Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Reviews
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II can provide hours of fun with three distinct ways of playing it. World War Z with Tyranids is a hell of a pitch, and it’s been realized successfully, albeit with a number of unsuccessful elements holding it back. Puzzling design decisions litter the entire experience, and at times I was left wondering what the hell Saber Interactive was thinking. Yet... I'm really quite into it.
Space Marine 2 is a great hack ‘n’ slasher regardless of whether or not you’re a Warhammer fan. Its true-to-life recreations of the tabletop game’s painted miniatures will please fans, but its satisfying combat will please anyone. However, it’s definitely best enjoyed in multiplayer given some AI frustrations, and its Operations Mode is a few pieces of content short of being an excellent addition to the package.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 lives up to the precedent set by the original Space Marine for the most part, offering a storyline and co-op experience filled with gore and action brought to life with excellent visuals. It's held back by irritating AI companions and a campaign optimized for co-op, leaving an un-balanced experience for solo players. However, if you're looking for a game to live out a Space Marine fantasy, and want some co-op fun, you'll be in for a real treat.
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is one of the biggest surprises of 2024 – one we all maybe should have seen coming. Not only is it a bigger, better sequel that improves exponentially via its visuals, gameplay, and sheer mode variety, it’s also a reminder that there can still be a place in everyone’s gaming palate for a rough-and-tough shooter that doesn’t care about being high art if treated with enough time, care, and passion. Sure, the reliance on lore will leave newcomers flummoxed and some Xbox 360 era sensibilities still bleed their way into mission design, but the crunchy combat, impressive graphics, and generous suite of game mode options stave off these minor quibbles. Regardless of whether you’re a Warhammer 40K person or not, Space Marine 2 is an essential addition to any avid shooter fan’s diet.
While we have concerns that Space Marine 2 could eventually become a fans-only game after its initial hype has died down, there’s no denying that this is the 40K game that many of us have spent decades waiting for. Those who’ve ever felt like a modern multiplayer game set in this universe would be a blast, were not only right, they owe it to themselves to check it out.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is enjoyable front to back, and is sure to find a lot of admirers who stick around for the co-op and PvP progression. In particular, fans of the universe and of the first game will likely be pleased that this long-awaited sequel is in no way a misstep, executing its vision soundly without becoming overly ambitious.
The most striking achievement of Space Marines 2 is the way the game presents the remarkable atmosphere of Warhammer 40,000 universe. Epic battles, insane architecture and oppressing tone, this game has it all.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a decent game, but one that becomes repetitive quite quickly, though fans of this sort of action combat could find it enjoyable.
Space Marine 2 is a brutally fun action game that will be best experienced with friends in multiplayer, and while the gameplay and story itself are serviceable and don't do much to innovate the series or genre, fans of Warhammer or anyone looking for an old-school shooter will have a good time turning tyranid swarms into puddles of blood.
I said it before and I will say it again, I loved Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Saber Interactive just went full-on Super Saiyan (that’s a Dragonball Z reference for the uninitiated, it means they leveled up) with this release. Honing the skills that they studio already had on display with World War Z and the incredible Swarm engine; Space Marine 2 offers a stunningly, beautiful, walk through the grimdark universe. This is hands down thee (you know it’s serious when you use old world speak) best Warhammer game to date. But beauty, as they say is only skin deep and believe me this game is a beauty through and through. While I am bummed I wasn’t able to test the online portion of the game, I can assure you that between the amazing campaign where the production values are absolutely breathtaking at times; to the operations that allows replayability and rewards players with cosmetics to customize their marines, Space Marine 2 is a sure-fire Game of the Year contender.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a sequel that builds on the legacy of Relic Entertainment. It does so by offering an exciting campaign that perfectly conveys that feeling of perpetual war and all the "grimdark" typical of its setting. Even without ever reaching the depth typical of other games in the same genre, the combat system infuses all the physicality and brutality of the Astartes. The optimization is also good, despite some small flaws that can be easily solved with a round of patches. The only let down is the soundtrack, light years away from the epicness of the first game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 follows a lot of the same beats as its predecessor but enhances all of its mechanics to suit the constant war in the 40K universe. Space Marine 2's combat is visceral and challenging, and taking on the Tyranid hordes with friends is a blast. It's just a shame the game suffers from some seriously long load times and slow progression. However, none of that should stop fans of the franchise from eating it up, while newcomers will find plenty to love as a space-traveling Marine blasting through alien hordes.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 does its legendary setting justice, offering a high-quality cinematic campaign that is a wild ride to blast through, and it only gets better if you bring a few friends to watch your back. Add to that the clever Operation side stories, the competitive Eternal War multiplayer, and the promise of a dedicated (and free) Horde Mode on the horizon, and Space Marine 2 sets a benchmark for 40k games worthy of its own storied, illustrious lore.
Thirteen years is a long time in video game history and technology. Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 obviously looks and plays much better than the 2011 original. Fans of the first game will appreciate the continuing saga of the main character and the seamless integration of Warhammer lore. Action gamers without a moment of prior Warhammer experience will enjoy it, too. Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is operatic, visceral, violent and unrelenting. It can be repetitive, too, but that’s best balanced by the creativity and camaraderie of human players blasting bugs by your side.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II is definitely our biggest surprise of 2024. The way Saber Interactive created a well focused game with a realistic scope, is simply spectacular. A perfect balance between a well done third person shooter, and a thrilling hack and slash.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2's properly vicious combat and impressive presentation are let down by a bland story and uninteresting mission design.
If you're an absolute fan of Warhammer 40,000, missing out on Space Marine 2 would be pure heresy.
Review in French | Read full review
Space Marine 2 is a graphically impressive co-op action fest with many great ideas, which is plagued by minor bad decisions in design and technical problems.
Review in German | Read full review
Perhaps it is not a round product due to its structure excessively anchored to the past in relation to the structure of its maps, but think that it is a product that 10 years ago was the typical action game, but now it is a strange specimen to admire, in a new era of video games in which the trend towards single-player titles is once again gaining relevance and starring in all the podiums of each year. I don't know if Space Marine 2 will win any awards this year at the GOTYs, but, excuse the expression, fuck if it deserves it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Your might proves substantial enough to bend even clichés to your will. When, during a cutscene, a monster in the background looks like it’s about to get the jump on Titus, one of your buddies casually blasts it from out of the frame. The bait and switch feels like a winking admission by Space Marine 2: This is an unabashedly over-the-top ride, but it won’t stoop to boring contrivance. Your strength is too profound, your time too important, to abide that.