Sooo, don't know if any of you guys have been following this game, but the Pre-Order Beta began two days ago (I don't think there are any restrictions on it, everyone can broadcast it and there are no messages or water-marks prohibiting anything). I have to say that this game is pretty amazing compared to the other recent space hulk titles. It's a squad-based tactics game that features two playable factions: The Terminators and Genestealers. Each faction has their own playable campaign and are also available for skirmish and multiplayer games. The voice acting is decent at the best of times and god-awful at the worst haha
, but overall, it hasn't really put me off from wanting to play more.
For the Space Marines, there are four founding chapters to choose from, each with their own special rule and their own in-depth customization options to choose from. You create a squad of five Terminators from either the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Ultramarines, or Space Wolves. Apothecary, Assault, Heavy Weapons Bearer, Regular Terminator, and Sergeant are the classes that you can choose from. Each squad member comes with a choice of four tactic cards that make a deck that you can use on missions.
The Genestealers play a quite a bit differently than the terminators. They can choose from four Hive Fleets, but you don't really choose a squad for them. Instead Genestealers populate on the map by converting their cards for spawns, while Terminators can convert their cards for more Action Points. They spawn on the map as blips first, then can revealed at any point to come onto the board and start assaulting the enemy. There are several biomorphs: Genestealers, the Bulwark (tank), Reaperfex (assassin, think lictor), Miasmic (Poison Bomb), and Broodlord. Each has their own special abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
As for maps, there are three different 'ship' layouts that are currently playable. Eldar maps have a lot of portals that can teleport you to different zones on the map. Ork maps have a lot of traps and explosives that either team can use to their advantage. Imperial maps, are well, what we usually come to expect from space hulk.
The Game is gorgeous and immersive, especially if you use the first person mode after you've planned out your strategy on the isometric view. I think the game could use some balancing, as the Genestealers seem like they dominate a little too much. In my first game, my Sergeant advanced at the fore of the squad, approached a genestealer and missed with his first attack, and then promptly died as the genestealer countered his second
. If a Terminator is ever struck from behind, he is automatically slain. If he is attacked from the flank, there is a chance that he can defend himself. Most of the time, you always want to be facing the genestealer.
Terminators can still potentially do a lot of damage, such as slaying a broodlord outright with a single overwatch shot
. Or filling entire rooms full of genestealers with promethium from the Heavy Flamer or plasma cannon fire. If one plays the correct card, a terminator can cut through several attacking genestealers through either overwatch or melee defense. But more often than not, the terminator will get a bad roll somewhere in the middle of all of that and just get slaughtered.
Let's play Space Hulk: Tactics FIRST LOOK! - YouTube