When Space Marine made its debut, back in 2011, I was of two minds.

On the one trotter, the game was helmed by Relic Entertainment — one of my favorite devs ever, known for Homeworld, the Dawn of War series and Company of Heroes, yes, but also for their intuitive design work, balanced gameplay and solid programming chops. Even though a 3rd person shooter was well outside Relic's wheelhouse (what with their predisposition toward RTSs), I figured their work ethic would still guarantee a good game. I mean, they even went so far as to hire outside talent who worked on Gears of War and God of War — the exact genre of game Space Marine was destined to be... What could possibly go wrong?

On the other trotter, though, I wasn't exactly a fan of the sort of mindless, run'n'gun pap Gears of War and God of War represented and wasn't convinced Relic's pedigree would be enough to overcome the limitations of the genre.

It was a long time coming, but – as it turned out – I was right on both counts.

As an experience, Space Marine lives up to Relic's oft vaunted reputation for thoroughness and detail. The level design is fantastic (if a little sparse, by modern standards); the assets and models are gorgeous — with great animations, solid sound and the trademark W40K contrast between polished, shiny details and grimy, drab surroundings. And, more than anything, the game perfectly captures the feel of being a two-and-a-half meter, armor-clad übermensch whose every step thunders like a cavalry charge and every motion bespeaks immense power.

As a game, however, Space Marine is a jarring, frustrating chore that wastes whatever goodwill Relic's production values might engender on shallow, repetitive, linear gameplay and a lack of replay value (moreso in the GoG release, stripped as it is of multiplayer).

In Space Marine you play Titus: an Ultramarine captain tasked with stopping a million-strong Ork invasion of an Imperium forge world (not on your own – that would be ridiculous; you get two other marines to help you out).

Solidly written, if uninspired, the game plot is a linear affair that sees you stomp across ruins and down corridors from one objective (read: fight) to the next with only the odd audiolog (which are usually a stone's throw off the beaten path) for a diversion.

Titus can hold four weapons (one melee, three projectile) chosen from an adequate arsenal of 14 (four melee, ten projectile). There's a ponderous roll to get you out of trouble, a Fury mode (deal more damage and regenerate life for a time, once charged), a few set-piece jump pack sections that end once the game decides you've had enough and sync-kill executions of stunned enemies which regenerate your health. On the surface, it makes for an imposing package that turns Titus into a Force to be Reckoned With.

In practice, however, there is a jarring disconnect between how mighty the Ultramarines appear and how fragile they actually are. Larger-than-life as Titus seems, he feels superhuman for a blip at the beginning of the game, when faced with mere ork grunts. Once more powerful enemies make the scene, dying can happen in the blink of an eye — and not from some heroic, "there I was, holding a 30-strong charge off by my lonesome", overexertion, but from embarassingly pedestrian means like a stray rocket, couple hits from a Nob or that explosive squig you didn't spot in the melee.

While it's understandable some challenge is required in an action game, I feel like Relic chose the wrong way to go about creating it, as Titus' ever-present mortality undermines the Space Marine mythos of being nigh-invulnerable or superhuman. Paired with the constant ramping up of difficulty throughout the game, it makes for a conflicted experience where half of you wants to charge headlong into battle (as a warrior of Titus' stature and skill ought to be able to do); and the other wants to cower in cover so you don't have to, once again, redo an auto-saved section of an increasingly tiresome grind.

For a universe as diverse as W40K I also feel Relic missed a trick by not incorporating some means of customizing Titus outside of just finding different weapons to wield. I think the game would have benefitted greatly from a simple character generator that would let you change his appearance or stats.

At the end of the day, I have a hard time recommending Space Marine to anyone.

For action game enthusiasts, it will make for a dreary and overly linear experience with little to no replay value; and for hardcore W40K fans, it will make for a dreary and overly linear experience that portrays the mighty Space Marines as mere mortals two hits away from death at all times.

If you're really, really curious (as I was) about Space Marine, do yourself a favor and watch a YouTube no commentary playthrough. It won't cost you a penny and I guarantee you won't miss out on much of anything at all.