on a budget. It wasn't horrible, but the dialogues felt stale.    Campaign Mode Review:

    Graphics: No breakthroughs, but definitely not dated and pleasing to the eye. Art design was good, no lack of material from Games Workshop to go on and they kept the look and feel. Animations are solid and play well without any glitches.

    Sound: Score was ok and in theme. Voice acting was clearly on a budget. It wasn't horrible, but the dialogues felt stale. Voice actors just reading their lines...didn't really feel connection to their situation or the theme. This is an over-the-top gothic sci-fi / fantasy IP...the acting did not convey that at all....and the lines were cheese as well.

    Story: Short and formulaic, especially if you played the the other Warhammer 40K titles by THQ (which are WAY better games). Don't expect heavy plot and forget about any twists.

    Gameplay: Ouch. This is where the game gets really ugly. It really brings it down to the very basics. You move around and shoot or melee attack. When you equip yourself with a jump pack, you can actually jump high and smash down upon your foes (probably the most fun out of the whole game), otherwise jumping is not an option, not even tiny little jumps over rocks or crates...you are inexorably tied to the ground. Fortunately you can tumble to evade shots and run, but not crouch. Cover? It's important to allow your shield to recover, but don't expect any special move, action or animation to take cover. Simply move behind an obstacle and stand there....again, no crouching behind short obstacles, they'll just shoot you in the head as you stand there.

    Given other games like Assasins Creed or Call of Duty, or pretty much any recent action shooters, I really felt confined with my these limitations. OK, so I don't expect my space marine to run across tight ropes or over roof types, but not even crouching? Not very fun (except for jump packs, that was a lot of fun. Too bad you don't get to use it often enough).

    Another really annoying feature (or lack thereof) that has absolutely no excuse: no load/save games. No ability to edit key bindings. NO KEY BINDING OPTIONS??? Are you guys serious? This is marketed as a $50 title? THQ actually published this??

    Level Design: Yawn. So linear it practically holds your hand along the whole way. There really is NO decision making whatsoever. No side missions, no nothing extra. You can explore the levels a little more thoroughly, but there is very little incentive to do so at all. The only things you need are ammo refills which are conveniently placed everywhere so you will be hard pressed to EVER run out. The skull thingy's with voice recorded logs are utter rubbish! Adds little to the a very thin story and weak plot. Adds nothing to the game play. In fact, they're quite annoying because you can only listen them from your options menu...so essentially you actually have to stop playing for 10 - 15 second conversation snippets of (mostly) insignificant (and poorly acted) dialogues. Finally, you can get over the whole campaign in less than 10 hours....which is plenty for a game that has nothing new to offer for the latter 5 hours of play.

    Summary
    If you're a Warhammer 40K fan, you may briefly enjoy this title, but will be let down by another cheap production of a rich and popular IP. I bought this from Steam for $50 (pre-purchase) because they threw in Darksiders for free. Quite honestly, DarkSiders was sooo much better that they should have really been offering Space Marine as a freebie for a copy of DarkSiders. I'm just glad I got something decent for my money. I believe you will find this available for $19.99 or even $9.99 very soon...which is good because it's not worth more than that.    … Expand
  12. ProximateTen
    Sep 17, 2011
    6
    For a full price game, this is disappointing. Single player is short and very linear and exceptionally repetitive (hack, slash, rinse, repeat). However it is passable, if only just. The multiplayer is atrocious. It feels like it was tacked on at the last minute. Here was a chance for relic to do something really epic and create an immersive online experience like say, Bad Company 2.For a full price game, this is disappointing. Single player is short and very linear and exceptionally repetitive (hack, slash, rinse, repeat). However it is passable, if only just. The multiplayer is atrocious. It feels like it was tacked on at the last minute. Here was a chance for relic to do something really epic and create an immersive online experience like say, Bad Company 2. There could of been heaps of classes (tactical, tech marine, librarian etc) and vehicles (predators, razorbacks etc) and large game worlds. Instead all we get are a handful of tiny maps, 2 game modes (that weren't even called something 40kish like "burn the heretic") and 3 classes. What a total waste of the licence relic. what were you thinking?… Expand
  13. Sicklecell
    Sep 25, 2011
    6
    - I find the camera angles to be unforgivable. Half the time it's extremely difficult to target around the way you want and if you're up against a wall or something and the camera changes funny, you're dead. - this game is kind of simple because one shot mobs run at you to die so you just keep killing over and over. -while fighting and you perform a skill, your guy gets "locked" which I- I find the camera angles to be unforgivable. Half the time it's extremely difficult to target around the way you want and if you're up against a wall or something and the camera changes funny, you're dead. - this game is kind of simple because one shot mobs run at you to die so you just keep killing over and over. -while fighting and you perform a skill, your guy gets "locked" which I don't mind, but the mobs still hit you while your doing it or stuck in animation. its really annoying to be killing a harder mob and finally get it dazed, hit the correct button to siphon life and after you've actually done it and in animation, another mob kills you. - good environment and world detail. looks like a star wars world a bit from space where they had the furnaces, but when you land it looks more like a ground version of Corusant.. buildings stretch out for miles.

    -No or very little profanity. Excellent job! A lot of these games put it in just for shock value but hearing cursing every few minutes for no good reason is old already. I liked it better in the old days when you played a game and got surprise to hear the word "Damn". Now, it's commonplace and cuss words just replace adjectives. There is also no gratuitous "booty shots" at all in the game and no talk about sex. I like that I can just play it without my kids hearing cussing in the next room or sexual innuendos.

    - weapons are nice if not simple for the most part compared to other games. The hammer is OP. after you use that you don't even want the chainsaw anymore. Plasma pistol and hammer are great. Everything else is kind of boring to use so I just use those most of the time when I can although it's fun to group a bunch and set off the Vengence launcher.

    -multiplayer is ok but its not my fav in this genre.

    -decent story and nice to follow.

    Overall I give a 7, good game to rent but I'm not buying it    … Expand
  14. wulfenstein
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    Here we go I grew up on WH 40K way back when it all began I've seen every game since the original space hulk on pc, space crusade, space hulk on saturn on ps 1, chaos gate, rites of war, liberation, firewarrior what were they thinking on this very very badly designed, dawn of war 1,2, kill team was basic but so much fun they should allowed to mutiplay online..So thinking after seeing gamesHere we go I grew up on WH 40K way back when it all began I've seen every game since the original space hulk on pc, space crusade, space hulk on saturn on ps 1, chaos gate, rites of war, liberation, firewarrior what were they thinking on this very very badly designed, dawn of war 1,2, kill team was basic but so much fun they should allowed to mutiplay online..So thinking after seeing games like GOW and Darksiders almost like copy of what a space marine game should be like..What they came out with was not to bad a effort but it just missed that extra punch, they missed out heaps of weapons hell master chief had more stuff to use and the armoury of a space marine is huge yet you only ge to use a little bit...Your telling me that all the game testers not one of them played WH 40K and didn't put there hand up and say your kinda missing something...Yeah sure a normal human could move at the same pace as a space marine really the LT could have won the war on her own..What happened to multiplayer on the story mode if GOW and Aliens colonial marines can do it why cant the space marines..Again very over hyped just wait to price drop give it a few weeks they usually do..… Expand
  15. watithink123
    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    Space Marine is a fun game and enjoyable but compared to other games...it's not great. Campaign was good but lacks on a few things. Multiplayer has the same problom. But still worth your money. Campaign 7/10 Multiplayer 7/10 Space Marine 7.2
  16. guest1321
    Oct 11, 2012
    5
    Do you like clunky games where you can't jump? Oversized characters that slowly move around a redundant feeling map that is filled with overly recycled pieces so much that you don't know if you've walked through the same damn corridor three times already? Perhaps that last sentence was a bit extreme but the amount of times I found myself walking through a level and opening a door only toDo you like clunky games where you can't jump? Oversized characters that slowly move around a redundant feeling map that is filled with overly recycled pieces so much that you don't know if you've walked through the same damn corridor three times already? Perhaps that last sentence was a bit extreme but the amount of times I found myself walking through a level and opening a door only to find the next corridor looked borderline exactly the same, and just as the previous contained no ammo, no enemies, and no visual awe was extremely high. So level design aside, the gameplay was not offering much either. Repeatedly smash this button to melee or pull the trigger to shoot was generic and boring. Visually this game was not spectacular, and the story was an uninteresting pile of garbage. I was entirely disappointed after hearing the praise on GAF and having played with Warhammer models when I was younger. It worked and it wasn't glitchy so I will give them that but damn, this game was a let down.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
27
#27 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
69
#69 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    Dec 2, 2011
    61
    It eventually becomes too much of a grind. [Dec 2011, p.101]
  2. Xbox Achievements
    Nov 15, 2011
    79
    Relic Entertainment has done a solid job on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, taking the studio's knowledge of the IP working on the Dawn of War series for PC, and putting it to good use. With some better thought out set-pieces and more variety in the gameplay and visuals, this could have achieved greatness. As it is though, Space Marine feels like the foundations for a barnstorming sequel, and goodness knows it deserves one, as there's massive potential here.
    Read full review
  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Nov 14, 2011
    70
    Unfortunately marred by some poorly designed mechanics, gameplay choices and a chunky feel. [Issue#77, p.87]
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