Warhammer 40k MMO trailer: meh or cool?

Here's the first look at the new Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online trailer. we're still not sure...

We talked last week about the new Warhammer 40k MMO, and how's its presence at E3 was remarkably underwhelming. No one was really able to tell us anything about the game, beyond what was already on show in the trailer - and even that didn't quite live up to our expectations.

So here's your chance to have a look, as we continue to catch up on our E3 coverage (man, it's a lot of show!).

I think our biggest worry about the MMO is how much it looks like Dawn of War with a slightly different camera angle. The effects, the slightly cartoony and very colourful graphics... all suggest that this is more like 40k-lite than what a lot of hardcore fans might be expecting.

Of course, the kind of infinitely grim and dark game I'd play (as a long term fan of the game), may not appeal to the more casual gamer, and ultimately that's the market that any MMO must first appeal to.

Anyway, trailer time:

Hmm. Still not convinced, despite the fact that it looks like you can play as a member of the Adeptus Astartes... oh well, the game's set for a 2012 release date, so there's a lot of time for the game to mutate over between now and then.

In the meantime, we'll keep desperately waiting for Space Marine.

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22 Comments

Elfarch Jun 28, 2010 12:49 PM	Plenty of time to wait but I don't find the current look to be offputting. Oh, and + plenty on waiting on Space Marine RPG. Not long now for that.
Mudg3 Jun 28, 2010 1:15 PM	Looks crazy good. Im so excited. BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GODS!!!
Hawkeye Jun 28, 2010 1:40 PM	Really? Huh. I know my expectations for something like this are always going to be hard to match, but pretty much the entire buzz across the show was that Dark Millennium was looking awfully meh.
Mudg3 Jun 28, 2010 1:59 PM	Yeah my expectations are pretty high too. But THQ have done a really good job on all the War hammer games. I have the same feeling at you but I have faith in the emperor.
Hawkeye Jun 28, 2010 2:01 PM	Well, more accurately, Relic's done a really good job on the 40K games - this is another dev entirely. That said, THQ's managed the franchise really well. So... yeah, I'm still hoping.
Bundy 2.0 Jun 28, 2010 2:36 PM	I think we need to take a perspective of what we saw as game play footage is so far removed from the final product that shouldn't have been shown. The game isn't due until 2013. The dev interview I saw on gametrailers the bloke didn't even want to call this a pre alpha build of the game. So much more will come, if the concept stills are anything to go off the world will be darker I don't know if Warhammer will get away from the chunky wow style that everyone keeps talking about keeping in mind it's WoW who took the Warhammer theme not vica-versa. Strategically I think THQ made a mistake showing gameplay this early on and rather should have stuck to theatrical CGI or concept art the way Starwars TOR and other games do first and then show gameplay when it's more complete. This reminds me a lot of the criticisim that Blizzard got form its premature footage of Diablo 3 that led to an online petition of people asking for hte art style to be hcanged, Blizzards response was something like "Relax its pre-alpha, lighting, shaders and textures and effects are not complete!".
Bundy 2.0 Jun 28, 2010 2:42 PM	I also think that Warhammer 40k has always been a little cartoonish with its art style things are larger than they should be, proportions of things are thicker an chunkier than usual it is like the world is a dark caricature of what it would really be like, almost a dark humour.
Hawkeye Jun 28, 2010 2:43 PM	Actually, Bundy, WoW took the Warhammer Fantasy feel, more than 40k, but it's important to understand that's only one facet of the universe. Look at the artwork of people like John Blanche, and you start to get the whole baroque feel that underpins the entire 40k universe. And so far, this game's not really hitting it. Part of it, I think, is just how heavily Marines are featuring. I really hope they're not going to be a playable class from the get-go.
Bundy 2.0 Jun 28, 2010 2:58 PM	Oh I know but there are deffinatly parallels between both the 40k and the Warhammer universes. I am also a big fan of How Darksiders looked and Joe Madureira who was creative designer on Darksiders and this MMO so I kind of like his stamp on it. I think it would be unwise to ship the game without marines playable at launch. Considering there is a Space Marine movie and, Space marine console game coming out people will want to play as space marines. Interesting to hear perspectives on people with different investments for me I'm a gamer first not an IP lover first, I find the IP really cool, but I want good game mechanics and a cool setting before I really care too much about finer accuracies of traditional IP. A 40K flavour is more than enough for me that being said I don't think they are doing too badly with the very limited footage we have seen.
arkiek Jun 28, 2010 4:06 PM	whats the bet they release space marines, chaos, orks and one other race for the original release and release expansions for the rest... if it lasts that long
hectorbustnuts Jun 28, 2010 7:12 PM	I don't play MMOs, so I'm more looking forward to "Space Marine".
Darkmatter Jun 28, 2010 7:16 PM	this maybe a mmo i can get into
azamoth Jun 28, 2010 9:43 PM	Another MMO based on a game that already exists? As much as I love the DoW series and Warhammer in general I think this will eventually FLOP- just like the countless other MMO's that were so exciting at first but then died in the arse overnight. For someone to have invested so much life and time into character progression, it takes something extremely mindblowing to get them and their friends to switch games. IMO unless the MMO genre itself changes into something a bit more than grinding and questing and raiding, and a truely innovative game comes out- Blizzard will continue to dominate. As for Space Marines... meh, boring!
Sir_Substance Jun 29, 2010 1:06 AM	I cant help but think this wont work. Warhammer40k is a stratagy game, from its roots to its most recent computerised incarnations. Lets face it, fire warrior was pretty bad. I don't think controlling a single character (lets face it, single unit) is really going to capture the scale of the game needed to bring that flavor over. But I might be willing to take part in any betas or trials that are available, for the Greater Good!
Hawkeye Jun 29, 2010 7:57 AM	The original Rogue Trader was as much an RP experience as it was a strategy game, truth be told. And there have been three editions of Warhammer Fantasy roleplaying, and there's now both Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader RPGs from Fantasy Flight, with Deathwatch to come (covering the Inquisition, free traders, and elite Astartes respectively). So, there's huge scope in the world for roleplaying in a single character setting. And trust me, Space Marine is looking awesome. Can't say more than that until issue 116, though.
hectorbustnuts Jun 29, 2010 1:39 PM	I saw in "Previews" that Fantasy Flight's releasing a reprint of the "Rogue Trader" core rulebook in September. I'm very tempted to pick it up!
Hawkeye Jun 29, 2010 2:44 PM	Are you sure that's not last year's Rogue Trader RPG? I suspect it is.
hectorbustnuts Jun 29, 2010 2:52 PM	NFI, man. It's listed in July Previews, which is for stuff that's arriving in stores in September 2010. http://bit.ly/9fga1U Might just be a re-listing, I suppose.
Hawkeye Jun 29, 2010 2:59 PM	Yep, that's the RPG from last year. Awesome game, though, following on from Dark Heresy. Man, if someone reprinted the original Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, I'd be insanely happy. Doubt GW would let anyone, though.
hectorbustnuts Jun 29, 2010 3:09 PM	Ah. Well then, I may just find myself a copy a little earlier then!
0s1r1s Jun 30, 2010 6:35 PM	Cool I say
Elfarch Jun 30, 2010 6:49 PM	I've got Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader and their supplements. The Marine one is supposed to be out pretty much now. Waiting, waiting...

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