Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Preview

Xbox360Achievements continues to roll out more GamesCom coverage, with Relic Entertainment's Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine being the latest title to be spotlighted with a preview.
Instead, the tough as nails hero, Captain Titus, would rather face his enemies head on in a blaze of glory. Despite his bulky armour and regenerative health, he is not invincible so quick reactions plus a steady aim are the key to taking down the horde of foes that will assail you. You can also gain new skills with all of the weapons the more you use them, so for example, the Plasma Gun acquires a charge shot ability once you have used it for a while. It means that your favoured weapons can get extremely powerful, and the upgrades are persistent so even if you drop a weapon and pick it up later, you will still have all the upgrades you attained.

The other neat additions include both the special attacks and melee combat, which are available to you in order to cut a swathe through your enemies. Nothing says (Get out of my way!) like a few feet of buzzing chainsword. A touch of the shoulder button takes you into close combat mode pretty seamlessly and you can chain attacks together to decimate whole rooms full of enemies before switching back to your trusty sidearm to finish them off. The idea is an interesting one and the transition is pretty fluid, although how many people would stop firing long enough to engage in some fisticuffs instead, is debatable, that's why the inclusion of over the top instant kill moves make it worth your while.