Castrum - So I just got finished with the Warhammer 40K: Space Marine demo, and I have much to say.
As expected, the demo was awesome and the game is great. The story seems a bit basic, but maybe in the full game it will be better as a whole.
Execution moves (which restore your health) are always fun, and really necessary as you will get shot to shit even in melee (from dudes somewhat engaged with you as well as from outside mobs). I had some confusion about this at first, but for most enemies you use your secondary melee button/key (I played on PC) to initiate a Stun attack, which allows Executions on all scrub enemies.
As I had expected, the melee weapons, and the Power Axe in particular, are just awesome. The Jump Pack you get in the demo's second level is also one of the greatest things ever in gaming: you feel like a walking nuke.
I am very wary of Nobz now. I thought they and this game in general were going to be easy, but goddamn they're tough (for the record, I played on Easy, and I had trouble with them, so... yeah). They take a mound of hits to kill, ranged weapons are meh against them (unless you use something heavier than a Bolter), and they do a ton of damage. They're pretty fast as well (they can charge), and you obviously can't 1-hit stun them.
Speaking of ranged weapons, that side of the game has not been neglected. In fact, in some parts (as in the first demo level), you're required to use ranged if you don't want to go boom. Ranged combat isn't quite so gloriously gory, but it's still some decent fun. I'd say it's kind of like Gears without a cover system in that sense. All the guns do decent damage, even your infinite-ammo Bolt Pistol, and hit targets at medium-to-long range competently without zooming.
Overall, this is one of the most promising demos I have ever played. Definitely looking forward to this.
