Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition

The world of Warhammer 40,000 has given rise to a fair number of video games of varying quality, in addition to its tabletop miniatures. While most are generally mediocre, last year's Space Marine II turned out to be one of the year's pleasant surprises.

That's why it's definitely positive that the series' first instalment from 2011 is getting a remaster and a small facelift. Nearly 15 years ago, we gave the first game a decent score, but how does this old title stack up when updated for today?

One thing is certain: Space Marine is a solid shooter where the bolt pistol sings and space orks are dispatched at a steady, conveyor-belt pace. Depth is offset by gore, as is typical in the grimdark W40K universe. "WAAAGH!" cried the ork as it took a bullet in the head.

It's worth noting that this is a remaster, not a remake, so those already familiar with the 2011 release won't find much new. However, newcomers will get graphical and usability updates, along with all previously released DLC.

The action kicks off with orks attacking the forge world of Graia, home to massive Titan Invictus war machines. As the situation worsens, the Ultramarines are deployed to handle the problem, led by the player-controlled Captain Demetrian Titus. The orks' unusually organised behaviour immediately raises suspicions, and soon other enemies besides the green-skinned brutes enter the stage.

The main story barrels forward like an armoured train - and naturally you even get to ride one. The Ultramarines have access to a melee weapon, four ranged weapons, and grenades. New gear is picked up at a steady pace, but you can't carry everything at once. Players must make choices about which weapons suit their playstyle.

Occasionally, the pace is spiced up with a jump pack that can only be used in certain sections. Jumping and smashing enemies with a dive attack is quite easy.

Titus has a shield and a health bar. The shield regenerates automatically after a brief pause, but any damage that breaks through requires a more direct solution. There are no health packs; instead, you heal by performing execution attacks on stunned enemies.

Executing these finishing moves requires some planning. Smaller enemies are easy to stun, but activating the execution triggers a flashy animation lasting several seconds. This is cool, but leaves you exposed to enemy attacks. Executions are therefore best used on isolated or separated enemies.

For Soulsborne veterans, the combat may feel stiff: there's no block button, and even the dodge roll is rather slow. This makes it easy to get overwhelmed by enemy swarms, often resulting in quick deaths even on normal difficulty.

In fact, almost every death I suffered came from being overly confident in melee. After several tries, I gave up on the power axe and focused on ranged combat. Ammo is generally plentiful, as long as you're not focussed on using the grenade launcher or other heavy weapons.

Another mid-game adjustment was ditching the controller and switching to mouse aiming. In melee-heavy games, a controller is often the best choice, but despite aim assist, using the mouse made the game noticeably easier. I suspect the developers didn't intend this, but the standard bolt pistol is surprisingly effective when you can pop headshots from behind cover.

Shooting is fun, but the clunky melee combat detracts from the power fantasy that's central to games like this. The chainsword looks impressive but doesn't feel empowering when mobs of orks are denting your armour. You get overwhelmed too easily, which makes melee weapons less viable. Plus, the enemies perched in high places always need to be picked off with ranged fire anyway.

The graphics have been tweaked, but marketing has clearly been balanced with promises. Yes, 4K resolution is available, and character animations have undoubtedly been improved, but the world still feels dated. This was impressive in 2011, but today the visuals feel almost retro.

On the other hand, usability has been improved: the HUD has been completely redone, and the controls felt solid both on a controller and keyboard. Still, small touches reveal the game's age: for example, you can't change controls or graphics settings mid-game - you must return to the main menu. Weapon swapping on a controller also felt oddly clunky.

The story is typical Warhammer: there's no deeper reason for the conflict, but despite the Ultramarines' stoic and macho attitude, you'll encounter big emotions, sacrifice, and betrayal at every turn. We're not talking high literature here - more like standard W40K pulp.

Although the combat feels almost physically tangible, the campaign eventually starts to feel repetitive despite its relatively short length. The AI teammates tagging along are largely useless, though at least they don't actively get in the way.

The biggest investment in the Master Crafted Edition is in its multiplayer updates. Alongside all the included multiplayer DLCs, the game now supports cross-play between platforms. That's a great addition! However, due to a lack of friends, multiplayer was not tested in this review.

Warhammer 40,000 continues to evolve and refine itself. Even today, many 90s tactical shooters remain solid gaming experiences. Unfortunately, action games haven't aged quite as gracefully. Even with the remaster, Space Marine is still unmistakably a last-generation game after 14 years.

It's a relic worth checking out, but for those who just played the sequel, it might be a bit of a shock. The game works, but today's players have better options.