James MiiThis review was written by PN contributor, James Colozzi.

Space Hulk or Space Bulk?

SPACE HULK!!!!!! Where to start? This game is a straightforward no-frills tactics game, or at least has a tactics feel to it. If you don’t want an in-depth story and just straight forward smash and conquer this is your game!

Space Hulk - directional issuesThe story is very direct and not really all that entertaining. Each mission is very cookie-cutter from the last mission…… Go here, kill this or save him. The controls feel a bit clunky and a bit overly complicated especially when moving your terminators on the map. An example is how they work with the end direction you want to face – instead of ending your turn and picking a direction to face, you have hold down the A button and then pick a direction. This can be troublesome as they make your terminator a green wire frame which makes it hard to distinguish the actual direction.

Space Hulk - Gene Steeler flambe

Genestealer flambe , yum yum !

The user interface is however smooth and picking actions is very easy. The character design is nicely done and looks very good on the Wii U. One cool thing I do like is the helmet cams on the terminators, you can see from there prospective while in combat. However the cam is in the GamePad and while the TV has a cutscene of combat, the controller has a different perspective making you wonder which one should I watch? As for the audio, the sound effects are very dark and spooky and compliment the dark theme of the game. Voice overs for terminators add ambiance. There is also a co-op option were you and a friend can play as a team, however I really haven’t gotten a chance to explore that feature.

One thing about this game I do like is that it is immensely challenging. Even if your strategy is sound the game has a real life factor where things can and do go very wrong making you at times have to think quick and revise your tactics in order to complete missions.

Space Hulk - missionsOverall though I haven’t really been impressed with this title. It has the feel of a Beta project; while gameplay was tolerable, the story feels like it hasn’t really been hashed out. The only thing this game does is try to bring the Warhammer story to a gaming console and to be honest this has never really worked for the Warhammer series. The title doesn’t bring anything new to the tactics genre and for the $30+ price tag that comes with the game and the Warhammer name it really falls short of delivering anything that will really keep you wanting to play this unless you’re a diehard Warhammer fan.

Pros:

  • It’s a direct port from the PC so at least the YouTube videos help with completing missions. If you’re like me and have no ability in strategy this is helpful.

Drawbacks:

  • Even with sped up movement the game’s still slow.  The animation is also a bit odd, instead of naturally walking and turning, you stop facing a wall then turn!
  • Everything consumes AP! Even facing a direction.
  • No customization for terminator weapons.
  • It’s a direct port of the PC version right down to the graphics.

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