Dozens of games based on Warhammer 40,000 and its tabletop RPG companion series have been released over the years, but none have resonated with the mainstream like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. A sequel to an underrated cult classic from the early 2010s, Space Marine 2’s savage action makes it one of 2024’s best shooters. It’s cool to be a Warhammer 40,000 fan now, so I recommend checking out Space Marine 2 now that it has been discounted on Amazon for Cyber Monday.
Like most modern AAA video games, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Space Marine 2 typically cost $70. This Cyber Monday, you can pick up Space Marine 2 at a 29% discount that brings its price down to just $50. This is the cheapest that Space Marine 2 has been since it launched in early September and broke Warhammer video game concurrent player count records on Steam.
There has always been a high quantity of Warhammer games, but not many of them met a similarly high bar of quality. Historically, games like Necromunda: Hired Gun or Space Hulk: Deathwing were rough around the edges and felt bogged down by Warhammer game rules and lore. The reputation of Warhammer video games has been getting better and better recently. Boltgun grafted the boomer shooter formula onto the series to surprisingly positive results, while Rogue Trader has been one of the best CRPGs to come out in the wake of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Saber Interactive’s Space Marine 2 is where this all crescendoed. Utilizing tech first seen in its World War Z video game, Saber Interactive created massive hordes of Tyranid enemies for players to take on. It then leaned into Gears of War-like third-person shooter action, with lots of different guns and weapons available to players so they could eviscerate those hordes of enemies in single-player or co-op missions. It did all this while respecting Warhammer 40,000 lore and continuing the story of Titus, the disgraced protagonist of the original Space Marine game, in its campaign.
On top of that, there’s the time sink of a competitive multiplayer mode that sees teams of Space Marines fight each other with the same weapons and abilities used to defeat the Tyranid threat. Generally, Space Marine 2 has the feel of a shooter that would’ve come out during the Xbox 360 console generation, and that vibe resonated with me. It clearly did for many others as well, as Space Marine 2 has amassed over 5 million players. If you want an on-ramp into the world of Warhammer 40,000 and are wondering where to start, Space Marine 2 is the perfect place to begin.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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