The former Imperial world of Arkhona is besieged by different forces. Are you ready to join the Crusade?
What's that you say? A Warhammer 40k game with no story, no single player campaign, and just PvP and PvE action? Sure, why not, always did want to train my trigger finger, for when a real firefight comes to town and I get recruited into the army or something... That being said, having played Dawn of War I and II, Retribution, Relic's Space Marine, etc. I am well disposed to indulging in some 41st millennium style violence at the ground level with my fellows, my buddies, my brothers in arms, the Emperor's chosen, the Space Marines!
The Graphics
Anyways, fandom aside, the game superficially resembles Relic's 2011 title Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, I mean, there are a lot more weapons, real people as opponents, and chat, the HUD is also more complicated, and your squad mates' status and locations are always highlighted on the camera view.
I kind of dig the Space Hulk: Deathwing look - alike level designs, the maps are large per mission, (two digit number square kilometers is the norm) the combat intense and furious, and surprisingly enough, people love the Night Lords, I don't know why, Konrad Kurze himself hated that legion...
The Factions
So, in the beginning, after selecting a properly fearsome username, the player selects a faction, of which they have four choices as of right now, (the heroic) Space Marines, (the evil) Chaos Space Marines, (the savage) Orkz, and the (highly cultivated) Eldar. After that's done, you arrive at the loadout screen, where you can choose your character's equipment. This is the place where you can pick all of those awesome - ass weapons from Dawn of War 2 and use them in real third person shooter combat. Melta gun is awesome in my opinion, oh yeah, I like them extra crispy...
Quests and Maps
There is no quest system where you see dudes or gals with question marks over their heads, but instead you get Faction High Command, where you will get to go on missions with objectives that are influenced by the results of past battles, all the while uncovering lore and history about the Warhammer 40k Universe and the forgotten past of Planet Arkhona itself.
The map is comprised of 4+ continents, each with 28 territories, filled with outposts and strongholds. Much like in Dawn of War 1, the game features control points which you must hold for a certain period of time to successfully complete a mission. The world map kind of reminds me of the earlier Warhammer 40,000 game Soulstorm, where you have to deploy to different corners of the planetary battlefield in places that need your attention. The enemy attacks often, so you have to run defense to thwart those attacks and protect your interests. You know the saying, Offense wins games, defense wins championships? It's kind of like that...
The Audio Aspect
It's easy to forget this when one is surrounded by enemies trying to kill you, but the sound effects and the music tracks are rather nicely put together, it's like there is an invisible orchestra performing a symphony somewhere in the battlefield amidst all the carnage and the player is the conductor directing the score with the poetic motions of his chainsword, I mean baton...
Retail Price
Warhammer 40,000 is free to play on Steam, although one may pay for DLCs that unlocks more classes and in game upgrades. (Faster level progression, more weapons, armor, etc.) Players may also buy credits for use in the Rogue Trader shop. (The in - game store) The three available DLCs cost from $19.99 to $49.99, and the credit packs cost from $4.99 to $99.00. That's a hefty sum, but you get what you pay for...
The Verdict
And yet the time for appraisals and evaluations is now gone and past, and instead it's time for the final judgment. This game in my opinion deserves a score of 6.5 out of 10. The frenetic battles and action that only creatures in the Warhammer 40,000 universe seem able to deliver is a major plus for me, but the way the game is right now, it plays too much like a standard lobby shooter... And besides, most of the maps look like studio towns, and the game fails to do justice to the depth of the universe of Warhammer 40k by far. Even as a pure MMO shooter it is flawed, as I did not discover enough variety in mission flavors when compared to some of the other titles out there. The Titanfall series, for example.
Reader Feedback
Now that I have said my piece, what do you, the reader think? Do you think this is a good game? Do you enjoy playing it? If you paid for the DLCs and or bought Rogue Trader Credits, was it worth it and what compelled you to do so?
If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in these other articles:
1) Warhammer 40,000 Games Series: 10 Things We Love Most About the Warhammer 40,000 Games
2) Warhammer 40,000: 10 Things We Love About The Warhammer 40,000 Universe
3) 5 New Warhammer 40k Games to Watch Out For
4) Games Workshop: 10 Reasons Why They Are Loved by Millions of Fans Worldwide
