Warhammer 40k: Space Marine to be console-only, Relic won't abandon PC
"In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war..."
Relic sent some of their devs over to Los Angeles last week for the show, and you probably caught a glimpse of their company polo shirts while passing THQ's booth. Lucky for us, we caught a closed presentation of Warhammer 40k: Space Marine with them at E3.
They opened the preview with a trailer that introduces gamers to a Space Marine's world, as the franchise steps boldly into the realm of console gaming, still unfamiliar territory for the Warhammer 40k franchise.
And yet, here comes Warhammer 40k: Space Marine made especially for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, built from the ground up, starting with the engine. More surprisingly, Relic currently has no plans to develop a PC equivalent, though that could change.
Footage we saw featured the Ultramarines, a particularly famous Space Marine Chapter in Warhammer 40k lore. When I asked whether they intended to include other Chapters (Space Marine divisions) from the series, they couldn't give me a sure answer. As for enemy factions, we saw mostly Orks, though various hints of other races are scattered about the trailer, like Tyranids seen fighting in the background.
The game is still early in development, but principal designer Quinn Duffy assures us that Relic will take full advantage of Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network, meaning we'll definitely be seeing some multiplayer for Space Marine.
What we do know is that Space Marine is an action RPG with customization options similar to those found in Dawn of War II. We're not sure how far Relic plans to go with character creation options, but they are promising a "unique avatar" option.
You could say it's another step in Relic's gradual expansion beyond PC gaming. Players will have four classes at their disposal, utilizing trademark Space Marine weapons such as bolt guns, flamers, chain swords, Thunder Hammers, and more. The devs are trying to squeeze as many enemies on the screen as possible, testing each platform's capabilities as well as truly capturing the essence of a Warhammer 40k battle.
As for this whole tug-of-war-turned-pissing-contest between so many PC and console gamers, the Space Marine team wanted us to understand that Relic is by no means abandoning PC gaming and loyal followers suffering from console-phobia. More Dawn of War RTS titles are in the works, but Space Marine offers a different means of perceiving the Dawn of War / Warhammer 40k universe. By moving to consoles, Relic is making the franchise more accessible, and the action genre offers a new way of telling the Space Marine story.
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In some cases it's a bad thing though (i.e. Borderlands), but mostly I like the anticipation and seeing the game evolve.
Why the hell did you do this, Relic?
Once more some idiot at a game company thought 'Ooh, let's make a game more "accessible"... by stopping PC gamers from playing it! YAAAY!'
Never mind the fact that they're actually making it LESS accessible.
Never mind all those players who, like myself, absolutely HATE XBOX controllers, and want to use a keyboard and mouse.
I was looking forward to this game. Now it's automatically crap because I'd have to buy several hundred pounds of console just to play it. No game is worth that.
So people, if you hear its not for PC that means it will suck(unless its a console exclusive)
Piracy wasn't a topic of concern though it was more that they wanted to get in on the console kiddy cash and this was their opportunity to do it using a class that would tickle the wallets of GoW / Killzone / Resistance / Halo fans.
Sad too because it looks tempting as a game but not something I'd want to play on my 360 at this point. I spend most of my time on the PC really.
Besides, after Fire Warrior flopped, do you really want another one like that?
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/spacemarine/
for Emperors sake we must purge this act of heretic!
And a petition?? For *bleep*s Sake, leave THQ to its money hoarding. Are you guys blind? Look at the cover art for Space Marine. Millions of 8 to 13 year olds will not be saying "Oh cool the Adeptus Astartes" it will be more like "OMG DUDE LOOK THAT GUY IS WEARING ARMOUR AND HAS A SWORD AND A GUN AT THE SAME TIME DUDE I HAVE LIKE A HUGE BONER *8>* LETS BUY IT WITH MY MOM AND DADS SAVINGS!". You know they are making a kick ass game to inspire more kids to come and play more Warhammer games. Hence more money. THUS. More Dawn of War. And Finally.
Maybe a port. They are trying to expand and make more people be like at the end of Space Marine say, "oh dude that was fun is there any other games like this". BOOM. Right there you have a couple more DoW Buyers. Maybe even other warhammer title buyers.