Grim lark

It’s been 13 years since the firstSpace Marinecame out.

Today, Titus is free again.

The story takes many cues from the first game.

Titus and his squad stand shoulder to shoulder.

And other developments in the plot rhyme with twists of the first game.

As a fan you might have two reactions to this kind of story.

The levels themselves will see you charging into various frays with a mix of ranged and melee combat.

Cover image for YouTube video

They all feel heavy and punchy.

Sure, the melee combat feels gory and satisfying, with all its stomps and swipes.

The sense of fracas becomes most irksome when fighting airborne enemies.

A tyranid is kicked off a high platform by Titus.

It’s hard to design objectives, spaces, and enemy encounters that will satisfy both requirements.

If I know something is rare, I want to save it.

But again, in multiplayer, the other characters have different abilities.

Titus charges into a warzone filled with tyranids.

And in one mid-game mission each player’s ability is replaced by some fluid and fabulous jump jets.

It’s stunning how much these jetpacks change the flow of combat.

Or my limited understanding of it.

Titus prepares to slam enemy forces of chaos with a thunder hammer.

“Knowing the complete storyline of the first game is not a requirement.”

I always find statements like this difficult to swallow.

Then I was assailed by cameos and TV spin-off characters whose significance I did not comprehend in the slightest.

Titus jetpacks through space amid explosions and debris.

For Space Marine 2, I suspect I would have been adrift without those explainer videos.

Just know that’s what you’re signing up for.

All of this liberally daubed with skulls, of course.

Titus points his weapon at a carnifex while it forces its way into the room.

As a reviewer, I constantly take screenshots of games I play.

On average I might take 30-50 screenshots of a game.

For Space Marine 2, I took 235.

Space marines gather in front of a drop ship.

I pressed the F12 key more times than I activated my rage ability.

It’s not all beauty, mind.

The sound also periodically bottomed out for some reason.

The chaplain of a spaceship stands before Titus.

And it was always painfully slow to exit to desktop.

Suffice to say this is PC gaming.

As ever, stay frosty.

Titus points a bolt gun while bearing the standard of his battalion.

And it’s so overblown it is oftenVerhoeveningly funny.

But within the confines of its own delightful cesspit, the story does its job.

The guns ‘n’ galumphing likewise serves its weighty purpose.

A chaos demon stares down at Titus as the space marine points a gun toward it.

From the perspective of a fan, it may be pure ambrosia.

A magos surrounded by computer interfaces speaks with Titus.

Space marines pray as the ship’s chaplain gives a service.