Hey, everyone! Welcome to a casual gamer’s review of Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2. No spoilers here. This review focuses on the single-player campaign with Titus, which lasts about 9-10 hours.
Is it worth the price? In Ontario, Canada, it’s about $103 after tax, but currently on sale for $70 (before tax). In the US, it’s $60. Is it worth it and who is it for? Hardcore Warhammer fans or anyone?
Other game modes like operations offer different perspectives but are geared towards multiplayer. The campaign includes two companion bots with surprisingly good AI. They handle aggro well and deal solid damage.
I have to admit, I wasn’t a Warhammer 40K expert either, but after watching a YouTube recap to catch up, I found the lore fascinating. The story is rich with politics, military hierarchy, technology, science, and religion. Initially, it felt overwhelming, but it turned out to be a cool blend of elements.
You can play this game without deep Warhammer 40K knowledge, but you’ll miss a lot references and important character introductions, especially near the end. I recommend watching recap videos to appreciate the story fully.
The game starts with Titus in the Deathwatch, crashing on a planet and battling aggressive hive-mind aliens called Tyranids. The visuals are stunning on Xbox Series X, with massive enemy waves. Near the game’s end, large enemy waves cause some frame drops, making it harder but not impossible to beat, even in performance mode. I chose higher FPS over graphics on Xbox Series X, but it still struggles a bit, especially near the end.
Going back to the story, Titus crashes on a planet with his squad, fighting off aggressive Tyranid aliens. The story gets progressively worse for Titus and humans. The crew he’s later partnered with initially feels robotic, like Terminators, due to their genetically modified nature—walking tanks, reminiscent of Gears of War but with different mechanics: no duck-and-cover, but lots of dodge and parry, and heavy melee combat emphasis.
The first level is challenging since it encourages melee over ranged combat. I grew to prefer melee, especially with weapons like the hammer, my favourite. The game blends melee and shooting uniquely, making it incredibly fun.
At first, characters are emotionless like Terminators, but as the story progresses, their human sides emerge with arguments, doubts, and trust. Character development happens for both side characters and Titus, which I loved.
The game’s structure is repetitive: go to this planet, fight, rescue, drop an item. However, the rich lore, unique science, and religious elements keep it intriguing. Combat is also repetitive with shoot, melee, parry, dodge mechanics, but the jetpack sequences (in some stages) and drop melee attacks are fun. New enemy types are introduced gradually, keeping things fresh.
The 10-hour campaign avoids becoming boring. One gripe: there’s a part where Space Marines are stumped about how to attack the Tyranids. Titus just points at the map, saying, “Go here and you’ll figure it out,” without explanation of how the spot he pointed out is the solution to their problems. Everyone doubts him and questions how he knows where to go but he just tells them to trust him with no explanation. This felt like lazy writing and wasn’t explained how Titus concluded his decision.
There are no major bugs, but companion bots vibrate on elevators, which is funny but not problematic. No crashes or major glitches, though some cutscenes had rendering issues. Pre-animated video cutscenes were fine but in-game cutscenes sometimes looked blurry or didn’t render properly. The quality would sometimes look almost 480p since it wasn’t clear and quite a bit of detail was missing, then suddenly after a minute or so (it varies) a ton of detail would start appearing. Hopefully it’s fixed with an update. It doesn’t ruin the experience but can be distracting.
So, who is this game for? It’s fun, but at full price ($100 CAD after tax or $60 USD), is it worth it for a ten-hour campaign? I suggest waiting for a sale—it’s already been on sale once. Within six months, the price should drop significantly.
Hardcore Warhammer fans might consider paying full price, depending on their passion for the series. It’s a tough call, but being patient for a sale is wise.
