So as we track all things Warhammer in this column, I guess you could say Warhammer had a busy month. Last week at GamesCom Wrath of Heroes was announced for Warhammer Online. The Space Marine Demo came out this week as well. Also, I was lucky enough to go to a mini-Games Day event at my local GW store last weekend for some Kill Team games and painting contests. Let’s run down this list of events and look forward to September.
Warhammer: Wrath of Heroes has gotten a lot of buzz lately. Whether you agree with it or not the game does look fun. PvP was a major component to Warhammer Online but somehow it never felt right, at least not after Mythic gaves us Dark Age of Camelot. So this updated supplement may just fill that PvP niche for a batch of new players. It does have some similarities to the huge trend in MOBA games hitting the market lately. This is a good thing, because it keeps things simple without the massive MMO grind. The key here is customization. If they can allow you to customize your characters enough it should be fun. Overall I think it is a step in the right direction for Bioware Mythic. I am looking forward to the game when it launches.
Next up is Space Marine, only a few weeks away and the demo has gotten a lot of attention. So far the game is fun, with a lot more melee than I expected. The hardcore feel and endless waves of Orks definitely keep you on your toes. I will play through the campaign, but I don’t expect any major surprises. For me this game is about the multiplayer. Having choices in Space Marine Chapters as well as Chaos Legions is just amazing. Hopefully these factions are broken up correctly and you will see teams of Chaos fighting again all kinds of Imperium Chapters. The idea is exciting. I do hope this game does well. THQ has really worked hard to promote the game and perhaps for a few weeks the game will sit on top of the charts. That is until, September 20th when Gears of War 2 launches. I do hope hardcore 40K players stick with Space Marine and the new battle fields of online play open up to the galaxy.
Last but not least, you have to support your local game store. The Games Workshop store in my area hosted a mini-games day event and it was fantastic. With all things Warhammer and 40K nothing beats the original outlet of painting models and playing on a home made battlefield. I was lucky enough to play some Kill Team games at 200 points and thank my opponents whole heartedly for having the patience while my four year old rolled the dice. You have to start them early I suppose. The best part about days like these is getting out and really meeting up with other players. As much as I have played games online for almost fourteen years now, I still love a trip down to the game store. I guess that is the kid in me. Hopefully game stores never go away.
It was a busy Warhammer month, but for now we await the arrival of Space Marine in full fury on September sixth. Once we get through that, perhaps there will be talk about the 40K MMO sometime before the end of the year, you never know…
