Relic post-mortems Space Marine

By Robert Purchese Published 12 October, 2011

"We'd always like to have higher scores."

To developer Relic, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine represented a good first attempt at third-person action on console.

Eurogamer's Space Marine review awarded 6/10.

"Was it our best work?" mulled producer Andy Lang when quizzed by Eurogamer. "It was our best console work."

"I'm pretty humble; I don't look at [criticism] and get all upset. I thought most of the reviews were fairly on the mark with what they had to say; the character design does get a bit repetitive and certain parts of it, just how the game plays - we didn't have time to really polish that stuff to where we wanted to get to. There wasn't anything that was oh-my-god shocking in the game.

"We're not super surprised by [the scores]," he added. "Of course we'd always like to have higher scores, but with our feature-set and coming out late in the console cycle - it's really hard to have that feature-rich game. We did our best to deliver that blockbuster experience. And the scores landed where they landed."

Andy Land revealed how Relic - renowned for PC RTS games - would persistently ask itself, "Are we crazy trying to bring this game to consoles this late in the cycle?" What's so special about this late in the cycle? "Because it's so competitive," said Lang, implying other high-profile games on second, third iterations.

"It was a new experience for many of us on the team," he recalled, "but we did bring in a lot of new talent that have worked on these games before to flesh it out. And Relic's pedigree of pushing for quality that we've done in RTS titles - we really tried to bring that level of polish to a third-person game.

"With regards to the strategy genre, we're on our fifth, sixth iterations; with this genre we're just starting out."

Andy Lang, producer, Space Marine

"With regards to the strategy genre, we're on our fifth, sixth iterations; with this genre we're just starting out."

Lang thinks it would have been "really cool" to have co-op at Space Marine launch, a month ago. That feature will soon be added via the Exterminatus DLC, due 25th October.

"If I look at when I play a Space Marine," he added, "I look at adding more puzzles, more variety to the gameplay experience, so the player has to think a little harder when they're entering an encounter when they're entering a space.

"Challenge the player a little more," he said. "Just more refinement - more polish in that area is something that I would really have loved to gotten in."

Space Marine entered the UK all-formats chart in second place, and now lingers in 11th. US sales for Space Marine are expected on Thursday.

"We had realistic goals for the title, of course, being the first title in a franchise," the Relic/THQ PR interjected, refusing sales numbers, explaining that they were still being processed.

Direct enquiries about a sequel were denied. But referrals to Space Marine as (above) "the first title in a franchise" and (above even further) "with this genre we're just starting out", were two examples (of a few) hints at the future.

In July, Relic said discussions about Space Marine 2 were "literally, just starting". Marketing manager James McDermott teased "some of the more popular fiction within the 40K universe" as a likely source base. Space Hulk? Horus Heresy?

Andy Lang told us that Relic, as a whole, housed around 170 staff across three teams. All enquiries about projects other than Space Marine 1 were blocked, but to assume a Company of Heroes 2/Dawn of War 3/Space Marine 2 split doesn't require too great a leap of faith.

Dawn of War 3 hasn't been formerly announced but clearly is happening. Company of Heroes 2 is also heavily rumoured to be in development.

Either one of those games, or both, were expected to be announced at Gamescom. THQ had promised a "big" announcement at the German games show but it didn't happen; THQ was barely present at all.

THQ has never revealed why. Perhaps it was because, days before, THQ announced 200 lay-offs.

The Relic/THQ PR, however, told Eurogamer it was because some projects weren't ready to show yet.

"That one was just a case of sometimes with development cycles what you think you'll have ready to show isn't, and plans change, so we just changed our plans on that one and we look forward to making announcements in the future," he said.

"But at this moment in time there's no time-frame we can put on it."

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 7 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Buztafen #1 8 months ago

    Stop beating yourselves up Relic. It was an awesome first stab at a completely different game type to what you're used to. 8/10 for me and i cant wait for the sequel that you'll hopefully start working on very soon.
    Edited by Buztafen at 12/10/11 @ 14:20

  • gm914 #2 8 months ago

    £50 on the Playstation Store? £50!?
    Relic, go tell THQ to eat a dick. They care nothing for you....

  • SuperBas #3 8 months ago

    It's okay Relic, just stick to making amazing rts games instead of bland third person action games.

    Where are Homeworld 3 and Company of Heroes 2?

  • jelazee #4 8 months ago

    It would have been better if you didn't take damage in the middle of an enforced slow-motion combo move to regenerate health. Game breaker.

  • Nismo400R84 #5 8 months ago

    I enjoyed every minute of it ,so much so i completed each difficulty setting and it was so much fun. Relic if your reading this comments section please all of the games mention in the article

    @jelazee it wasn't a game breaker at all ,you just need to pick your enemy carefully as in trying to do health gen when 10-20 orks are trying to gang rape you isn't a good idea . Separate one from the pack stun and execute

  • Eraysor #6 8 months ago

    Where's Homeworld 3 you evil, evil people?!

  • berelain #7 8 months ago

    Space Marine is one of my top games of the year, I loved it. Partly for the setting, yeah, but also because it was a bloody good - and slightly different- take on the action genre. And the multiplayer is absolutely awesome.

    EG's 6/10 was exceptionally harsh.

  • Laserbream #8 8 months ago

    Could you maybe badger this Lang fellow with one more question - what happened with Space Marine and Steam?

  • Freki #9 8 months ago

    I really liked it tbh. Was good fun and multiplayer is mad as a box of frogs. They got the setting right and the gameplay was fun enough.

    Good game and I hope it makes enough money so they can make another.

  • Evolution #10 8 months ago

    @Eraysor Homeworld 3 please.

  • arcam #11 8 months ago

    formerly/formally

    former/formal

    I don't meant to be a dick but I see this so often on EG.

  • Ord #12 8 months ago

    I loved Space Marine! I really hope it gets the sequel it deserves.

  • Lamb #13 8 months ago

    Victory is merely a prelude to the next battle!

    I am a Tricia Helfer stalker err.. fan. :p :D

  • KDR_11k #14 8 months ago

    I hope they add more enemy variety next time, Space Marine had fewer enemies than one faction in DoW has units. There weren't even any vehicles!

    The multiplayer shows a bit of Relic's RTS experience in the way the classes are set up, maybe next time they could go for a full on Monday Night Combat-style MOBA game.

  • syra #15 8 months ago

    It was a great game, it's a shame it didn't do as expected but the polish just wasn't there so it's not a great surprise.

    I' sure if they build the next one around being a constant COOP experience like the game was originally intended, and perhaps smack it down in a spacehulk it would blow the minds of everyone in the vicinity. THAT is the game that all the 40k fans really wanted.

  • anomagnus #16 8 months ago

    i loved space marine. In fairness, i am a massive 40k fan, but even aside that, it was a rock solid 3rd person shooter.

    I have to say though, this sites review was terrible. The reviewer, from his words at least, seemed to play it as a hack and slash. Its not. You engage at range, and use melee only to finish off. You cant force games to be something they're not and mark them down for it.

    I hope there is a sequel, it deserves it

  • Chaser #17 8 months ago

    Space Hulk would be amazing... but yes we need Homeworld 3.

    Or... make a Battlefleet Gothic game... you know you want to.

  • Crea #18 8 months ago

    Space Marine was f***ing awesome, and no, it didn't need puzzles.

  • orren #19 8 months ago

    I didn't like it too much, but perhaps it has more to do with me being fed up with corridor shooters than the game being bad per se.
    Now, if they made a remake of Chaos Gate, that would be something i'd look forward to! :)

  • Rack #20 8 months ago

    It was one note and needed something beyond the excellent jump pack equences to add variety. Probably not puzzles though, Dreadnought section, Landspeeder section, maybe a bit where you can order guardsmen around for a defensesection. Easier said than done but still neeed I reckon.

  • Kayin #21 8 months ago

    Berelain is correct. The multiplayer in Space Marine was ridiculously fun, sidestepping many of the shooter conventions that put me clean off them - no dude with his head sticking out of a plant pot sniping everyone within a 500 yard radius before they can see what's happening, just balls-out action. Varied and extremely fun, with lots of valid approaches to it. Coupled with the excellent (if not quite mindblowing) campaign, some of the most vicious guns around and a versatile close/far range combat system that doesn't leave you fumbling for a shotgun...

    ...the dude should have his head held high. Almost certainly the nicest surprise of the year for me so far.

  • TudeScud #22 8 months ago

    Post-morteming a game when there is still DLC to be released? Not too kind, EG.

  • CamberGreber #23 7 months ago

    Space Marine was Alot of FUN.

    Yes I wanted more variety and Vechicles Scenes would have been awesome but....

    It was Great use of the Franchise and was exciting and also had alot of polish in alot of areas to includeing the smooth ass controls.

    O and People... This is not only a melee game. You shoot the enemie from afar and when they close in you switch to you Chainsword.

  • CamberGreber #24 7 months ago

    Homeworld 3 PLLLLLEEEEAAAASSSEEE!!!!!!!!!

  • cnlfailure #25 7 months ago

    Homeworld 3.

  • Architect_z #26 7 months ago

    Space Marine was good fun, I mean its not going to be able compete with the bigger players (not yet atleast) but as a first attempt, its better than alot of alternative 3rd person shooters.

  • TheBard #27 7 months ago

    " THQ was barely present at all" Wait, what? Were you even there? THQ had one of the bigger booths, complete with a Space Marine drop-pod with sentry gun, great Space Ork and Space Marine costumes, imperial reliquaries, a big Metro 2033 sewer and a horde of Penthouse "Pets", giving out autographs and cleavage peeks to promote Saints Row The Third, a big DJ set and TONS of Space Marines multiplayer stations.

    They were very, very present.

  • Cardiff1 #28 7 months ago

    I liked it so much that I've bought a second copy for my son for Christmas. £25 in Blockbuster or £50 in the store. Wasn't a hard decision.

  • Lin #29 7 months ago

    Yeah, it was a good first stab, that needed more depth and refinement. The franchise is just too good not to have a great game of this type though.

    My suggestion, do a reboot under the name Ultramarine. Much less generic.

  • baldyroach_2011 #30 7 months ago

    I really enjoyed Space Marine and I think the comparisons (which many reviewers made) to Gears of War were wrong, Gears is a cover based shooter and Space Marine is more of a melee focused action game, which has closer similarities to Dynasty Warriors or the old 2D scrolling beat-em-ups like Streets of Rage.

  • Dodelik #31 7 months ago

    Space Marine has a great Singleplayer.

    But thats all.

    Multiplayer is not really worth it.

    in addition the (miss)information is really bad and the reply to the customers too.

    they lock important threads. they delete posts.

    they are not interested in communicating with customers. they search users to moderate their forums.

    thats really bad and shows me what they give about customers and their comments.

    im a coop fan. and i think a lot of other people too.

    im no fan of low budged coop modes like the last stand.

    and i bet the coming coop mode is again a last stand like low budged mode.

    50 eur is a lot of money for 10 hours of signelplayer and shit multiplayer.

    im a fan of warhammer but what they made out of it is not really much.......
    you must be real fans to be so overwhelimg positive.
    i cant really understand it.

    be happy you have a hardcore community which will buy everything with a "warhammer" tag on it.
    Edited by Dodelik at 13/10/11 @ 19:37

  • Makecohderps #32 7 months ago

    Would think after about 4 warhammers a COH expansion or new COH game would come out (think a pacific expansion would be neat, i dont really see the point in a new COH game anyways). I'm just saying COH in my opinion is better in terms of realism, effects, play style, and graphics but it's only my opinion.

  • SST_2_0 #33 7 months ago

    I've challenged many people to tell me why this game, single player and multiplayer, was scored so lowed? Besides technology issues like not having dedicated servers, repetition and the games name is "not easy to play" Call of Duty are the only reasons people do not like this game...

    In my response I just point to CoD2. When I play SM it feels like I'm stepping back in time, playing CoD2, marveling at how this game could be THE game. People forget that it was THIS generation of console that CoD2 was released and it didn't have weapon perks or streaks. There were not that many weapons and while different for each side they were relatively the same for axis or allies.

    Polish is all this game lacks, but I found it disturbing at the lack of faith from critics who drooooooolll over CoD and forget its roots started out just as polished not that long ago.

  • dracopticon #34 7 months ago

    An sbsolutely amazing game is Space Marine, and I KNOW that for a fact since I was there, at the beginning: when Warhammer 40.000 came out in 1987, starting the table top experience and later many other branches of its franchise.

    But: I really want to think that the 40K community and Games Workshop itself would like THIS to be the future of computer wargaming. Heck, even great movies can come out of this franchise (hinting at the godawful Ultramarines "film" that has to be forgotten - fast).

    And people can really enjoy the creative side of this game, like it's an integrated part of the Table Top franchise. The possibilities are endless: why not have a whole separate part of this game that only handles the outlook and background of ones SM/CSM/Eldar/Ork/Tau/Whatever!? Come on, you have touched GOLD here Relic/THQ, dive into Space Marine and connect it in the future with all the great background stuff of the 40K genre... People will love it!