Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Interview

RawDLC recently had the chance to grill Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine game director Raphael van Lierop about the team's forthcoming third-person action RPG. A bit on balancing the shooter and role-playing genres:
How did you go about finding a balance between a solid FPS experience and a rewarding RPG component?

Space Marine is all about delivering blockbuster action in this epic sci-fi setting from the third-person perspective, giving the players the melee and ranged weaponry to dominate the battlefield. Our progression systems let the players evolve their weapons and abilities to suit their specific playing style. It's an approach that keeps things focussed on the combat, and avoids endless screens of options and tons of stats tuning, which really distract players from the heart of what makes the game entertaining.