If you don't know what the Warhammer property is about, you need to learn! Because I think after playing this demo you're going to want to know all about the insane universe of Warhammer 40k. What a bloody, gory universe it is...

Warhammer 40k is like a hardcore sci-fi version of Lord of the Rings in which blood rains from the sky. Marines, Orks, Eldar, and others battle it out over control of the known universe, neither side ever truly is winning. You would think the formula would be a slam dunk, but over the years the franchise has been hit and miss. That is until Relic met THQ. The RTS series Dawn of War has brought Warhammer back with a vengeance. Now the two have their sights set on bringing Warhammer back to the action genre. Just like the amazing Dawn of War series, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine is a winner.

The demo puts you in the role of Captain Titus, a Space Marine sent to an Imperial Forge World to stop a deadly Ork Horde invasion. The demo is split into two missions: one is a standard objective based mission, and the other shows off one piece of equipment your character can use.

Here's the boring stuff first

The graphics are great, detail is solid, and the controls are tight. The camera nevers gets in the way and the scenery is good-looking, though the colors are a bit muted.

Here's the Real Meat of the Article...

it's super-sweet & gore riddled bloody fun (does that make sense? Sure...why not). This game is fast and visceral and just damn fun. There is no cover system and no health packs.  "But Tikal, what if my health gets low? How do I continue on?" You run up and smash an Ork in the face with your gun. Then, while he's stunned, you grab him and CUT HIM IN HALF WITH YOUR CHAINSWORD! The rain of blood falling down on you will reinvigorate you, refilling your health. Thats what a Space Marine does: recharges from the blood of his enemies. Often.

The demo gives you a few other ranged weapons to play with: a standard rifle, a shotgun and a sniper rifle. Each weapon does a good job of dispatching the waves of Orks, as one would expect. And just when I got settled into the demo and was having a good time, it happened...

THE GAME GAVE ME A POWER AXE!  "Whats a Power Axe?" Let me explain. Take an axe and a lightsaber and smush 'em together. From that gooey mess of awesome you get a glowing axe of death which you may then take and KILL EVERYTHING. So, I did the only polite thing you can do with a Power Axe...decapitated at least fifty Orks. With a smile.

In the second mission, the demo gives Captain Tidus an assault pack, which lets you rocket-jump up into the air and then CRUSH ORKS FROM ABOVE. I giggled. Seriously and honestly, I giggled. Finally, after so many years we have a GOOD third-person Warhammer 40k action game. The setting is right, the characters are spot on, and most of all, IT'S FUN. Mowing down heaps of Orks never stops being fun. 

If the full game ends up being as fun as the demo, we have another solid action game to add this year. (Maybe it'll keep the nasty taste of DMC out of my mouth. Oh snap, see what I did there?)