Yes, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine has a very impressive single-player component, where you can cave Orcs' heads in dozens at a time and rampage through fiend-infested territory like a lumberjack tearing through trees. But believe it or not, there's more to Space Marine than that. This past week, THQ flew us up to Santa Monica to check out the game's multiplayer component. After all, it wouldn't be Warhammer 40K without some kind of versus action, now would it? Warhammer: Space Marine teams you up into groups of eight. On one side, you have the Space Marines, the defenders of the galaxy. On the other, you have the Chaos Marines, former good guys who decided they want a little more glory for themselves. In multiplayer, you'll battle to see who the last man standing is, across a 41-level system that will make you more powerful and devastating when it comes to laying waste to opponents. The multiplayer will consist of five multiplayer maps, all nice and multilayered as you take high and low ground, trying to get a jump on your opponent. But it's not really that easy…
The game features two main modes, which are tie-ins to more traditional modes found in other multiplayer efforts. Annihilation is a simple "kill or be killed" affair, where your team has to reach 41 kills before the opponents do. The second is Seize Ground, a Capture the Flag-style mode where teams fight to capture and keep control of certain points on the map, gaining points as they do so. The first to get to 1,000 points wins the round. Though five multiplayer maps don't sound like much compared to other efforts, THQ did notify us that future maps would be available via downloadable content, and there would be a diverse mix available once the game is released this September. Some will be available at no charge, while others will carry a small premium fee, probably to the tune of 320 Microsoft points (four dollars). This has yet to be finalized, so don't quote us on that just yet.
Besides, even though the maps are few in the mode, there's still plenty to do, thanks to an unmatched class leveling system, where you can really rank up and dish out some major damage. As you move slowly but surely to level 41, you'll unlock a series of new weapons (including a nasty power saw that can do damage up close), perks (such as enhanced battle damage and melee techniques) and the ability to customize your player. And let me tell you – character customization is rather ridiculous. And we mean that in a good way. Entering the customization menu, you'll discover hundreds of options available, with everything from helmets to armor pieces to colors that can be altered or switched out. We managed to make a character look like something out of the Mobile Suit Gundam series at one point, and then even went further whacked out with a character that would fit right in to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers universe. Don't laugh, though – these characters are just as malicious as the others when it comes to fighting.
This feature preview concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to see our hands-on impressions of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.
