14 DAY TRIAL // THQ was rumored to be creating a variety of new videogames set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Leaked footage showed an action title with quite a bit of shooting. Inside sources talked about a MMO based on the Games Workshop universe. Instead, Relic developed and created Dawn of War II, a game that blended strategy and role playing to create a deep, innovative and engaging experience.
The same development studio has lifted the lid off Space Marine, which it describes as being an action role playing game set on the Warhammer 40K universe. The title should arrive on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 and it would really be a shame if Relic did not port it to the PC. No release date has been announced.
Space Marine is set to follow the exploits of one of the Emperor's finest soldiers as he takes on a wide variety of enemies of the Empire, using an array of weapons like bolters, power swords, chain swords, flamethrowers and plasma guns. The initial trailer shows a group of Space Marines fighting a group of Orks before facing off against a Tyranid Carnifex. Relic would not say what other alien races will appear in their videogames. Apparently, players will also get the chance to use more powerful items, like orbital bombardment beacons.
The role playing aspect comes in as the player unlocks new armour and improves his/her stats, probably depending on the way he/she dispatches enemies and the experience he/she obtains. Relic is not talking about that and the developers are also keeping their mouths shut regarding details for co operative play, which would make sense considering that fact that Space Marines deploy and fight in squads.
Players are more accustomed to Relic delivering spectacular and complex strategy titles, like Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. It will be interesting to see what it can create as far as action role playing hybrids go.