Review: Warhammer 40,000 - Kill Team

 Price: 800 Points

So here we are, my first review. I guess I should state what my criteria is and how we will go about this (taken from my Review page):

My Reviewing process is somewhat different from other blogs/websites. I typically won't run-down a long list of things everyone expects in any decent video game these days; therefore, anything I don't comment on you can assume is either not particularly noteworthy or is a given (ex. whether the controls are good, etc.).

Each review will be separated into 5 categories:

Presentation

       - Story, art, ease of use.

Graphics

       - Self-explanatory. Also, any weird bugs related to such.

Sound

       - Music, sound effects, etc.

Gameplay

       - Controls, difficulty, "fun factor", etc.

Etc.

       - Anything else I can think of (ex. replayability).

I have also decided on utilizing a combination of Ratings: a numerical one alongside a Buy/Rent/Forget qualifier. The most important of the two is the B/R/F: I don't care how amazing a 4-hour retail game that costs $60 is, if it's over before I get my money's worth, it's a Rent at best. The numerical value will be out of 100, to better specify where in the B/R/F range it is (ex. a "Buy" game with a low Buy score of 80, indicating it is worth picking up, but perhaps not right away).

B/R/F scale:

0 - 60: Forget

61 - 79: Rent

80 - 100: Buy

As well, yes I am aware of game rental stores shutting down en masse. Replace "Rent" with "Borrow From A Friend", "Get Used", etc. if necessary.

Now, without further ado, my review:

PRESENTATION

Kill Team's story is pretty basic: Orks are invading an Imperial Forge World via a big "Kroozer" ship, and you have to stop them. This line of thought continues throughout the game's length, with a few shifts in theme once the Tyranids arrive. The story culminates in a fun boss battle with a machine that has never been fought before in any 40K video game, which I of course enjoyed, being a huge fan of the lore.

Personally, I'm sick of seeing Orks in every 40K game, though thank God Chaos doesn't get their millionth time in the limelight. The Tyranids showed up in Dawn Of War 2 after relentless whines on Relic's forums, so I guess they're taking Chaos' place now, though I can't imagine why: Nids and Orks are basically the same, tactics-wise.

Anyways, the art itself is typical 40K fare, though the transfer to the 360 has been done well, I must say. Very dark, very dirty, crude in the right ways, etc. Certainly great by Arcade standards.

The game's menus are suitable as well, and overall the game is easy to pick up and play.

GRAPHICS

Though there are a few flat textures and rough edges typical of this gen's game engines (think UE3 shine, though not quite as much in Kill Team), overall Kill Team's graphics are quite good. There are some weird moments in the selection menu where your guy will spawn in on the screen all fucked-up and contorted like a circus act, but otherwise the graphics and wireframes function properly.

SOUND

 

The music is recycled Dawn Of War stuff, though being from DoW, it's not bad music at all. In fact, it's basically become 40K's de-facto theme music by now. As it was Jeremy Soule who created it, of Elder Scrolls fame, I'm not one to object.

The sound effects are standard stuff you'd expect: explosions, sword swipes, bullets firing, etc. I believe these are also mostly recycled from DoW.

GAMEPLAY

When playing KT, I tried out both Singleplayer and Co-Op, with my buddy Joe (http://lazyassgamer.blogspot.com/). KT only has 2-player Local Co-Op.

KT singleplayer is certainly possible, unlike many other games with a focus on co-op modes, though not a cakewalk. Mobs can be a bit overwhelming at times, but with a Sprint button smartly-placed on the LT and Special Attacks that power up over time tied to the LB, one can definitely manage. You can also use Grenades that you find in power-up pickups, though I found them to be a last-resort weapon at best, due to scarcity and fixed throw distance.

There are power-ups in KT, each of which benefits the player in some way. My favorite is probably the Quad Fire: nothing like firing 4 missiles at once.

Melee is tied to the A button, and Shooting is done via the Right Stick: I find this system works quite well, though Joe had some issues with it initially. There is an auto lock-on for melee attacks from a short distance away, which certainly helps when fighting off the hordes of Orks and/or Nids, and when playing as a Melee class, every now and then you will cast aside the enemies arrayed around you in a big attack that usually kills all of them.

There are four classes: the Vanguard Veteran, the Techmarine, the Sternguard Veteran, and the Librarian. For those of you who do not know much about 40K, let's just say this isn't your typical Librarian :-P

The Vanguard is the dedicated Melee class, easily capable to tossing aside the elite Nob warriors of the Orks at full strength. The Sternguard is the dedicated Ranged class, equipped with heavy weaponry to mow down swarms of mobs. The other two classes are a combination of these two: the Librarian better at Ranged than the Vanguard but worse in Melee, and the Techmarine better at Melee than the Sternguard but not as good at Ranged.

Each class has its own Special Attack: the Vanguard charges forward at super-speed swinging his weapon before setting off a radial blast, the Sternguard simply fires a torrent of shots, the Librarian sets off a delayed radial blast around him, and the Techmarine gets the best one of all, a turret :-P

Seriously though, the Tech's turret is worth playing that class alone. It's immensely useful when defending a position, and recharges fast enough to basically act as the equivalent of a brain-addled third player (it only fires every now and then) :-P

Throughout the game, as you rack up points by killing mobs and blowing shit up, you will unlock "Perks", which are basically permanent power-ups: +5% Health, +15% Ranged Damage, etc. You can equip 2 of these per character, and once you unlock one, everyone can use them (including co-op people).

ETC.

One thing of particular note that Joe and I found odd was the fact that, in Co-Op, only the First Player can unlock Achievements. Whether this was an attempt to keep people from going to their friends' houses and earning Achievements without buying the game or a crude attempt to lengthen gameplay time, we cannot discern.

As well, as for KT's replayability, I would rank it as quite good, depending on your tastes. There is a Survival Mode that you can play, based on the 5 large levels in the campaign, as well as the ability to replay each of the 5 levels over again with all your unlocks.

SUMMARY

Overall, I found KT to be quite fun, and it lasted a good while too, clocking in around 10 hours or so (of course, we played through the game twice for Achievements and for the hell of it, so judge accordingly). If they made a sequel to this game, I would certainly buy it. As it stands, however, I cannot fully recommend Kill Team, due to its short length (compared with other games in general) and its somewhat limited replayability (you will unlock everything by the campaign's end). That said, it is still a great game, and thus I am giving it a score of 80, in the lower end of the Buy category, indicating it is worth picking up if you're looking for a good co-op romp.

Achievements - 105/200
Hours Played - Probably around 10
Game Completed - Yes

My Rating - 80 (Buy)