Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition

Without much fanfare, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition arrives to quietly do its homework—introducing an excellent adventure to a new audience while preserving what made the original so memorable at the time of its release. While it stands as the definitive version of the debut title and gives us a reason to finally retire the PS3, Xbox 360, and even the original PC versions, the remaster falls short of addressing the list of graphical issues it really should have fixed.

What remains is a solid new edition. Is that enough to fork out 40 bucks? As already mentioned, this is still a long way from a real "Master Crafted Edition" for me. It looks prettier, yes, it also plays better than the original on the Xbox 360, but overall it could have been even better.

Like the new DOOM games, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition is pure, violent fun that focuses on gameplay and graphics. The revamp maintains what made the original fantastic, without sacrificing its identity and love for the Warhammer 40K franchise. There’s enough to keep longtime fans and new fans satisfied with the overall game, so if players are willing to overlook the minuscule issues and the unfortunately short campaign, they’re in for a blast. Now, grab a weapon and get out there, Space Marines. For the Emperor.

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Master Crafted looks very good with its 4k resolution, improved textures, and upgraded character models. It gives people the opportunity to play through the original story of Captain Titus, maintaining the feel of the original release. There were issues with the Master Crafted edition I do not remember experiencing when playing the Anniversary Edition including enemies getting stuck and control issues, though these will hopefully be patched out soon.

Warhammer 40K Space Marine Master Crafted Edition is the best version of the cult classic shooter, but this remastered version offers a remastering job that falls short. You'll enjoy it if you've never played it, but if you did back in the day, there's little here to tempt you back to the title.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine Master Crafted Edition (that's a mouthful) is a proper 360 throwback, for better or for worse. The game's tight shooting mechanics make this one worth a play for anyone who's into the genre, but its 2011 foundations are still showing here in this modern remaster. If you're properly into your Warhammer lore I'd expect you to get a little more out of the experience than I have, but the game itself is still a fun time, and we recommend giving it a go on Xbox Game Pass. The short and snappy campaign will take you just a few nights to finish, and who knows, maybe the multiplayer will find a cult following here in 2025. I'll be hopping on in the coming days to find out.