SkillUp dropped a preview of Space Marine 2 and it seems the game took everything Darktide is and just improved upon it in its co-op part.
Notable parts include a very similar itemization (albeit less looter-shooter-ish), a better skins system with them being earnable through gameplay, an actual good story and better-defined classes.
I don’t call to pre-order or even to be hyped about it, but i’m curious to hear opinions on how Darktide is gonna compete with this, given that it scratches much of the same itches Darktide does.
i like how you don’t comment about the actual gameplay but instantly start talking about the looks of stuff to buy, really the model of the ideal GW fan according to GW.
For me, and I suspect many others, it won’t. Reason #1 is that it isn’t an FPS. I personally can’t stand 3rd Person perspective in action games like this. Even watching that preview with actual gameplay footage makes me irritated. 3rd person just completely negates the sense of immersion for me … and I basically have no interest at that point.
I’ve played World War Z before, and tbh I feel like SM2’s PvE mode is going to be much more like that than what DT/VT2 offer.
This just end up feeling like people who pointed at HD2, PD3 and a couple of other games, some will be more successful, other won’t, and in the end it doesn’t effing matter.
To me, this game (seemingly) checks so many boxes that it’s probably the most excited I’ve been for a game in a good decade or more. I’m not naive. I obviously don’t expect perfection and I’m sure it will have its downsides and problems. The monetized cosmetics, even if they’re not locked behind a fictional currency and are listed in actual $ amounts, come to mind but that’s ultimately a pretty small gripe. Time will tell what other issues it may have.
Everything else strikes me as solidly good or great. Combat looks like it’s nuanced without being overcomplex, they way I sometimes feel DT is or can be. The several different game modes seem like they’ll add loads of replay value and it’s rare to have games even offer this amount of variety in ways to play these days. The tone and setting seem totally on point and personally I’m glad it’s not another game that takes the term grimdark too literally by putting you in dark, damp and spooky spaces for the sake of it. One of the biggest appeals of 40k as a setting is it bombastic and grandiose scale and it seems like this game will nail that aspect in a way no other 40k game has previously. The story itself seems like it’s more thoughtful than it had to be for a gang of super soldiers. Just compare the premise here to the one of Space Marine 1, for example.
All in all, I’m thoroughly hyped and I think this will probably end up being hailed as the best 40k game out there and by quite a solid margin. As far as how it will affect DT, this has been discussed already. It won’t have any major effect on DT. There’ll be overlap in players and some might switch over, but how does that actually matter? Things will keep moving like they have been, slowly but hopefully surely.
I think it really depends on the gameplay loop and overall feel of the combat. Despite its flaws, DT has always been king when it comes to immersive visceral combat. If SM2 can come close, and maintain some re-play ability I suspect it could siphon decent amount of DT’s core players, at least temporarily.
Saber’s engine is far better for this type of game, and from the leaks and previews it seems like the game will have a far better launch than DT .
I hope this is everything for everyone who wants it to be everything, but yea the gameplay looks dull to me. Quicktime events, long kill animations every 2 seconds. Meh, not for me, but I’d give it a whirl if it pops up on Gamespass!
Hardcore players? Will barely have an effect. Even disregarding Darktide’s flaws, they’re different enough to co-exist.
Casuals? Same as any other game, they will play it until something else they play updates or something new comes out.
Tide games can get away with a lot of their flaws because there really isn’t another game that does what it does regarding melee combat in a L4D style game. I know that was the main reason I was glad to stumble upon VT1 back in the day. I must have run Horn of Magnus a billion times since it was the only map available at first.
edit - On that note, my group will definitely play it when burnt out on Darktide
To me it’s a question of depth/complexity to what end. DT is plenty complex with myriad nuances and aspects. I don’t always think that amounts to a net added value to the gameplay. Even at my 2500 hours there are quirks and layers that I find to be either cumbersome, unnecessary or unwelcome or all of the above. It’s a subjective question in the end but the way that DT feels like CoD in a PvE format is actually not something I enjoy at all. The fact that the game drives people to create graphs and entire excel tables with numbers is not something I enjoy at all. The fact that each weapon has half a dozen randomly varying murky stat bars is not something I enjoy at all. Those things all add “depth” of a sort, but I question whether these things actually make the game better or not and I’d even make the case that besides FS curious management of their own product (the problems we’re all familiar with at this point), this whole aspect might be the biggest gatekeeper that stops more people from playing the game. It’s far more complicated and convoluted than it has any need to be more often than not and it’s what is keeping the game as niche as it is even though the basic premise, at first glance, seems widely appealing. I think I’m probably in the minority in that opinion here but that’s how I feel.
Conversely, if the SM2 combat is nuanced enough that you have a satisfactory amount of options in how you deal with the enemy without the myriad number crunching and intricate build crafting it will likely be more inviting for more people and ultimately be a more successful product. If there’s still a need for skill and thoughtful maneuvers and kit composition whilst also fulfilling the power fantasy of being a space marine, I think it will be a bigger net positive contribution to the game as a whole than DT’s combat ultimately is.
I agree and while this is going off rails from your post; I’m not a fan of melee weapons with supposed “depth” (which I read as cumbersome).
What I want is simple: shoot things, and they die. I strike things with my PS, and they die, which is why I’ve spent at least 500 hours playing Recon and PS exclusively.
It “just works”!
To clarify, I like Darktide’s combat, but having to do particular push/animation cancel combinations and care about blessings/perks is not for me here in compared to an ARPG where I’d appreciate playing around with stats and “breakpoints”
On the other side, I like that there are weapons like pickaxes and power mauls for those who prefer mechanical combat, but as a third-person enjoyer, I don’t really care and just want things to work without having to play Darktide like it’s Street Fighter 6.
Mechanical combat works in Darktide until it doesn’t: engine goes to crap, sound issues, bugs, latency where Poxwalkers hits you while being several meters away from you etc.
Randomized stat bars is a massive negative. However I am talking about the gameplay loop. From what I played SPM 2 is just mid.
And yes of course that will contribute to its success because the average gamer is a lobotomite who can’t comprehend a game not being incredibly simple.
The thing is, for me, even the most “complicated” weapons in DT are still simple. Power Maul? You have Heavy light combo for single target, light heavy 3x light for Horde clear, while push attack sets you up for your horizontal heavy. The Pickaxe movesets are especially simple and mainly require timing and maneuvering.
Maybe 3rd person makes it harder, but FS should not be designing weapons for ease of use in 3rd person.
That’s probably the weirdest thing to focus on out of everything i wrote.
But since you accuse me of being an obedient GW fan - I’ve never actually bought anything Warhammer, except for Darktide and Vermintide And these games are not “lookers” by any stretch.
I just meant in the moment. We play various games to break from other games. Darktide just happens to be one of the coop PvE games that is higher on the replayability list than others in the genre.
They will not compete. But I do think FS will plan there release cycle to avoid SM2 hype and launch. I think they can co-exist, especially if FS continues to release maps and content for years to come, Darktide may eek out a long-term win. Its a good time to be a 40k fan!
.
And these games are not “lookers” by any stretch.