The one thing I wanted to do as a kid is play Warhammer. In addition to being a table-top tactical war game, it also had those cool figurines you had to paint. You could also construct the battlefield if you wanted. It seemed really cool, but I couldn’t afford the figurines (cue the violins). So the video game is announced, and I’m like Citizen Kane, hoping to redeem the lost opportunities of childhood. But after watching the trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf, the game doesn’t seem to be the Rosebud I was hoping for.
Without losing its breath, the 90-second trailer gives us the plot (“On the darkest nights they come, the sky warriors of Fenris”), the characters (Wolf Scout, Grey Hunter, Wolf Guard), and the gadgets (Bolter, Flamer, Thunder Hammer, Jump Pack, Sniper Rifle, Chainsword). I don’t know how the Jump Pack can be useful – the trailer shows the guy using it to jump like 3 squares. Perhaps to whack the enemy with the Thunder Hammer? Forget jumping, give me the flamer.
There’s also the Hunter who fires the Sniper Rifle from 2 squares away, which isn’t even fatal. Perhaps the reason these knick-knacks don’t make practical sense is because this is a card game, not a war game. Do stuff, get cards, and do more stuff. (If I have to pay for the cards, I’d be bummed if I got a Jump Pack.)
old school warhammer
The video game, like the table-top, is turn-based and tactical, but doesn’t have the cool factor of painting and moving those awesome figurines. If a Warhammer video game could capture that somehow, it would make my life complete. The game, out in Q2 2014, will be available for iOS, Android, and PC.