The DLC adds online co-op with four players in a special mode called Exterminatus (how convenient) where you’re fighting Orks and the Forces of Chaos. You know, the usual. This mode will feature two scenarios: Assault on Hab Center Andreas and Escape from Kalkys Facility. Perks from multiplayer will carry over to this mode, and your performance here will also affect your multiplayer ranking.

For the Eurogamer article, Warhammer producer Andy Lang hinted that future DLC would feature both free and paid elements.

To find out what we think of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, check out Keri’s review.

Rating:

BUY

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine was one of those games I saw at this past E3 and brushed it off over the droll name. Space Marine? How unoriginal could you get? I was talked into waiting in the line at the THQ booth anyway, and after that ten minute demo, I knew I needed this game.

Space Marine is aptly set on a distant planet, one that humans are in the process of inhabiting and one that Orks are in the process of invading. The player takes on the role of Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, a highly decorated veteran of numerous wars. It his job to stop the Ork invasion long enough so that the Liberation Fleet can break through and save the day. It sounds contrite and overdone, but as the game progresses, players will easily see that this game is anything but something they have seen before.

For starters, Space Marine appears at first glance to be a typical third-person shooter. After a few minutes of gameplay, however, it will become quickly apparent that there is no real cover for Titus to take, and there are no controls to force Titus into a taking-cover position. Fortunately, Titus has no need to take cover because he has a chainsaw sword ready at his disposal for taking out hordes of enemies when he is surrounded. In fact, the main way that Titus regenerates health is to use this bloody melee weapon and execute his enemies at disturbingly close range. Your typical Gears of War shooter this most definitely isn’t.

As such, it does take time to get used to the unique style of combat, since you do switch between the various range weapons and melee weapons quite frequently. Mastering this technique and solidifying your hack-and-slash/shooter combo strategies are the only ways you will survive at any point in the game, especially when hundreds of Orks flood the scene in a style I haven’t seen since the days of Smash TV. When you get down to it, these sequences are the real boss fights and the “official” boss fights are cake comparatively. The learning curve is a little steep, but fortunately, the game gradually introduces the various weapons to you so you don’t feel too overwhelmed at the get-go.

While several nuances of the game pay homage to its Warhammer 40,000 roots, you don’t have to know really anything about the Warhammer universe to enjoy the game and understand what is going on. The Ultramarines will mention the Machine God and the techpriests, but neither of these really needs much explanation for players to grasp what is going on. As the game plays out, these pieces of Warhammer lore easily make themselves known via context, so players who know nothing–like me–will not feel clueless.

In fact, even though the main storyline is deeply rooted in Warhammer lore, players will have no difficulty picking up on what is going on. This is mainly because the story is your usual we-gotta-save-the-world schtick, which–I’m not going to lie–does start to feel a little old near the middle of the game. You know exactly where the story is going to go, so it’s a good thing that the gameplay is so fun it’s a great distraction from the lackluster plot. Or do you know how the game is going?

A twist in the middle totally took me by surprise, and it made me even more intrigued about how Titus was going to save the world now. Even if you are versed in Warhammer 40,000 and the twist doesn’t surprise you, I can practically guarantee that the ending will. I don’t know the last shooter (non-RPG) I played that kept me guessing, so it was unbelievably refreshing to be surprised more than once. It just goes to show you that once again, despite its boring name, Space Marine is really anything but.

Visually, the game looks how you would expect a current generation game to be. There were no frame rate issues, no texture popping, and no grainy imagery. The only complaint I have with it is that during cut scenes, Titus would not always be holding the last weapons I had him holding. For example, as soon as the Power Axe was unlocked, I swapped out the chainsaw sword for this weapon, but in every cut scene, Titus held a chainsaw sword instead of the Power Axe. Obviously, the cut scenes were restricted to one possibility, which may have attributed as to why the game’s visuals were so seamless, but it also comes across as lazy. At the very least, it was nice to have shooter game that wasn’t over-inundated with brown colors. The backgrounds may have been war-torn brown, but the Orks are a bright green with red garments, and the Ultramarines themselves wear bright blue. It really helped make it easy on the eyes.

The ending didn’t scream that there would be a definite sequel, but the ending made me WANT a sequel. I really hope that this game sells well so that Relic and THQ will make another. If you’re a PS3-only owner or are a shooter fan who doesn’t care about Gears of War, I cannot recommend Space Marine enough. If for no other reason, just for the fact that it never gets old shooting Orks in the face. And I mean never.

Available on: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

Today we received quite a few announcements about MMOs and their Halloween plans. We’re going to start with Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and see what Mythic Entertainment has planned to scare their players.

The live event, Daemon Moon Rising will run from October 23rd through November 2nd and will feature the Daemon Mask event quest, a new Daemonball Rally Public Quest, a special Realm vs Realm scenario and treats.

“This is a terrifying time of year within the world of Warhammer and the Daemon Moon Rising live event is our way of fighting against the darkness that encompasses the land,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer for Mythic Entertainment. “We call on all players to rise up against the malevolent creatures that threaten the land and keep safe the Realms. But beware, for under the cold, dark madness of the Daemon Moon, anything can happen!”

Players can also don masks and participate in “Wake the Dead” a special run of the High Pass Cemetery RvR scenario which all players can do during this event. There are other rewards available for playing during that time as well.