Generally, you simply want a sport that’s large and dumb and enjoyable. After a sluggish Gamescom that feels very missing within the triple-An area, I can’t let you know how a lot of a reduction it was to enterprise over to Focus Leisure’s sales space and rip and tear my approach via the grimdark future. A few of the most lush visuals of the present, paired with unapologetically bloody and over-the-top motion, Warhammer 40,000: House Marine 2 reminds my why I really like video games – particularly bombastic, indulgent, obnoxious ones.
Absolute unit.
Your behemoth participant character will simply wander round saying cool shit like “we will not sacrifice technique for expediency, brother” earlier than taking pictures one thing a lot it explodes in a bathe of alien blood and guts. He’ll stand there, about 4 heads taller than a hench marine subsequent to him, slamming magazines of ammo the scale of a human arm right into a carbine. He’ll mutter one thing concerning the “heresy of the alien scum” after which the following linear part of the extent will start.
You rinse-repeat this for about half-hour; little story exposition, fight encounter, exploration, after which again to exposition. It’s quite simple, it doesn’t require an excessive amount of thought, and it completely guidelines. By paring again any sense of complexity, House Marine 2 will get to experience what it does finest – ooh-rah motion and a few of the nastiest, meatiest fight you’re going to search out this aspect of Doom Everlasting. It performs like Gears of Conflict, sans cowl: skinny the herd together with your uber-industrial gun, draw your chainsword, and tear aside the rest left standing in your approach.
There are excellent parries and common parries that will help you deflect some assaults, so a modicum of tactical considering is required to determine the rhythm of preserving the Tyranid hoard off you. Toss grenades into the massing aliens, carry out a rallying cry to energy up, end off a mantis-armed horror with a heavy melee, get some potshots in on the drones. Then do all that very same stuff once more, however in a distinct order. It’s not intelligent, nevertheless it’s large, and I dare you to do any of this with no large dumb grin plastered throughout your large dumb face.
After which, there are the set-pieces. Standing on the centre of a pair of closing doorways, hefting a Heavy Bolter as large as you might be, and mowing down the swarm because it makes an attempt to push upon you with sheer drive of numbers… it’s a really particular feeling that may’t fairly be summed up on the web page. The closest I can get is just saying ‘phwoar’. Trampling over a carpet of the useless within the aftermath, respiratory within the mulch and stench of lease flesh, your brother-in-arms remarks “it appears to be like like a slaughter”. It felt like one, too. Good.
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Given {that a} House Marine is estimated to weigh about 1,000KGs, it is smart that all the pieces within the sport feels crunchy, weighty, highly effective. Each single factor you do is simply cool as hell. Whipping out your pistol to pop flying spore creatures then jamming your sword as much as its hilt within the cranium of an enormous xeno with claws and fangs and weapons flailing wildly? Sick. Throwing a grenade right into a cluster of swarming drones and watching their varied bits splatter onto the swampy floor? Fuck yeah. Shouting “are you with me, brothers?” as you cost into the fray and rip heads from their our bodies as the fun of battle programs via your blood? There’s nothing prefer it.
House Marine 2 is unapologetic in what it's. It is aware of the fantasy; you’re an enormous offended man with an enormous nasty gun. Its unrelenting, impenitent pursuit of constructing that really feel as crunchy and moist and explosive and loud as doable is to be admired. Higher than the unique in each approach, and it one way or the other appears to be like even higher in motion than it does in screenshots.
It’ll make you rush into the din and glory of battle gripping your controller as in the event you have been gripping a Boltgun and a chainsword, clutching it tight as you wipe the heresy of those alien bastards from each nook of the universe.
It has by no means felt higher to be a House Marine, and it would simply be my Gamescom 2023 ‘Recreation of the Present’.
