True Space Marine console reveal

Its not been a month and the footageI dug up of Space Marine from THQ has become relevant again.

They have ‘officially’ launched the game for all to see what it is they are doing and to get an idea of how it looks.

I’m not going to write too much about what you can see for yourself, but I will give you links to the various previews and video from the event:

- Video footage(be sure to watch the HD version!)
- IGN 360 first look
- EG preview

All good stuff!  The main things to note are that is is now being developed by Relic, the folks who gave us Dawn of War and is no longer in the hands of THQ Australia.  This can only be a good thing as Relic have a fantastic history with DoW/II and the 40k setting.  The game will contain RPG ‘elements’ such as a possible leveling system as well as gear or skill upgrades.  Multi-player of some kind is being looked into, be it co-op or vs or both, and may give you the chance to lead a squad of mates against the Ork horde.  It is console only. 

Yes, that last point is not something I’m that keen on but I think I understand why.  You could play God of War on PC, but it just wouldn’t be the same.  You can get hold of your mates for some Halo action or even Gears of War on PC, but why would you?  The consoles offer a much better platform to launch on for a number of good reasons, mainly being that this kind of game suits them nicely.  I’m sure the ugly head of piracy and quality control came into it too… not to mention the effort of having to port it across.

I hope we get more news about this over the coming months and see a release for this year.  Its going to be a great game I feel and can’t wait.  In fact I’ll go dust the 360 off and see if its still running now… cya!

Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 360 trailer

So after digging around the interwebs I discovered this little gem.  It seems to be a review in Spanish of a new title being developed by THQ’s Australian studio.

My first thoughts after watching the movie was Gears of War.  This was swiftly followed by ‘nice’.  The game looks pretty good even with the poor quaility of the vid and assuming this is quite an early version of the game gives me a great deal of hope that when released this will be a really great shooter.

Something to note is that this is under the wing of THQ, who are also the publishers of the 40k Online game.  This release will set a bench mark for quality.  I know they are being developed by different studios but Games Workshop will expect a certain degreee of polish to anything being released these days and if Space Marine is as good as I/we hope then you would expect that 40k Online would also be as good, if not better.

Forgetting Games Workshop for a moment and just looking to the fans I would expect that 40k Online will look as good as Space Marine could.  If SM ends up looking like Gears’ then I’d be well chuffed, and rather look forward to the idea of that level of awesome in an mmo world.

Any thoughts?

Blood bowl

I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to a game that is also getting me a little bit excited.  And by a little bit I mean rather a lot.  Blood Bowl, developed by Cyanide is a world apart from 40k, yet at the same time just as bloody.  Is is based in Games Workshop’s fantasy setting Warhammer, but is separate from the conflict and drama of that world.

The best and quickest way I can describe Blood Bowl is to ask you to picture a mix of American football, chess and a battlefield of body parts.  It is a bloody turn-based affair where the ball is often forgotten in the rush to beat the shit out of the opposing team.  11 a side plus subs, with 8 turns a half for 2 players and (normally) just one spiked ball to focus on.

The board game was very very good and one I enjoyed immensely over the years.  Blood Bowl the game looks and so far plays just as well and I can honestly say the guys and girls behind this effort have done a great job of catching the emotions and expressions the game evokes.  If you have never played the original I’d strongly advise you to find out if your local hoby shop or group has a copy around as it’s great fun.

The game has just finished a closed beta stage and will hopefully have a demo out before release, currently schedualed for late June on PC, PSP, DS and 360 in Spetember. Once it goes live I’ll most likely do a full review as there is much much more crammed into the game than what I have described to you above.  On and offline legaue play, real-time mode, character development and multiple races all with their own unique way of playing will make for an awesome ride.

Check out the official site and the forums for news, screen shots and some great into movies.  To find out more about the origins of the game wikipedia has a good break down of its history and progression through the years.

*Old* 40kmmo interview

Hello fellow fans.  Below you will find a copy of an interview from Games Radar courtesy of PC Gamer Mag (original here) from way back in May of ‘08.  I know, I know… old news but still some may not have seen it and I think as it is one of the few sources of information we have at this time it is worth reproducing here.

PC Gamer: Besides the obvious distinction of being science fiction as opposed to fantasy, how will you distinguish yourselves from the Warhammer fantasy MMO from EA Mythic?

Weekly round-up

Welcome one and all to the first ever 40kmmo ‘Weekly Round-Up’!  Unfortunately, being that there has not been much in the way of news I don’t have too much to report.  The most exciting related news is obviously that I have started posting again… I’m sure you noticed.

I’d like to take this opportunity to point you towards my ‘things to do‘ page.  It does exactly what it says on the tin and is really just a post-it note type area for me to keep any ideas in one spot.  This is also your chance to request or suggest anything you feel would add to the value of the site.

Over the next few days I’ll be playing around with a new banner/site graphic and see what I can come up with.  I’ve also dug up the few articles about the game that I’ll re-post here for all to see.  Should anything major happen I’ll be sure to post it the moment I hear of it.

Farewell for now and enjoy your lazy Sunday afternoon.

Habe.

Tentative release date?

This is a little old now so please forgive, however THQ recently held an Investor Presentation that showcased what the company is up to presumably to justify it continued existence to share holders.

The information relevant to us 40kmmo fans was this slide showing forthcoming releases:

That last entry – Warhammer 40K mmo – is the one, and at last we have some idea of the kind of time-frame development will take.  Of course lets not forget that it is listed as ‘FY 2012E’ meaning that it is estimated to be released at some point during the 2012 Financial Year.  Bearing in mind anything could happen between now and then, and that just about every MMO launch has slipped by several months lets not get all worked up at this early stage.

But its still nice to see something pop up, and as they say ‘any news is good news’.

What happened to 40kmmo?

Well… to cut a long story short:

Work started to get really stressful to the point that even when I wasn’t at work I was often still doing work or thinking about work.  I really couldn’t give over any of my limited time to move forward on this project and had to leave it by the road-side.

Things came to a head around August and so I booked a well deserved 3 week break for September to relax – knowing full well the madness that the Christmas season was about to bring.  Something inspired me to apply for another job while on break and basically I didn’t return to my previous employer as I had been successful.  Fast-forward 6 months and you get the here and now with me being settled in a new country, with a new full-time job that is rewarding and so far not in the slightest stressful.  As an added bonus I feel completely secure in my job (at a time when few can say such it is a huge relief) and I have ample amounts of time free to myself.

Yes that is the short version…

So I decided to fire her up and try to get this blog back on track.  I’ve made some headway and have spent a large amount of time recently deciding on how to go about getting going.  Reading up on different ways of managing a full site and thinking about what exactly I want to achieve.  My all-important goal statement  – “To design, produce and maintain the most comprehensive 40k Online community site available up to and beyond the games release”  – is at the front of my mind and I know that it will take a great deal of effort to get there… or even close.

So stay tuned, bookmark me and see what happens.  It may even be worth it.

Habe.

Warhammer Online sooooooon!

WAR headstart launches tomorrow afternoon and I’m excited!  I’ve got a collectors edition all ordered up and so have the headstart codes and items codes and cant wait to make a start on my live character.

My WoW guild will be joining me so I’ll have company from the outset and it will be a blast!  I might do a mini review of my closed/open beta experiences at some point but I’m sure a great many of the handful of people here would of seen that kind of article many many time over already.

In 40k news has anyone seen the THQ trailer for a new fps titled ‘Space Marine’ ?  I’ll dig up the link when I get back from work but basically imagine Gears of War in the 40k universe…  I know sounds cool and doesn’t look to shabby either.

40k 5th edition out, but is it any good?

Has anyone read through or played much with the new 5th edition rules yet?  I’ve got no cash right now and was wondering how it works.

Someone let me know, please!

Diablo III announced

Shock horror the worst kept secret in gaming has finally been officially announced – Blizzard are developing Diablo III.  Anyone surprised?  I mean it was only a matter of time until they let the world know what they already knew.

The casual reader may surmise from the above tone that I’m less than impressed and not very excited over this monumental story.  Well you couldn’t be further from the truth people.  Diablo III is going to be the dogs b******s and no mistake.

I spent countless hours with the first game and loved its simple combat, great gameplay and the stunning visuals.  I never really got into Diablo II for some reason but I can still appreciate its mark on today’s gaming.  From what I understand it was one of the biggest games of its day played by many, many people both off and online and created a style of play that others have copied over and over.

Diablo III will be a landmark title for PC that people will flock to and enjoy regardless of the meaningless current day console wars.  Blizzard need to update a winning formula and carry it kicking and screaming into today’s crowded market which will be incredibly difficult, but lets be honest here, its Blizzard we are talking about. 

They don’t know how to fail.

PC gaming is far from dead as many would say.  It moves from strength to strength at an almost measured pace and will continue to be the destination of games that shape our future expectations of what is great and defining in a time where the gaming industry becomes more mainstream and better yet, more accepted by the general populace.