"The Blood Angels seek Vengeance . . ."

Background:

The world of WARHAMMER creates many alternate realities for it's players, and SPACE HULK is one such reality. In a time of conquest, claims, and expansion, there are many victims and almost as much booty to claim from the fallen. A SPACE HULK is an abandoned, derelict, spaceship/probe/fuselage, that has been targeted for salvage. As a member of the IMPERIUM SPACE MARINES, your mission is to lead a squad in to complete a variety of objectives that range from technological extraction to extermination. Unfortunately, you aren't alone as these drifting hulks are often home to hives of GENESTEALERS. Ominous creatures that propogate through infecting others with their genetic code in order to expand their species.

Game play

Although it was marketed with emphasis of it's shooting gameplay, this title is more of an action RTS. You control the entire squad from beginning to end. You select team members, determine individual armament, designate responsibilities, and give orders throughout the mission. You can, at any time, instantly take control of any of your team members and assume the corridor FPS part of the game. There are a variety of objectives to be met prior to reaching the extraction point, and they can be simple: like planting a bomb, or complex: like re-enabling the ships power systems. Throughout the entire mission, you are stonewalled by GENESTEALERS that range from aggressive, quick and resilient (ala Aliens from the Aliens movies) to enhanced with special skills and abilities ( think Predator of the Predator movies).

Graphics

Excellent, for the time - dated by today's standards. The desperation of the damaged environments, from debris to smashed in bulkheads, to holes in the ceiling all add to the atmosphere. Tension, anxiety, fear, all effectively displayed through dismal surroundings ranging from bright rooms to dimly lit corridors. The confrontation with the GENESTEALERS is standard, but well handled sprite based actioned that is enhanced to quickly loaded 3D pre-rendered scenes during hand-to-hand combat. Very nice, and very original.

Music/SFX

The sound effects in this game aren't groundbreaking, but they are used very effectively. You get halfway down a dark hallway, only to stop dead as you hear the muffled growl of a GENESTEALER, followed by the deathshriek of a team member over the radio. The 3DO version has a pseudo heartbeat, that seems to increase in tempo as the action gets heated. Effectively perpetuating a feeling of claustrophobia, and fear. The lack of music actually adds to the feeling of solitude.

Overall

An excellent RTS, but below average as a FPS. Play this game as a General, not a Foot-soldier, and you will be delighted. Be warned, however, that it is not a cakewalk. You will lose squad-members, and once they die, they are gone (along with any of their special skills and upgrades). Not for RTS dabblers, and certainly not for Doom fans. This game is all about strategy and execution.

8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/07