I’m a very odd sort of Warhammer fan. I love Games Workshop’s stuff, but I won’t go anywhere near their miniatures games aside from the recent reissue of Space Hulk. So I tend to get my Warhammer jollies from other gaming sources, like the utterly fantasic Chaos in the Old World board game and hopefully, THQ’s upcoming Space Marine.
Today, THQ is announcing Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team, a downloadable co-op “arcade shooter” for XBLA and PSN. Of course it sounds awesome, because trigger words like “Imperial Forge World” and “Techmarine” are used in their press release. I failed my saving throw against press copy and got excited. I’m not made of stone.
But the truth of the matter is that this could just be a shameless marketing ploy- playing through the first level of it unlocks an “exclusive” weapon in Space Marine’s multiplayer game. So yep, it’s like a retailer preorder bonus but with this one you’ve got to buy a $10 hype-generating game. Hopefully, this game turns out to be pretty good. But in a worst case scenario, it could be another Red Faction: Battlegrounds. As in, a tie-in game made for a quick buck. If it sucks, you’ve paid $10 for multiplayer-only Power Sword. But here’s what they have to say about it-
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced the forthcoming release of fast-paced arcade shooter, Warhammer® 40,000®: Kill Team™ for Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network and Playstation® Network as well as a unique weapon unlock for Warhammer® 40,000®: Space Marine® that can be accessed by playing the game.
In this third person arcade style shooter, players take on the role of an elite Space Marine team sent to assault a giant Ork Kroozer en-route to an Imperial Forge World. Do you have what it takes to take out the Warboss and prevent the Waaaagh?
Kill Team™ allows players to choose from four unique classes, including ranged specialists the Sternguard Veteran and Techmarine, and more melee focused classes like the Vanguard Veteran and Librarian. With two-player same screen Co-operative play, multiple weapon upgrades and six iconic Space Marine chapters to select from, Kill Team is a must-play for fans of Warhammer® 40,000®.
Players who complete the first mission in Kill Team will unlock the deadly Power Sword weapon for use in multiplayer in the upcoming Warhammer® 40,000® Space Marine®. Sheathed in a power field, it cuts through armor and flesh alike and features unique animations, combos and damage output.
More information can be found on the Kill Team tab on Space Marine’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/spacemarine.
Kill Team is scheduled to launch for Xbox LIVE and Playstation Network in July for a suggested price of 800 Microsoft Points / $9.99.
About Kill Team
Jump into the rich world of Warhammer40,000 in this fast paced 3rd person action shooter. As one of the Emperor’s Elite Space Marines, you have been sent on a vital mission to assault a gigantic Ork Kroozer headed for an Imperial ForgeWorld. Choose your Space Marine Chapter and weapons class and commence the purging of brutal Orks and vicious Tyranids on board. Team up to form a 2-man Kill Team in same screen co-op mode and benefit from multiple team pickups to help survive the onslaught.
Games Workshop’s Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 backgrounds are valuable assets by themselves. It’s interesting to see how they evolved from the typical “We have a bunch of miniatures, now here’s the backstory at the beginning of the rulebook” setting to something big, distinctive, engaging, and even thoughtful. I’ll never bother with the miniatures games, but I’m always interested in boardgame or PC game uses of their IP. Ditto for some of my friends, who have no interest in anything that includes the word “sculpt” in its description.
Well, shit. Scratch this one. More has come out about it…it’s a twin stick shooter made by the team that did Red Faction Battlegrounds… One of the worst games of the year. Oh well.
Unfortunately this appears to be the truth. Now it seems like the real matter at stake is:
a)How much of a 40k/fluff fanatic are you and,
b)How much are you willing to pay for “exclusive” DLC
If you’re a Chaos in the Old World fan, can we hope for a review of the Horned Rat expansion? Have you tried it out yet?
My copy is en route. woo hoo.
I should be getting it in the mail today. I don’t generally review expansions, but maybe since CitOW was our GotY ’09 it will warrant it. Plus, it does offer some substantial changes. We’ll see. I think it’s going to be good!