In the year of 2011, we saw a lot of twin stick
shooters appear on the download market. In 2010, we got Lara Croft and the
Guardian of Light, a superb twin stick platformer/shooter that I could
recommend to anyone who is looking for a great Tomb Raider game. In 2011
however, we got a lot more “bullet hell” style shooters or more hectic games
where you just held the left control stick in one direction and did not stop
shooting. We had games like Gatling Gears, Renegade Ops, and the prequel game
for Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, Warhammer 40K: Kill Team for the PS3 and
Xbox360! While I would say Gatling Gears and Renegade Ops are above this one,
Kill Team is still a solid 2-player co-op twin stick shooter that pays a lot of
respect to the Warhammer universe. I even used to play a little before retiring
it in under a year due to my interest in the board game being in the “I don’t
really care anymore” status. I however grew very interested in the Space Marine
game because it looked intense and fun. Then I saw that there was going to be a
small prequel game being released on the download market. I recently beat it
and I decided to make this part 1 of a 2 part Warhammer review special. So,
let’s get on with it and review this game!
In the story, of which there is little of, you play
as a special group of Space Marines that are assigned to take out an Ork ship
that is heading towards the forge world of Graia. You can choose from 4
different Marines to play as with their own special talents, like being more
long range or another one being better at close range. It is up to you to take
down the Warboss and the ship the Orks occupy. Like I said, there is very
little story here, but it is more like an arcade game than anything else, so
you shouldn’t fully feel invested in the story. The only thing you should feel
invested in is you being a major BAMF taking out hordes of Orks.
The gameplay is set up like a typical twin stick
shooter. The camera is at an isometric view, you use the right analog stick to
aim and fire, and you get the idea. You get to choose from a couple of
different space marine soldiers that specialize in different abilities. For
example, one space marine will carry the big weapons like a rocket launcher, or
chain gun, another space marine with have a long range laser and a mechanical
arm, and another one uses a large jetpack to clear his way through hordes of
enemies, to just name a few examples. The levels are pretty typical and laid
out as such. There are no jumping puzzles like in Lara Croft and the Guardian
of Light so you will basically be walking along a path and taking out the
hordes of enemies that come at you. Throughout the game you can unlock ability
enhancements for your own character, like more health and stronger attack
power. Along the way of you putting a bullet into everyone’s heads, you will
find little power-ups that will stay with you for about 20 or so seconds. These
abilities included are, but not limited to, a shield to protect you from
bullets, more shots fired, regenerating health, and grenades. If you play with
a friend and he gets knocked out, you can revive them and get their health bar
back up. This is a great mechanic since the enemies will come at you in hordes
and this game can be pretty tough if you play alone. I must have died like 5 or
10 times going through this game because of how many enemies overwhelmed me.
The graphics are gritty, and not much color is put
in, but it gets the job done to give you the sense you are flying in a poorly
put together, but fully functioning (somehow it is fully functional, don’t ask
me how) Ork ship. The detail on everyone is great, and while it again might not
be like its big brother on the PS3 and 360, it still passable. The music isn’t
bad, it just isn’t memorable. It is just there to be there, which in a way is a
bad thing in my books. If I can’t fully remember anything about the soundtrack,
then why have it? The voice work for the Orks is pretty funny, and they sound
silly with their thick British accents.
Let us put down our guns and check out what are the
worst parts of this game. Well, I already talked about the music not being very
memorable so we can move on from that. The game is rather short. If you have a
friend with you, you can beat this game in about 2-3 hours. For a 10-dollar
game, that is hard to swallow. The camera at times can be a hassle, but I think
some reviewers overreact to it. I also find the game to be really hard at
times, with hordes of enemies that have some pretty strong attacks and can waste
your health bar if you are not careful. I also found the entire game to look
rather boring after awhile. The same colors are used over and over, and it just
looks the same. It’s rather annoying knowing how much color the actual soldiers
and universe use.
Overall, Kill Team is a fun, but short twin stick
shooter that I can recommend if you are a fan of these kinds of games or if you
are a fan of the Warhammer series. For others, I think the ten-dollar charge
might be used better on games like Hamilton’s Great Adventure, Gatling Gears,
Guardian Heroes HD, or the Simpson’s Arcade Game. Thank you for reading Part 1
of this special, and get ready for Part 2.
This game gets a 7 out of 10
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