The current tagline sentiment around this game is that it's "like the 360 era never ended," "It's like 2007 never left," etc.

In more ways than one that's a fairly succinct sales pitch but the incredible design and love this game produced go so far beyond it that I think it's a humble undersell. Not everything in this game is fantastic, far from it--what games doesn't have a few flaws, but this one has a few key areas that let me down.

For one, this game was obviously rushed out the door by a couple months. Bug-wise it's incredibly polished, nary a flying marine or jittery model in sight. Performance is incredibly taxing on my 2060 super and 6+ year-old CPU, that could be tuned up a bit, but the responsiveness of the controls make frame dips still feel good to control.

Still, the matchmaking is in such a piss-poor and basic state that I assume they didn't want us to know about it, hence why the beta was cancelled so close to release. The servers are stable once you get into a game, but that's the hard part: to find a co-op partner, let alone TWO, for Operations is the biggest ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ pain in the ass and quite possibly one of the worst matchmaking experiences I've had... ever, actually.

Despite the massive player account across Sony, Microsoft, Steam, and Epic, apparently only one other person is doing Rank 3 quick mission Operations. Oh, and they have your class already selected. And if it's someone on console, they can't see any chat window. And you had to load into their matchmaking space. And then if you have to leave, you have to load back out.

And load back in. And load back out. And load the match, load the game logic, load the game data, connect to the server, lose connection, load the game logic again, load the game data again... Brothers what is this heresy? This game requires an SSD, but it sure feels like a constant war with 360-era GTAV load times. If matchmaking was more seamless and didn't require constant trial-and-error to simply find a full team this wouldn't be much of an issue, but how often the game needs to be reloaded or simply loses connection, it's insane.

But by the Emperor is it worth the pain. I've put 79 hours across the campaign (~8 hours), PvP Eternal War (~10 hours) and the addicting co-op Operations (~60 hours) and I have no current plans to stop until I've hit some personal goals in Operations and level up for more weapons in the Eternal War. The gameplay is that good, and it's bolstered by great progression systems that don't give instant gratification nor pry open your wallet. The pop of a headshot, the revving of a chainsword, the wet sloshing of guts, the simple sound of walking in Power Armor while looking at the biggest skyboxes you've ever seen and walking cathedral-sized hallways, each railing immaculately details... they couldn't have created a better feeling, sounding, and looking Warhammer 40k game.

The "2007 era" comparisons typically talk about the structure and lack of monetization, and for that I largely agree and genuinely applaud Saber Interactive and thank Focus Entertainment for allowing them to create such a throwback to when box prices were just that: the box price to play the game and nothing more. This game has the bones for a live service game (and one I hope does continue), but it has none of the stink of one--the battle pass itself isn't worth it and simply provides more colors for your marine. I can't remember the last time I've felt that way when simply booting up a triple-A game that has both solo and multiplayer elements.

I don't have much to say about the PvP mode Eternal War: it's good trashy fun, appears relatively balanced, has a slow but classic progression system for cosmetics and weapons, and offers the same currency you'll find in the PvE mode Operations. It's baffling that that currency--armory points--is needed for BOTH cosmetics and weapon/class upgrades (Operations only), but... it's fine for now, I guess. I have my Salamander customization and am more than content.

The campaign, too, isn't something I have much to say about, but it's good! It's not fantastic, but it's the same (albeit basic) taste of Space Marine 2 gameplay and good characters. The interpersonal drama of Titus, Gadriel, and Chairon were genuinely compelling, even if the actual plot was MacGuffin-based and fine. Fantastic moments pepper the campaign that I won't spoil here, but it's a lot of walk-and-talk, loading elevators, "no turning back" cliff faces, open arenas, and a few fun boss fights. The last boss in particular was mechanic-heavy and challenging. At the end of the story I was ready for more, but this narrative most likely won't stay with me in the grand scheme of video games and 40k.

Now Operations... ahhhh that's where the game sings. Just don't play Assault as of the time of this writing. While the progression is a bit slow at first and, once again, matchmaking can be a test of patience, this is where the depth of the combat can bare it's teeth and the addictive loop of bathing in Tyranid blood

The biggest point of comparison would be Darktide. It's 6 missions with the same story, however the mobs are randomly place, elites can pop up at any time and location, big bosses (on higher levels) can give you a jump scare, and even the minutiae of how to progress changes with each playthrough; all of this is wrapped in some of the delicious, blood-pumping, gore-soaked combat in 2024. Unlike Darktide, the actual reason to play--for me, progression--is enticing and makes me eager to test my new weapons and levels. There's no random loot with random stats, you simply get XP, find a couple hidden items for extra goodies, and rinse and repeat to feel the power growing in your chainsword hand while you look more badass with each victory. It's addicting fun, and I fully expect to reach the 41,000 kill achievement by the time I'm finished.

In an era where games take 6+ years, 100s of millions of dollars, thousands of job cuts, and then release with a single game mode and vision, it is genuinely incredible that this game released with three incredibly fun, polished modes and only a handful of just okay cosmetics locked behind a season pass.

The current tagline sentiment around this game is that it's "like the 360 era never ended," "It's like 2007 never left," etc. In more ways than one that's a fairly succinct sales pitch but the incredible design and love this game produced go so far beyond it that I think it's a humble undersell. Not everything in this game is fantastic, far from it--what games doesn't have a few flaws, but this one has a few key areas that let me down. For one, this game was obviously rushed out the door by a couple months. Bug-wise it's incredibly polished, nary a flying marine or jittery model in sight. Performance is incredibly taxing on my 2060 super and 6+ year-old CPU, that could be tuned up a bit, but the responsiveness of the controls make frame dips still feel good to control. Still, the matchmaking is in such a piss-poor and basic state that I assume they didn't want us to know about it, hence why the beta was cancelled so close to release. The servers are stable once you get into a game, but that's the hard part: to find a co-op partner, let alone TWO, for Operations is the biggest fucking pain in the ass and quite possibly one of the worst matchmaking experiences I've had... ever, actually. Despite the massive player account across Sony, Microsoft, Steam, and Epic, apparently only one other person is doing Rank 3 quick mission Operations. Oh, and they have your class already selected. And if it's someone on console, they can't see any chat window. And you had to load into their matchmaking space. And then if you have to leave, you have to load back out. And load back in. And load back out. And load the match, load the game logic, load the game data, connect to the server, lose connection, load the game logic again, load the game data again... Brothers what is this heresy? This game requires an SSD, but it sure feels like a constant war with 360-era GTAV load times. If matchmaking was more seamless and didn't require constant trial-and-error to simply find a full team this wouldn't be much of an issue, but how often the game needs to be reloaded or simply loses connection, it's insane. But by the Emperor is it worth the pain. I've put 79 hours across the campaign (~8 hours), PvP Eternal War (~10 hours) and the addicting co-op Operations (~60 hours) and I have no current plans to stop until I've hit some personal goals in Operations and level up for more weapons in the Eternal War. The gameplay is that good, and it's bolstered by great progression systems that don't give instant gratification nor pry open your wallet. The pop of a headshot, the revving of a chainsword, the wet sloshing of guts, the simple sound of walking in Power Armor while looking at the biggest skyboxes you've ever seen and walking cathedral-sized hallways, each railing immaculately details... they couldn't have created a better feeling, sounding, and looking Warhammer 40k game. The "2007 era" comparisons typically talk about the structure and lack of monetization, and for that I largely agree and genuinely applaud Saber Interactive and thank Focus Entertainment for allowing them to create such a throwback to when box prices were just that: the box price to play the game and nothing more. This game has the bones for a live service game (and one I hope does continue), but it has none of the stink of one--the battle pass itself isn't worth it and simply provides more colors for your marine. I can't remember the last time I've felt that way when simply booting up a triple-A game that has both solo and multiplayer elements. I don't have much to say about the PvP mode Eternal War: it's good trashy fun, appears relatively balanced, has a slow but classic progression system for cosmetics and weapons, and offers the same currency you'll find in the PvE mode Operations. It's baffling that that currency--armory points--is needed for BOTH cosmetics and weapon/class upgrades (Operations only), but... it's fine for now, I guess. I have my Salamander customization and am more than content. The campaign, too, isn't something I have much to say about, but it's good! It's not fantastic, but it's the same (albeit basic) taste of Space Marine 2 gameplay and good characters. The interpersonal drama of Titus, Gadriel, and Chairon were genuinely compelling, even if the actual plot was MacGuffin-based and fine. Fantastic moments pepper the campaign that I won't spoil here, but it's a lot of walk-and-talk, loading elevators, "no turning back" cliff faces, open arenas, and a few fun boss fights. The last boss in particular was mechanic-heavy and challenging. At the end of the story I was ready for more, but this narrative most likely won't stay with me in the grand scheme of video games and 40k. Now Operations... ahhhh that's where the game sings. Just don't play Assault as of the time of this writing. While the progression is a bit slow at first and, once again, matchmaking can be a test of patience, this is where the depth of the combat can bare it's teeth and the addictive loop of bathing in Tyranid blood The biggest point of comparison would be Darktide. It's 6 missions with the same story, however the mobs are randomly place, elites can pop up at any time and location, big bosses (on higher levels) can give you a jump scare, and even the minutiae of how to progress changes with each playthrough; all of this is wrapped in some of the delicious, blood-pumping, gore-soaked combat in 2024. Unlike Darktide, the actual reason to play--for me, progression--is enticing and makes me eager to test my new weapons and levels. There's no random loot with random stats, you simply get XP, find a couple hidden items for extra goodies, and rinse and repeat to feel the power growing in your chainsword hand while you look more badass with each victory. It's addicting fun, and I fully expect to reach the 41,000 kill achievement by the time I'm finished. In an era where games take 6+ years, 100s of millions of dollars, thousands of job cuts, and then release with a single game mode and vision, it is genuinely incredible that this game released with three incredibly fun, polished modes and only a handful of just okay cosmetics locked behind a season pass.