Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

[radiator]

Don't know what it is about this game but I really, really love it, so much so that I've completed it twice now (Normal, then Hard) and am now hoovering up Achievements and delving into the online modes - co-op DLC should be coming out very shortly, apparently).

I'd have to say that I enjoyed it a lot more than Gears 3's campaign mode, which I found a bit pretentious and irritating. Gears is now sitting back on the shelf to be picked up again at a later date.

Would dearly love to see a more expansive sequel - I'm not that fussed about continuing with the story of Titus, but would like to see it structured like a Call of Duty title - jumping between various characters and getting a snapshot of a wider conflict - perhaps a embattled planet with various races fighting it out - Eldar, Tyranids etc. Vehicle sections would be nice to break things up - perhaps a bit where you get to ride a Marine bike of landspeeder, or maybe control a Terminator or Dreadnought?

A wider point regarding this sort of game - can we get rid of invincible NPC squadmates? They're just annoying and it spoils the tension if you know they can't be killed, except when the game decides. I really liked the first Halo, where you usually had a few marines fighting alongside you, but it was tricky to keep them alive for long - as a result you care much more about them and it felt much more like a real battle you were fighting in, much less scripted and linear.

And while we're at it, can we also exile red explosive barrels to Gaming Room 101! Can't believe developers are STILL doing that in games!

[Zarjazzer]

I'm also enjoying the replay value and a sequel must be on the cards given the nature of the story. I just want it to feature Tyranids...oh and a decent full blown £200 million movie would be nice unshorn of WH40k's darkness and despair.

I think a sequel for the games alot more likely...

[Robert Frazer]

A castle in the air of mine would be to produce a Gorkamorka MMORPG. There was actually a Gorkamorka racing game in development for the Dreamcast which was unfortunately canned, although development screenshots and an Alpha build are floating around the internet:



But I'm imagining something more expansive. There has been another vehicle-based post-apocalyptic MMORPG, Auto Assault, and while that failed due to bad environmental design and a buggy launch, the core concept was sound and with some refinement it could be a dramatic and distinctive affair. Roaring across the sand-scoured, mutated landscape of Da Skid at the wheel of your Kustomised Rig, a gaggle of Boyz hanging off of guard rails and howling with glee as the wind rushes past them, skidding and sliding around rival mobz as you scrap over Skrap (damage bonuses rely on the speed you're travelling at, forcing you balance acceleration and avoiding ramming into obstacles?), and dragging your booty back to Mektown where you are able to actually see Da Hulk be reconstructed in real-time, ready to blast off in the expansion set. Diggaz, Rebel Grotz, Muties and Tinboyz can be the creeps for PvE combat.

There is currently a 40k MMO languishing in development, but I fear that it's trying to incorporate too broad a scope (as well as being handicapped by not being World of Warcraft). The universe is too big for that, and a tighter focus is needed to be successful.