Space Hulk: Tactics....

Another game from the long finger hit list. My journey with Space Hulk: Tactics has indeed been a long one. After saying I'd be keeping an eye on the game, I promptly forget about it and then rediscovered it at the start of this year. Playing it a bit for free via Xbox game-pass ultimate. Although it had it's up's and down's there were more positives than negatives(at the time). I enjoyed it but it's a harsh game; The masses of Xenos are an unforgiving lot.

In playing it though Xbox Ultimate I knew I'd need a lot of time to play it properly and felt it deserved a forever purchase on steam. Xbox Ultimate/Gold is a great value system but some games are long and need time. Also games added to services can be removed later down the line. I don't like that uncertainty, a purchase at a good sale price solves that problem(at least for me). It'd been on the wish list for a long time till I bought it in a sale on Steam(added to the delay in playing it as well).

It's been a game I've hopped back to on and off ever since that purchase. I do like other PC based 40K games, be it space based with Battlefleet Gothic Armada (and again) or ground based in Space Hulk Deathwing (and again) or even with Space Marine. This game ticked all the boxes. In nostalgia alone I'm recalling my day's of space crusade on the C64! However, now I've done a good bit more gameplay it's proven to be very bitter sweet indeed. The more I play the more I'm pushed away from it.

The nostalgia is real, the good of the game is still good but the frustrations. The frustrations have been highlighted more and more to me. Most games like it 'make' me reload a save and try the beat the next phase/challenge better. Not so with this game. Loose a Space Marine and I'll drive over his body to move on. No wonder there's so many downed Astartes all over the maps. I've found it more frustrating to retry, than enjoyable trying to succeed.

The game has the look and feel of 40k in spades. It does it well, it does it justice. It's atmospheric and faithful to the franchise. But gameplay, game balance feel's off. The rush of the Xenos against the time pressures of objectives over and over again, it's to much sameness in it's variety.
A space hulk adrift for a millennia and only now in 12 turns do I need to collect all downed Astartes from a specific section. It's the very definition of an unreasonable task from a boss for the sake of it. Bigger picture my Astartes!

It's not tactics if there's only one way to get a successful outcome in a mission; By doing it that way due to limited turns. Like playing 12(and only 12) move chess.

It's that realization that spoiled the game for me. To win you need to do specific tasks at a specific location at a specific time. Sacrificing team-members as you go means nothing if it was inevitable you were always going to loose them to win a scenario.

So yea, it seems that the turn limit was also a noted impediment to enjoyment way back when( and here).

Like I said frustrations mount the more I'm in game. To a point now that I don't want to play the game. Progression isn't fun. Today I started the game, loaded the last save, took a second staring at the screen and then exited the game. I can't even be bothered to face it's trials. There's no fun in even trying anymore.

40k game story-lines in games aren't the most complex at the best of times so it's not a motivator here. Team building doesn't really mean anything(imho). More-so in this game because your loosing marines like confetti at a wedding; No matter how upgraded they are, not a motivator either.

Swapping over to the Xenos campaign proved to be even more frustrating as the marines you face seem to be (at least in my view) AI cheaters. There's no way that any of my marines could move as far and while also firing at everything as they go. The time limit pressure is even worse. Playing that campaign.... Attempting to play that campaign results in me quitting the game mid mission. Usually in an expedited way via Alt+F4. Not a rage quit but a frustration quit.

I can only go so far with this game. I got some enjoyment out of it but that has drained fast.

Trying to do anything online is a no no as the servers are long since (unofficially?) offline.

Still I have to agree with these two user reviews from Steam. They're both correct about Space Hulk: Tactics.

Taking the good with the bad is par for the course franchise wise on PC since they opened up the license. Glad I've always gone for sale prices. The more I look at the games of the franchise overall the more I see two things... The games don't fully live up to the franchise(even the 'good' ones) and the games have harsh time limiting factors which I usually say I hate. It's a wonder I play any of them.

Anyway, another game struck off the list.