THQ doing Warhammer 40K shooter?

By Robert Purchese Published 8 September, 2008

Gory game footage drives speculation.

The watchful internet has spotted what appears to be in-game footage of a new third-person shooter set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, to which THQ holds the exclusive licence.

Subtitled Space Marine, the action is dark, splattered with gore, and based on the idea of "intimate brutality", according to (apparently) developer commentary during the video. This means that ranged combat only really exists to narrow the gap before main-hand swords can be drawn.

Footage is captured from an Xbox 360 build, and begins in a dark and gothic-inspired interior, littered with runty baddies dispatched quickly and brutally by our chunky space marine hero.

Presentation is rather similar to Gears of War, both from the third-person viewpoint and slow-motion, cinematic melee deaths. There's no apparent cover mechanic, mind you.

Anyway, our marine eventually ends up outside in a futuristic cityscape, facing Chaos troops as large as himself and with melee weapons of their own.

Action culminates with a face-off against some kind of enemy leader, where action swaps to a first-person boxing-style mini-game, the loser of which has his head shot off and body tossed away.

The video "leak" comes just days after job adverts on THQ's Australian website (see Kotaku) pointed to the development of a "brutal", next-generation Warhammer 40,000 videogame.

THQ has been contacted for comment on all of the above.

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.

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

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Comments (25) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 3 years ago

    It better have tyranids.

    Looks like a third person shooter rather than an FPS too, EG. Also a total GoW ripoff. Although I must admit the space marines were invented first and are cooler.
    Edited by 1 at 08/09/08 @ 09:59

  • Evolution #2 3 years ago

    As long as it's better than Fire Warrior...

  • Triggerhappytel #3 3 years ago

    I've always wanted a good FPS in the Warhammer universe. I think the designs and species are pretty cool, and there is more than enough stuff to mine for good ideas. Fire Warrior was severely flawed, but I was hoping there would be more in the series (i.e. a chance for some big improvements).

    I will be very interested if this turns out to be true.

    e: But yeah, you mention a FPS then go on to talk about a TPS in the article.
    Edited by 1 at 08/09/08 @ 10:03

  • LunatikCajun #4 3 years ago

    Please let you be able to choose Space wolves!

  • Tomo #5 3 years ago

    FPS..?

    Then third person shooter in the main body?

    Long weekend Rob? :D

  • Ranger101 #6 3 years ago

    "Octavious nooooooooo..."

    I loved the old '95 EA Space Marines game with the Blood Angels. Very cool Tactical FPS, well ahead of it's time.

  • skillian #7 3 years ago

    Is it an error, or is this like an official endoresement that FPS stands for Game With Guns, as increasingly seems to be the case?

    OK, edited title, I guess that answers that one :p
    Edited by 1 at 08/09/08 @ 10:35

  • anomagnus #8 3 years ago

    i've seen the video

    its not a shooter as such, you use your bolter to stun them, then get in close with the chainsword.

    Even the alha build looked UNREAL, and the developer was clearly interested in the lore

    all i saw when playing gears of war were space marines, and i thought, why haven't GW licensed a game like this? And now they have!

    New underpants all round!

  • Jabbaa #9 3 years ago

    Seems to be less like gears and more like devil may cry, wrong way round I'd say. Bit of chainswording is fair enough but only after you've wasted the majority of the enemy with rapid bolter fire. Ideal space marine game should be more like brothers in arms so you get all the fluff and gory kills while using squad tactics.

  • CreepinJesus #10 3 years ago

    Ooooh, that kind of FPS... I thought it was 40k FPS as in 40,000 frames per second :)
    Edited by 1 at 08/09/08 @ 11:09

  • Erenthal #11 3 years ago

    Keeping in mind that this is obviously an extremely early build, it looks like it could be quite impressive.

    I've been waiting a long time for a game that could make the deep and brutal lore of the WH40k universe justice. Might this be it?

  • Snidesworth #12 3 years ago

    Bolter needs to shred the traitor guardsmen.
    Better turning animations.
    Less stupid buzzwords.

    That said, this looks fantastic. The only 40k action game we've had was Fire Warrior, and we know how good that was. The Space Marines are wonderfully proportioned and dwarf the fodder who are merely human, environments look awesome and very gothic and chainsword brutality is always fun.

  • Inquisitor #13 3 years ago

    Looks quite good. The environment is pretty much as I'd always imagined but I have a few issues with the combat. I'd rather the gun killed the cultists in a few shots but there were much more of them on screen, so you can kill 2 or 3 at long range before charging into the rest. I'd also like less chaos marines, seems a bit weird to have 3 of them alongside 3 cultist guys, you'd expect 1 to be leading a squad of 10 or so at least.

    The finishing moves...hmmmm, never sure about 'pre-canned' actions like that, looks like it could get a little repetitive.

    Dunno what EGs obcession with calling every newtitle with guns an FPS or shooter is either, it clearly owes a lot to DMC and you don't hear them calling that a shooter.

  • anomagnus #14 3 years ago

    @ inquisitor

    supposdly, they will have hundreds of finishing moves, at least thats what the dev says, so it should never get boring

  • General_Zod #15 3 years ago

    WHAT THE HEELLLL!!!! They totally copied off Gears Of War!

    Lessee

    1. Big guys in big suits of armour. COPIED
    2. Dark, grim setting. COPIED
    3. Chainsaw on a sword!!!!!!!!!!! Looks like they got that from the Gears gun!
    4. Third Person View. COPIED

    Come back when you got something original warhams!

  • Zander #16 3 years ago

    Looks pretty, but also looks like it'd get boring in a short period of time. Seems to have no depth (just shot & the run, then button bash). I'd like to see shooting as a more important aspect than it is here - 40k has some interest guns as well as melee weapons and it would be a same to waste them. No squad either??

  • dripping_brain #17 3 years ago

    I take it General_Zod is being ironic.
    They'll have to make the Chaos marines less fodder-like, but I think this could be cool and hope that it is.
    Edited by 1 at 08/09/08 @ 14:04

  • gruntboy #18 3 years ago

    @General_Zod: please tell me you've got your /irony button turned on. Apart from point 4 (third person view), all those things have been part of the Warhammer 40k universe since before CliffyB started walking...

  • dingo75 #19 3 years ago

    I'm not a Warhammer nut so mind my stupid question:
    Is a Space marine suppose to take that much damage without problems or is it God mode by the developers?
    He gets shot all the time during those fights + the Chaos guys whack at him while he concentrates on the little guys.
    Looks a bit over the top to me.

  • Erenthal #20 3 years ago

    @Dingo75

    Part of it is surely because the developer has turned of the damage, but yes, a Space Marine is lore-wise (or fluff-wise if you are in the know) a walking tank with an angry Rambo on steroids inside. Small-arms fire would barely bother a fully armoured Marine, though heavier weapons like rocket launchers or plasmaguns will make him think twice before exposing himself.

  • sneetch #21 3 years ago

    @dingo75

    Space marines are 8 foot tall genetically-engineered super-soldiers with massive regeneration capability deployed in heavy, powered armour that enhances his strength, speed and senses so, yeah, they can take quite a kicking and keep on ticking.

    I can't check the video from work but from comments here I'm worried that they seem to have gone the usual THQ shooter route where every mob requires at least two clips to kill (like Fire Warrior where Imperial Guardsmen took a hail of fire to kill, that stripped the fun out of that for me). In a game like this you won't get the feel of the power a marine has; a single bolt round should detonate and rip a chaos cultist to pieces and solid kicks or punches from an armoured marine could decapitate a normal human with little effort. Basically, if it was me, I'd go more for hordes of cultists who die like the vermin they are backed up by a few (tough as nails) chaos marines. However, that would require more work so I ain't holding my breath.

    @Eraysor
    "It better have tyranids."

    DOW II has them, that's enough for me. :)

  • DFawkes #22 3 years ago

    Space Marines are pretty much an army of Halos' Spartans, without the wussy recharging shields, and with slightly more questionable ethics. Although IIRC there was some wargear in the Second Edition that allowed various types of shields.

    I still like the look of it, and I even liked Fire Warrior, so it's a must buy for me.

  • Pablo2k5 #23 3 years ago

    Can people stop using the phrase "next gen" please. It's so irritating.
    Edited by 2 at 08/09/08 @ 20:27

  • BlackKraken #24 3 years ago

    As long as the game turns out to be nothing like that video then it might be a good game. That being said i dont think they can make a game 40k enthusiasts will be happy with, though hopefully they'll reach a good compromise.

  • widebutnotpainful #25 3 years ago

    I would like to see a cross between Dead Space and Gears of War for this. Horror, depravity and death is what the 40K universe is all about. There is also a stupid amount of cannon fodder where CHAOS is concerned. It would also open up upgrading your marine with ranged and mele weapons. I want a force hammer.