Video Game to Feature Orks in Space

This year's E3 video game convention had some real surprises and interesting stories and one of the biggest was the upcoming computer video game called Space Marine. It tells the story of a future warrior called a Space Marine who is going to a planet to fight evil aliens called Orks.

Set in the year 40,000, this tough soldier isn't facing off against the evil Orks armed with a knife, he comes equipped with a suit of armor called Power Armor and a futuristic arsenal of death-dealing firepower like bolters, bolt pistols, heavy bolters, and storm bolters. There is also a missile launcher and a robot with a creepy voice called a Dreadnought.

The game is being developed by Relic, a game-maker with experience when it comes to Space Marines fighting Orks. They were responsible for real time strategy game Dawn of War and its sequel Dawn of War II, both of which allowed players to summon the strength of Space Marines in their fight against Orks in space. Relic believes Space Marine will take that Space Marine action to a completely new level.

"Fans of the Warhammer 40,000 brand owned by Games Workshop are really looking forward to zooming in closer to the Space Marine fight than ever before," said Warhammer 40,000 Branding Manager Toff Dooley. "Space Marine is an all-new experience that drops you in the middle of authentic action. And by action we mean Space Marines fighting Orks. We think people are ready to fight Space Orks like that. It's so close you can almost feel the splatter from shooting an Ork with a bolter."

"We've modeled the Orks all over from the ground up," said Relic Gaming Designer Graham Tubes. "They may look like the Orks you're used to, but they're in space, and when you get in close you can really see the detail. Like the cigars drop ashes. In previous games only smoke came out of the Ork cigars. We've also added eyebrows."

The Orks in Space Marine, the game about Space Marines fighting Orks, are so believable that players might get a little terrified by the action.

"Yeah, it's very realistic," said Tubes. "The visceral cinematic third-person action is more visceral and cinematic than the last time a Space Marine fought Orks. Which was last year in the visceral and cinematic strategy game Dawn of War II, a sequel to the classic Space Marine and Ork strategy simulator Dawn of War which pioneered viscerally cinematic strategy gaming storytelling."

Not all fans of Warhammer 40,000 are that pleased with the direction Relic is taking with Space Marine.

"Space Marines and Orks? Been there, done that," said media consumer Wyatt Gulping from behind a wall of Magic: The Gathering cards. "I don't plan to buy Space Marine unless they included Eldar."

Eldar, a race of psychic human-like aliens with pointed ears, have not been seen in a Warhammer 40,000 game since 2009's Dawn of War II. We asked Graham Tubes if Relic planned to include Eldar or any other fantastical races.

"There could be some surprises there. An Ork that is bigger and tougher. An Ork that jumps. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves but there may even be an appearance by a certain type of Space Marine that has a different value system and loyalty than the main Space Marine."

The release of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is being timed to coincide with the release of the film Ultramarines: The Movie, a 70-minute film about Captain Severus, a Space Marine.

No word yet on whether Space Orks will be appearing in the film.

2010 may also see the release of Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millenium Online from Vigil Games and THQ. It will be the first Warhammer 40,000 MMO game that will give players a chance to step into the role of a Space Marine in the fight against Space Orks.

"It's a really big world," said Vigil Games spokesman Mont Wormich. "You can build your own Space Marine or your own Ork and fight in real time PvP in space. We also boast eleven different types of bolters. This is four more types than ever before seen in a Warhammer 40,000 game."

Wormich concluded, "It's going to be the most visceral and cinematic MMO you've ever seen."

– Zack "Geist Editor" Parsons (@sexyfacts4u)