This week is huge in terms of game releases. I'm not sure if I can remember the last time so many great titles were released at the same time. Between Dead Island, Disgaea 4, Driver: San Francisco, and Resistance 3, fans of just about every genre were covered. And yet, I can't help but wonder if one other game is getting wrongly overlooked. Warhammer 40000: Space Marine is a hyper violent action shooter that takes place within the tabletop game's universe, something that most gamers just aren't familiar with. And that's a shame because Warhammer 40000 has proved influential to gaming culture over the years.

Warhammer 40000, or 40K as it's usually shortened is a tabletop game that was created in 1987 as a science fiction companion to the traditional Warhammer universe. The idea was embraced immediately. The concept of taking traditional fantasy races like elves, humans, orcs, and undead and casting them in a science fiction setting with their own lore and traditions was both simple and brilliant. The sheer amount of lore that has seeped into gaming culture today is proof enough of that. Small examples include the concept of space marines, intergalactic swarms, and even chainsaw weapons.

But the Warhammer 40K universe is so much bigger than that, filled with stories that cover the millennia and the eternal struggle between the various races. The most widely recognized is the Imperium of Man, a loose empire of humanity’s planets held together by dictatorship, religious conviction and xenophobia. While this may seem extreme, the grim reality of the universe makes this stance a near necessity and the Imperium’s forces are ready to do whatever it takes to win each battle. Their main forces include the Imperial Guard, the Sisters of Battle, and the iconic Space Marines, super soldiers that are able to take on armies much greater than their own. Then there are the Tau, a technologically gifted race who favor long range combat; the Eldar, derived from Elves and possessing the ability to see into the future; the Dark Eldar, who must feed on the souls of their enemies in order to continue living; the Tyranid, an all-consuming swarm; the Necron, soulless robot-like beings derived from the Undead; and the Orks, boisterous and battle-hungry brutes inspired by classic Orcs. Other forces are at play as well such as those corrupted by a force known as Chaos.

The history is deep and complex covering many different books, game manuals, and even video games. These games may not tell the whole story, but each one provides a look into this universe at war. There is no reason to shy away because of unfamiliarity. Many of these titles have proven that you don't have to be fans of the tabletop game in order to enjoy the video game.

Space Crusade

Released in 1992, the first Warhammer 40K video game was actually based on a board game of the same name. The game can actually be thought of as Dungeons & Dragons-lite where one player controls a horde of alien species while up to three other players take control of five-man squad of Space Marines. The goal of the game is for the Space Marines to race against each other to complete missions while the alien player tries to stop them. Players also draw cards that will augment their squad or, in the case of the alien player, provide Alien Event cards. At the end of the game, each player receives points based on the amount of kills and how many missions were completed and take a point deduction for each unit lost. If sufficient points were earned, the player can go up a rank which will give them access to better cards the next time they played. The video game is said to be mostly faithful and contains twelve different missions. It was a good start to a promising game universe.

Space Hulk

Like Space Crusade, Space Hulk was based on an existing board game but rather than just translate it directly to the computer, Space Hulk was greatly expanded. The game was a real-time squad based shooter where players had to navigate their squad of Space Marines through derelict ships infested with four-armed aliens called Genestealers. While the Space Marines are powerful and well armored, the Genestealers were extremely quick and able to attack from any angle. In order to succeed players used a tactical screen to give their squad orders and could switch to a first person view to directly control one of the Marines. What gave it a great tactical edge is that players could freeze the game at any moment to change orders but only for a limited amount of time. The only way to earn back this ability was to switch the game back to real-time. Critics at the time enjoyed the game and noted its similar atmosphere to the movie Aliens. However, some were turned off by the brutal difficulty and slow-moving Space Marines. Space Hulk is still a well-regarded effort by Electronic Arts.

Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels

Vengeance of the Blood Angels plays mostly the same as the original Space Hulk except that the amount of missions and enemy types was  greatly expanded. It included all of the missions from the first edition rulebook of Space Hulk, every mission from the first game, and recreations of historic battles from the Warhammer 40K universe. The game was packed with content and the PC version even included a multiplayer mode allowing two players to compete for the most Genestealer kills. It was also the first Warhammer 40K game to appear on consoles; in this case, the 3DO, Playstation, and Sega Saturn though they lacked multiplayer support. While most of Vengeance of the Blood Angels plays the same, there’s a great sense of progression as the player can only control one Space Marine in the beginning but as he rose in ranks, the player could begin issuing orders. This sense of progression and having the soldiers become battle-hardened became an ongoing theme as the games progressed.

Final Liberation/Chaos Gate/Rites of War

Final Liberation was the first game to attempt a recreation of the tabletop experience rather than adapting the material to another genre. The game pitted the Imperium of Man against the Orks in turn-based combat that had just as much to do with luck as tactical skill. Many different units were available to the player, ranging from infantry to tanks to aircraft. Final Liberation came with two modes, the campaign, where the Imperium fought the Orks for control of the planet Volistad, and skirmish, where players could challenge the computer or a friend. Chaos Gate, while not a sequel to Final Liberation, was played in much the same way except that it was focused on squad-based combat. In addition, many RPG-like touches were added allowing each Space Marine to earn better stats and weaponry. To provide an even greater sense of challenge, lost units were never replaced. Finally, Rites of War combined the gameplay styles of the previous two games allowing for all types of units and an RPG system. However, for the first time, players took control of the Eldar during the campaign and actively fought the Imperium and eventually the Tyranids. While the mechanics were well received, everything else about the game was panned from its static graphics, poor sound, and failure to capture the scale of war. It was at this point that Warhammer 40K games began to branch out beyond turn-based strategy.

Fire Warrior

The differences between Fire Warrior and other Warhammer 40K games was immediately recognizable. First of all, it's a pure first person shooter rather than a strategy game. The other change is that it casts the player as a Tau rather than taking control of the Imperium of Man yet again. Enemies actually include Imperium forces and Chaos-tainted beings. Unfortunately, beyond that, Fire Warrior is unremarkable but solid. The action was described as quick and non-stop, but beyond the setting, there was nothing to set it apart from other shooters at the time. Fire Warrior also featured multiplayer for up to eight players online that included Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag across eight maps. However, the map variety and level design were heavily criticized for being too small and dull. There was definite fun to be had, but it wasn't a standout game.

Dawn of War

Before Dawn of War, Warhammer 40K strategy games were always turn based much like the actual game. This new game, developed by Relic Entertainment, brought the series into the realm of RTSs and immediately impressed. Dawn of War played like many other RTSs, but it stayed faithful to the 40K universe which gave the game a distinct personality. Resources did not have to be gathered and instead continually increased as the game progressed though it was possible to augment the speed. Infantry did not act alone but rather formed ten man squads that were more powerful if they had higher morale. In order to prevent players from only using the most powerful of units, limits were put in place so only a certain number of that type could be on the field at a time. It all came together to make a fun and well-balanced RTS that made any four of the playable factions (Space Marines, Chaos Marines, Eldar, and Orks) a viable option.

Dawn of War also saw the release of three expansions. The first, Winter Assault, added the Imperial Guard as a playable faction as well as two new campaigns while also attempting to further balance each side. The second expansion, Dark Crusade, added the Tau Empire and the Necrons as playable factions and introduced a different kind of campaign. Rather than play through a linear story, players were shown a Risk-like map and could decide any way they wanted to conquer the world though it provided little in the way of story outside an opening and ending cinematic for each race. Dark Crusade was also a standalone expansion and did not require the original game to give players access to all seven armies. The final expansion, Soulstorm, once again added two more factions for players to choose from: the Dark Eldar and the Sisters of Battle, essentially battle nuns that hunt down heretics for the Imperium. More units were also added for each army and the campaign resembled the design from Dark Crusade. Together, Dawn of War and its expansions marked a turnaround from some of its more recent mediocre releases.

Squad Command

Designed for the DS and PSP, Squad Command once again took the series back to the turn-based strategy genre in an effort to mimic the tabletop game. Players were cast as the Space Marines who had to work through fifteen missions in order to hold back the Legions of Chaos. The game also featured multiplayer on both systems though there were more options available in the PSP version. Gameplay focused on the management of Action Points (AP) and using it effectively to take out enemy units. AP was spent to move and make attacks with more being used based on the distance traveled and the type of weapon used. Depending on the weapon, portions of the map could be destroyed in order to attack enemies behind cover. Players also had the option to spend extra AP in order to gain an accuracy boost or save AP once the turn ended so the unit would enter Overwatch mode. Once in Overwatch, the unit would attack the first enemy that came into its line of sight. Unfortunately, Squad Command wasn’t met with great reviews with most saying that it was a typical strategy game with Warhammer 40K painted over it.

Dawn of War 2

Though it is still a RTS, Dawn of War 2 is markedly different from the original. This is most obvious in the campaign where there is no base-building or resource management whatsoever. Instead, players choose the units they wish to use before the mission and can only rely on limited reinforcements once it begins. The game also evolved the campaign structure from Dawn of War’s expansions. Players still choose which missions to take in which order but some are only available for a limited time or only appear after certain requirements are met. Once in the mission, the player can only use up to four squads each with their own specialties and squad leader. Unlike other members of the squad, the squad leaders cannot die permanently and are only knocked out until revived or the mission is completed. Adding more strategy to the campaign is the fact that squad leaders can be equipped with items found on the battlefield and leveled up to gain new abilities and bonuses. Best of all is that the entire campaign can be played cooperatively with a friend. Competitive multiplayer mostly plays like the original Dawn of War but there is more of a focus on frontline combat rather than base management.

Dawn of War 2 saw two expansions and an extra game mode via an update. The first expansion, Chaos Rising, added the Chaos Marines as a playable faction in addition to the Space Marines, Eldar, Orks, and Tyranids. There was also a new campaign which introduced the expansion's biggest new feature, the Corruption system. As players progressed through the campaign various choices were presented in how missions could be completed. These choices affected how pure or corrupted the squad was and changed which missions would be available later in the game. Five different endings were available depending on how corrupted the player became. The second expansion, Retribution, saw the Imperial Guard added as a playable faction and the disappearance of the Corruption system. Instead, all six races could be used to play through the campaign. In addition, all of the races received tweaks and balances. Finally, a new game mode called Last Stand was added that could be played on the original game and the two expansions. Up to three players chose a Squad Leader from one of the factions and fought progressively harder AI opponents until they were defeated. However, as they played, their Leader would gain experience points that unlocked wargear to further augment his abilities. The game was critically lauded and is considered one of the best games based on the Warhammer 40K universe.

Space Marine

If anything can be proven about Warhammer 40K games, it's that the setting can make even the most mediocre of titles just a bit more interesting. Like all series, there have been highs and lows, but gamers should not ignore these games just because they are unfamiliar. Relic Entertainment has proven that they know how to turn this universe into a great RTS. Now it's time to see if they can turn it into a great third person shooter. Based on the demo, I think they can. Be sure to be on the lookout for GameXplain's review of Warhammer 40000: Space Marine in the coming weeks! And let us know what your favorite Warhammer game is in the comments!