How does it compare to SM1 ?

[FoxFort]

I'm a bit torn apart. SM2 looks and plays well. PVP is more fun than I expected but only 3 maps. PVE is okay but again limited number of maps and expect of grind for unlocks not that much fun to reply same objectives all the time. Campaign is a mixed feeling when compared to SM1.

Before SM2 release I have replayed SM1, love that game. It's not a perfect game but still plays well. Going into SM2, apart from visuals, feels a bit of a let down. Campaign in SM1 seems better paced. there is even a turret section (at least some difference in gameplay), better usage of jump pack, Orks are funny but mainly because of Orks being Orks. Tyranids don't speak human so nothing memorable about them.

Rollo is doing a good job, but his voice ain't similar to Mark Strong's one.
Also Audio Mixing in SM2 is just terrible, Audio mixing in SM1 is much better.

OST in SM1 is a bit better than the one in SM2. PVP is identical in both.
I do miss horde mode in SM2, should had been on release IMO and not some time afterwards.

So far, I slightly more like SM1, but not sure if this is me saying after 10 years of replaying SM1 compared to freshly released SM2.

What do you think?

[Ω Yukich]

Its gorey
Its more serious
Its repetative
Its grind
Its more online-oriented
Plot is pretty much the same

I like this game but I cannot call this game a certified hood classic like SM1

[Harr0w]

its better than the first in every way.

[randir14]

Better than the first game. Anyone saying otherwise is wearing rose tinted glasses.

[Angarvin]

i can agree on strong's voice being better and orks being funnier than tyranids.

other than that i think sm2 is superior in every way.

[Vahjkyriel (She/Her)]

only thing that sm1 does clearly better in my opinion is jump packs, they feel very hero shooter ability like thing while in sm1 they were part of core movement, im not sure how to describe it accurately.

another thing is health, im not sure if i like how it works due to so little regen. vanguard has perk that grants health regen on executions on tougher enemies, this to me feels so essential that playing other classes feels bit wrong. i think perk should be removed and executions on non minoris enemies should just always reward health little bit.

so overall im hoping for jump pack rework and some health retuning. other than that the game is great, improvement over sm1 for sure

[StepBattleBrother]

I've seen the opinion that SM1's campaign is better than 2's multiple times, and as someone who also recently played through 1, I have absolutely no idea what you're all on about. I mean, it's your opinion and you're welcome to it, but I personally found SM1's campaign incredibly dull. Not to mention it's horde mode which is one of the worst adaptions out of the popular horde modes of the time (e.g., Halo, Gears, COD).

[SSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNDDWWRRYYYYY]

SM1's jump packs are far better.
SM2's jump packs don't even use the spacebar to jump but an ability key which feels weird.
I'd say I prefered SM2's campaign. It's much more engaging imo and the boss fights are on point.
SM1's boss fights were ridiculusly easy but so boring it became a chore.

However I disagree about PvP.
SM2 and SM1 have a very different PvP experience. SM1 is way faster and much more dynamic in every way.
SM2 feels slower and more oriented towards fire fights while SM1 is perfectly balanced between ranged and melee combat.
Besides, each weapon in SM1 felt unique. I do enjoy a lot of bolter variations but it also feels kind of redondant.

As far as I'm concerned, SM2's PvP is fun but I strongly believe I'll get back to SM1's PvP once I'm done farming everything from SM2.

Let's hope they add the dreadnought assault game mode and maybe a playable terminator class.

[Jameswood]

I can agree with you on the combat, I preferred the combat mechanics from SM1 more. Orks were great, mainly because you could understand them and they were funny. But I also like new enemies and nids are my fav. Audio in SM2 does need work but I'm sure the devs can patch that.

[Stormandreas]

Very similar.

It has better graphics and pretty tight controls, however it also follows almost the EXACT same beat as SM1.
Story is aaaaaaalmost a 1:1 copy with different factions, and general gameplay is pretty much identical.

The one major difference I noticed, was that the Bolters and Marines just, didn't feel or sound as heavy and meaty as in SM1. SM1 really emphasised the weight of everything you do, which I don't feel as much in SM2.
This has a big effect in PvP, as it's MUCH harder to hear enemies around you compared to SM1

[crmbl]

Multiplayer feels boring for me atm. You kill people and wait for them to come at you, when you die, you run to the enemies. Just nothing more.

When I say running is : the spawn are far from the combat zones and you just run all the time

[PandaSav]

SM1 was trash compare to this, its was a flashy boring 3rd person shooter game. Cant come close to SM2 in terms of Well polished Warhammer 40k game ever.

This game reminds me of original Gears of War 1-3 fun and gameplay fluidity.

[Gabe]

It's bad. Don't get me wrong it's a decent 40k game but I seriously don’t understand why they would have the stomach to call this Space Marine 2 when they removed EVERYTHING that made Space Marine 1 such an impeccable game. The campaign is nowhere near the same quality as to Space Marine 1, multiplayer is dry with only three game modes that play exactly the same. There’s no Exterminatus mode instead we get operations which is nowhere near as fun, customization and traits is locked to game modes, the UI is horrendous, especially when it comes to understanding and comparing weapon stats.

Now despite all these issues the real problem with this game is the actual combat and game-feel. The controls are convoluted and offset. Balance, fencing and blocking mechanic is a mechanic that only serves to make combat feel attemptedly staged, offset and terrible. There’s no weight to the character instead the movement is just clunky which is not the same thing. All it does is take away the players ability to adapt to combat situations. The feel of the weight in Space Marine 1 mostly has to do with the animations not the variables. There’s also the issue of weapon utility. In Space Marine 1 you have 4 weapon slots while in Space Marine 2 you only have 2 plus a melee weapon. Having four slots allowed us not only to be more adaptable on the field but also take advantage of the actual weapon types strengths and weaknesses. For example plasma weapons were good at dealing with shields and armor while Bolters were better at dealing physical damage. This encouraged us to switch between weapons. In Space Marine 2 however there are no actual weapon types, they all just deal the same type of damage, meaning there will always be a single superior weapon that you will pick all the time. Currently that is the Bolter Rifle and Heavy Bolter pistol, they are the most reliable and adaptable ranged weapons in game2. We see similar issues with the melee weapons. As melee combat is painfully staged in game2 it matters more to be able to block the enemy to allow for executions than to actually fight back meaning the combat knife which has an increased parrying opening will actually outperform the chainsword or the powersword which is just stupid. In game 1 executions were connected to enemy health and whether or not they were stunned where some enemies were harder to stun than others, however a successful execution rewarded the player some health. This meant that we mostly killed enemies the old fashioned way whenever we could but we still tried to pull off executions for sustainability. In Game2 I spam executions whenever I can because it’s the most efficient way of killing tougher enemies. It’s just poorly designed.

My conclusion is that there’s really no good reason to play this game over game1, so if you enjoy this game and don’t own game1 I strongly recommend you buy it and play that instead. The only reason game1 has been dead for so long is because of bad marketing which led to not enough people were around in the multiplayer lobby but with the hype created from this title we can change that. There’s no reason to force ourselves to play a lesser title simply because it’s newer.

[Kelk]

In the first game one felt like a space marine. The fights were frenetic and the character had weight and power. The controls and mechanics were simpler, and the health recovery system kept you in the action, which made the power fantasy fun rather than the overly complicated system the new game has. In the new game the space marine feels squishy, and this should never be the case.
I've not played the new game for long but so far something just feels off.

[FoxFort]

I think for sure bad audio mixing in SM2 is one of main things which is preventing this game from being far better than SM1. I always feel disconnected, while in SM1 your movement sounds heavy, chainsaw sounds better. In SM2 your movement and Chainsaw are not pronounced, even when being alone outside of fight.
I have been using Assault in PVP now and that jump pack charged attack requires charging/holding until you can attack. In SM1 it's just one click, no need to hold the button until it chargers. On these very small SM2 maps, holding button to charger the attack is meh design.

Overall I like SM2, it's a proper sequel, just at this time I am leaning towards liking SM1 more. Something like 52-48% towards liking SM1 more.
Idk, it just feels like when comparing SM2 with SM1, it's not a clear win. Then again SM1 is not some masterpiece or holy grail of 40k games. Probably SM2 needs a few more patches and horde mode to make it a clear win over SM1.

Originally posted by Kelk:

In the first game one felt like a space marine. The fights were frenetic and the character had weight and power. The controls and mechanics were simpler, and the health recovery system kept you in the action, which made the power fantasy fun rather than the overly complicated system the new game has. In the new game the space marine feels squishy, and this should never be the case.
I've not played the new game for long but so far something just feels off.

Oh I agree with that. Hard to describe but SM1 does that part better.

[Why Contain It?]

SM1 is head and shoulders better than SM2. Nid's are inherently boring compared to Orks, they lack the personality. The Vox effect on the voice comms makes nearly every character sound the same. The plot is needless retreading of SM1, including (the incredibly funny) Leandros being buttblasted for no very good reason, which is doubly funny because he's been holding a grudge for a century. There's certainly fun in it, but I think that's a step backwards from SM1. Like the stagger gunshot thing is cool except it's only ever one animation and there's only ever one way to do it. It'd be neat if there was any depth to the mechanic, maybe based on what weapon you have equipped or how many enemies you stagger, but that's not even remotely an option. You carry fewer weapons and less ammunition, and overall feel much squishier.

Also disappointing we get thousands suns, but no successor chapter, the blood ravens