Space Marine: Improvements

First things first, I am a fan of the Warhammer 40k universe. As such, I do try very hard to like the Space Marine video game. Unfortunately, try as I might, I cannot not see just how they tried too hard in the wrong areas such that they made a potentially great game merely good.

Now, I am not sure exactly what constraints Game Workshop put on the company, but it seems that they are rather reluctant to engage canon. This is quite unfortunate, seeing as how they're using a well known chapter like the Ultramarines, and pitting it against some random Chaos warband. The first thing I would've done is consider revising the storyline to feature the Space Wolves, and the nasty involvement of the Thousand Sons. As a bonus, it's entirely possible for Magnus the Red to make a guest appearance.

The problem I see is how they've come up with an incredible variety of componentized armor for the different Traitor and Loyalist factions. It bewilders me as to exactly why they'd do that, when the chapters aren't quite featured in the campaign. We see a hint of Blood Ravens and some Dark Templars, perhaps, but little else. Simply put, there's a lot of possible variety in the mediocre multiplayer without popping the content in the campaign. For those who purchased Space Marine as a single player experience, the DLCs would've looked utterly useless.

It would've made sense to save the other content for possible expansions, while focusing on the core storyline as a content source for multiplayer. For example, if the conflict is between the Space Wolves and Thousand Sons, it would've been a small matter to bring in more detailed hierarchies in the campaign, reusing those assets in the context of the multiplayer as well. As a bonus, the weaponry used by the combatants can be iconic of their respective factions. For example, the plasma cannon's charged attack is AOE, which for damage purposes would be identical to virtually any other AOE in the game. Using the damage code, and replacing the plasma special effect with warpfire, it's entirely possible for a Thousand Sons sorceror to fire empyreal bolts. Overall, it would've added a lot of flavor to the overall game.

Focusing on the gameplay, with less on the progression (which is very art heavy), it's possible to dedicate more resources to the core gameplay polish. It would've probably been better to create a flexible system for the armor, but to hold back the asset development for future content. As it stands, having a full armor set for completing the campaign just feels like overkill, since that armor set has absolutely the same stats as every other armor. Moreover, the lack of distinctive faction-specific armors prevents the establishment of significantly different character silhouettes in multiplayer, which adversely affects IFF.

This is not to say that I'm bashing the game outright, since I have no idea why it turned out the way it did, and overall the melee combat is highly satisfying. However, I still reckon that it's entirely possible to have created a more polished gameplay with the exact same resources, securing the user base for the acquisition of future expansions.