I've never been a Warhammer 40,000 fan. I collect Sigmar figures just to paint them, and then never get around to finishing them. My poor Zombie Dragon and remaining Flesh-Eater Courts army loom over my desk, begging me to finish painting them. I swear I'll get around to it and never do. I got into painting Sigmar to start sharing a hobby with my fiancé, who grew up loving Warhammer. Last year he got a set of Ultramarines, I got my Flesh-Eater Courts and now our local Warhammer shop knows us as that couple who come in saying we're just browsing and leave with 25 new paints. They also know me as the girl who is freakishly obsessed with The Great Unclean One, but that's too complicated to explain. A tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Ultramarines and the Vampires… or something like that.
When Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 finally launched this year, it quickly became one of the Kendall-Murray-Marshall household Games of the Year. However, for me it was a bit more than just a fantastic shooter with kick-ass combat and grandiose battlefields. Space Marine 2 became my second favorite game of the year purely because it allowed me and my partner to share a hobby that he completely nerds out over (but would wholly deny loving as much as he does). Weirdly, this game about ripping the heads off Chaos Marines and shooting heretic scum from point blank in a burst of gore brought me a sense of second-hand joy, because of how happy it made him. Our evenings sitting on the sofa playing it have been some of my fondest downtime moments of this year, and I loved sharing this.
Talk Deathwatch to me
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 review: "Raises the bar for all Warhammer adaptations"
I'll be honest, I knew nothing about Space Marine lore. I was excited about the game, but I really had no clue what was going on. In the beginning I could only appreciate the game for what it was - one of the best shooters of 2024, and certainly my favorite. All I could do was praise the Tyranid armies' density, the weighty controls, the way I actually felt powerful in the role of Titus. As someone who is notoriously terrible at shooters and avoids them like the plague, I adored the mechanics. This game made me like shooters. I was lucky enough to get an early-access code to the game and I became obsessed with it. I would finish editing videos, log off for the day and instantly log onto my new part-time job of praising the Emperor with my Battle Brothers by my side. I loved every second, but I felt like the fans of Baldur's Gate 3 who dove in head first without knowing any Dungeons & Dragons mechanics and lore. I could appreciate it all on a surface level, but couldn't tell if Saber Interactive made a faithful recreation.
As I began playing, my partner would often pipe up with in-depth lore dumps, helping me understand the world and the setting. He would tell me all about the Cherubs (or as I called them "the little flying babies"), and explain the Primaris Chaplain and the Tech-Priests. He would talk me through why the Dreadnought I thought was the "most adorable best boy ever" was actually in unimaginable pain and suffering. Suddenly this world I wanted to explore, but had nowhere to start from, made sense to me. Without his help and patient, hour-long explanations, I genuinely don't think I would have loved this game as much as I did. My fiancé helped me understand why Space Marine 2 was as good as it was, propelling it from a fun to excellent shooter.
When he began playing it, he looked like a kid on Christmas day. I hadn't seen him this excited about a game since I got him to play Red Dead Redemption 2 for the first time. Seeing the happiness this game brought a life-long fan of Warhammer just filled me with joy. I was so happy to sit next to him, snack in hand, and watch him play. As silly as it sounds, I adored hearing every lore-dump. I wanted to learn more about who the Emperor fellow was. I demanded to know if the Space Marines actually get to take their suits off to have a shower. My most burning question of all was who lights all these damn candles? He assured me it was probably the "the little flying babies" I loved so much, but then proceeded to explain how horrific their lore was. The magic of my little flying babies quickly turned from "aww" to "eww". And you know what? I loved that. On a surface level, this universe is cool. On a deeper level, this universe is horrific and strange, brutal and sickening, and something I have grown to love.
In sickness and in health, only in death does duty end
Space Marine 2 achieved everything it set out to do - but it didn't stop there. It also let my fiancé share a lifelong hobby with me, in a way that I could also enjoy and understand. It brought together his love of the universe and my love for video games. Combining the two things we were passionate about felt special. It's actually made me plan to buy some 40K figures in the new year so I can play the physical game with him.
Playing this next to the person I love more than anything is a gaming memory I will not soon forget. To the Emperor, and to our future.
Back from blasting Tyranids? See where Space Marine 2 landed on our best games of 2024 list, or check out our interview with the game's directors
