Buy or Nah SM2 | A review for my subscribers

[@bigduck16125]

Well said, especially on how melee turns into just parry->gunstrike->execute on repeat when the going gets tough. And that, despite all that, the game is just plain fun and a spectacle.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

You've nailed my take exactly.

[@gorxela8982]

To be frank, I kinda thought that SM2 is gonna take Darktide's milkshake but after watching early gameplay and combat specifically - it just doesn't grab me and, as much as I loathe to admit it, in terms of pure fun combat loop Darktide still has it. Now hoping that Obesefish get their dorsal fins out of their cloacas and don't kark this new update up.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

We all hope for a swell patch. I bet it has bugs on drop day lmao.

[@TheAbdomination]

I agree combat has a lot more depth in darktide, but still i am having a lot of fun in space marine, I am sure any darktide fan would enjoy it just as much, as long as you don't expect it to be darktide 2

[@blazzmatazz9051]

This game is the ultimate PS3/360 era game. 10 hour campaign. Fun PVE mode and a Fun PVP mode. Takes me back to my 20s

[@CoolHatTom]

This was a great review! I really liked how quick and concise you were, tailoring your talking points towards your core audience, and being completely honest about what the game gets right and what it gets wrong. I will most likely get the game in a month or two once I finish the ones I'm currently playing through!

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thank you very much for your feedback, I appreciate it a lot!

[@Auzzymandias]

Yeah bolters and the thunder hammer feel pretty weak, and Assault in general feels fucky because of how wack the jumpack feels compared to the campaign version. Also the more I play the more I dislike the health and armor system. Feel like executions should give some health back when not in rally mode, or enemies should give different armor pips based on threat level; gaunt 1 pip, warrior 2 pips, lictor 3 pips. Also I feel like Heavy should have 4 armor pips considering how ass his melee is and the fact he's even wearing thicker armor.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

A friend of mine just suggested more ways to generate contested health would be a good solution to some of this. Its a strong idea.

[@jstarkush8035]

Yep I think the balance if how long the health is recoverable is the slider that needs adjusting .

[@SilvaLux97]

I totally agree with you. Lets hope they manage to adjust some of those issues

[@Liternal22]

I had my fun with it, and wouldn’t call it a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but playing it just made me want to play Darktide, everything just feels really floaty and lacks impact it feels like. The combat needs a lot of polish, and there aren’t really enough operations for me to want to grind them out to reach max level. Its in a better spot than Darktide was at release, but it’s been 2 years since then, and Darktide has been putting out overhauls and fine tuning the already great gameplay every patch. Space Marine 2 just needs more.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I desperately hope they polish the melee combat by just playing darktide.

[@k4shiwa]

Thanks for reviewing it, your opinion is much appreciated 🙇

[@frostyheretic299]

Thanks for the heads up regi, always like your takes on games!

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thanks much! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@infectedanimal9830]

Hope they fix the balancing issues because from what I’ve heard it gives you very little ammo and is very grindy with all primary bolt guns being pretty weak

[@TheAbdomination]

ammo isnt a problem, if it is a problem for you, you can always spec into more ammo

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Ammo hasn't been too big a deal unless you grab a melta. But then, don't mag dump the melta. The game expects you to melee random chaff and not spend munitions, I think some people just want head empty shoot gun. But even high level L4D had a rule about using your pistols for trashmobs.

[@apporu2753]

Fantastic as always Reginald

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thank you kindly!

[@sturmmagnunstein1008]

My first impression is great. Maybe ill see the problems you have when i inevitably go up the difficulty ladder. Definitely buying.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Even with the problems its still fun, I think that's the big take away.

[@Pinoisreadingabook]

yes i want more classic singleplayer experiences + online like it used to be with big game franchises so that's why i bought the game... and because its warhammer 40k of course

[@mojoben5235]

TLDR: good bruh get it

[@PrincessKushana]

Thanks man. Yeah that was kinda what I expected tbh. From what I'd seen so far on the youtubes, the combat loop looks good, but shallower than DT. Idk why hype bros have to bill everything as an xyz killer. 🙄

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

You bet. Its a good and fun game, but like...its not killing anyone's favorite title.

[@singhe101]

Was contemplating getting this to fill in the hole nerfdivers 2 left me. Seems like a casual power fantasy

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I'd say the combat, especially the melee combat, has enough mechanical depth to require a lot of skill from the player. But its balanced a bit badly right now.

[@carbonbeaker409]

To be fair to the devs of HD2, their original playerbase isn't looking for a casual power fantasy. The devs are making the attempt to bridge the gap, but it's not an easy or quick process.

[@AQS521]

I pretty much agree with everything you said in this video.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thanks very much!

[@themelon_1785]

4:44 That looks exactly like the old Darktide "skill line" before it became an infinitely better skill tree lol People say SM2's campaign is better than its coop operations, which is disapointing for me who exclusively plays HD2 & Darktide (literally Reginald's target demographic lmao), hope i dont regret the purchase Speaking of regretting purchases, dont buy SST Extermination, or if you do, keep the 2 hour refund policy in mind at all times, worst coop game ive ever played.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Yeaaa i think I have 5 hours in SST extermination. Bad luck.

[@bobmav5729]

Excellent review

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thanks much!

[@hatstealer4638]

This was a very good review video.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thanks for letting me know

[@pirx9798]

The worst part about the stupid animal are the visual effects for me. Green light, ok, but that distorted fov and rainbow colors are so bad, i can barely see it clearly and just flail at it. I can only recommend the new visual effects mod.

[@thunder2434]

Great video! Thanks

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

You bet!

[@markmorrison9089]

Cheers

[@GroBoiD7777]

Reginald, how about problem barely 2 base enemys? again and again and again until the very end

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

To be fair thats most games. This game has: Termigants, I think with devourers and fleshborers Hormagaunts Hormagaunts w/ adrenal glands Warriors w/ various equipment Including devourers, lash whips, bone swords, barbed stragglers, venom cannons and more. + terminus and extremis enemies of several types. There's only so much that can be done considering the lore and core game mechanics but I think they did pretty good.

[@GroBoiD7777]

@@Reginald-sc9tk i mean gameplay moment. Aint you bored of it?

[@GroBoiD7777]

@@Reginald-sc9tk About lore, hm, tehnically simple genestealers can be, who not giants generation, simple enemy. Raveners was able to, but their game role already chosen. Biovores not very big and can work in rare location segments with spore mine - like or beloved bombers.

[@purehearted7249]

You should lower the background music volume i can hardly hear you

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Weird. I wonder if my music got boosted somehow. Its literally at -23 decibels in the editor lol. Sorry about that. I will say I sound loud in my headset and my music just sounds a little overmixxed up so I wonder if its a problem more broadly with my videos.

[@bencresswell5246]

Want to play on easy mode in operations? Use a fencing weapon and spam the block key. Entire hordes die to your block

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Yup, I think I mentiom that in several places.

[@SwiseYt]

hes back

[@endlessnoodle3056]

I'm utterly disappointed, personally. Combat is sloppy. Counter indicators often just don't show up. Hitboxes are all over the place, ranged enemies look pretty much identical to melee ones and they have an aimbot while your dodge mechanics are clunky af. Many enemy types are just not satisfying to fight and you're forced to cheese them, which is never a good design. There's also a very low skill ceiling on combat anyway, as most damage is physically unavoidable, so the combat is all about trading your health Most guns are boring too. You're initially given, like, 10 bolter types and they're all more or less identical. They're semi-useless anyway, as constant swarms will always force melee on you. The overall design is also criminally unsatisfying. Power armour doesn't stomp, executions don't flow properly, there are no satisfying screen shakes or juicy sounds. Speaking of sounds - whoever was responsible for sound mixing in this game needs to be jailed. The game is *QUIET* on the highest sound settings possible. Chainsword revvs up with all the vigour or AA battery powered buttplug, guns shoot with wet plops, power armour makes no sound (which, could be argued, is lore accurate, but boring nonetheless). And the worst part yet? It's so slow with teasing fun mechanics (Which never really arrive), that playtime is way past refundable by the time you realise how bad this game is. Space Marine 2 is a worse 40k game than Helldivers, which is not even in 40k setting.

[@jamescooke7243]

Ffs why are you people like this. Always complaining about nothing.

[@endlessnoodle3056]

@@jamescooke7243 I just mentioned about a dozen reasons why this game is trash. That's hardly "nothing". And why wouldn't I complain when I've just been scammed?

[@jamescooke7243]

@@endlessnoodle3056 half of your comment is about sound. Every review I watch, they have all said the guns sound and feel meaty. So either 1, your headphones are trash or 2, you have no idea what you're talking about, or 3, you just look for things to complain about.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

He's right. Half the boltguns sound like ass, I dunno who said they sound meaty. Maybe a vegan.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I'm not quite as negative as you on the game but I do agree with the main thrust of your criticisms. I will say the combat depth is there if you get a fencing weapon which allows combat to flow properly by reading enemy attacks and partying them reliably.

[@dbank6107]

Played 3 hours and went back to Darktide.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I get it. Might as well finish the campaign.

[@dbank6107]

@Reginald-sc9tk trying! Assemble, fight, Assemble, fight, Assemble, fight, Assemble. I have to be honest nit sure what all the fuss is about.

[@Reach4God1]

At ~30 hours, I'd say this game has far more value for money than most other offerings on the market. It, like many 360-era titles, offers a complete singleplayer, co-op, and pvp multiplayer mode(s). I'd much rather pay more for a complete game than get something for free that's still essentially in alpha.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Entirely true. It does harken back to the heyday of completed games.

[@votpavel]

game is whatever unless you a hardcore warhammer fan

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I think it has decent mechanics and is fun in its own right. Its not, fundamentally, the best game ever but there's so little on the market worth any attention and SM2 does genuinely play very well and look amazing. Thats how I see it.

[@maliticus7474]

5:22 THE AUDIO CUES ARE CANCER.... you get the exact. same. one. for both blockable and unblockable attacks. As a darktide player who is muscle memory conditioned to parry the moment I hear a cue I have eaten SO MANY unblockable attacks because it animation locks you into it. The enemy AI is also merciless. Even on trivial difficulty I have had a warrior with a venom launcher line up a shot on me as I did a parry into gunstrike animation. The moment I finished the animation I got sniped with no chance to dodge after regaining control of my character. This has happened to me quite a few times. Gunstrike in general is a losing strategy at times because you will completely lose the armor you regain and additional health from hits taken while control of your character is returned... PS: Do not play operations with anything less than 3 players. The AI "helper" will do everything conceivable to get you killed, from alerting and the ignoring enemy elites calling for reinforcement waves, to just up and fucking off across the map and being generally useless... it IS good at reviving players it gets killed though. PSS: I don't know what it is with horde games as of late. Are they all using the same data sets to train their AI directors? SM2 suffers from the same crap that DT and HD2 does with the AI director constantly churning out large groups of single types of mobs. For example, turning a corner and there are 6 sword warriors with 5 venom launchers behind them and no gaunts at all... For those who don't know about nids, that is 11 elite units that are normally in groups of 2-3 commanding swarms of gaunts. Game mechanics wise this is even worse due to sword warriors being able to block most ranged fire as they close, so now the player group is locked down in melee with 6 melee elites while 5 snipers pick them off.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I strongly agree with everything you just typed. I read all of it. I'll do a video some time but wanted you to know.

[@maliticus7474]

@@Reginald-sc9tk Thanks for taking the time to write out a reply. I hope with all the player feed back they'll be getting they can take the game in a good direction. It is fun as is, if not quite frustrating at times, but it could be so much better.

[@CopeAndSeeth]

Tldr: bad

[@Archmagos_Faber]

while the game is visually impressive it is content sparse, PVP is lacking, 3 maps and 3 modes? PVE is also lacking in content. When you first start out its a grindy poverty simulator. I think everything about this game is surface level nothing has depth. Also there are plenty of bugs. 7/10 for me and not worth full price, if you can get it for %50 off then maybe you would get your money worth.

[@neetuverma1726]

What the hell your video's title on about dude?💀 Nah?😂 There is no "Nah" but only "Buy" no 🧢

[@rupertkhan2]

"Combat feels clunky and a bit undercooked" Proceeds to fail 4 times in a row the free shot after the parry 2:11. With 36 hours of gameplay. lol

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

That was intentional and is a demonstration of mechanics.

[@bradley6471]

I have not tried the coop or multiplayer modes yet, figured I'd beat the story first as it had said the other modes may provide spoilers... I just started what I believe to be the final mission and I can safely say, the campaign is unfortunately pretty garbage. I don't really understand why they put so much effort into making it drop dead gorgeous, more cinematic than hell divers.. only to do nothing even remotely creative with it. I really hope the coop modes aren't balanced in the same you do no damage, and you take loads of damage, but the enemies all have super basic attacks and pose no threat regardless way. As that (outside of the awful story) is probably by main criticism so far.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Co-op seems balanced both worse and better. It's weird. Pvp has different balance too and the shooting feels its best there and the melee feels its worst.

[@bradley6471]

@@Reginald-sc9tk The coop was the primary draw for me in any case, I feel like some of my criticisms towards the combat so far seem to be touched on by the basic mechanics such as weapon upgrading. In the base game weapons just have their base stats and enemies have large pools of health. Even though I doubt I'll ever play this game at as high a level as darktide if the content release schedule is reasonable I can see not regretting my purchase. Feel pretty prepped to jump in with the other videos you've posted explaining some basic mechanics so thanks for the hard work as always!

[@DR3WSIX]

I don’t know what kind of alternate-reality version of the game you’re playing, but the connectivity and capability to join other players for Co-op is broken. Definitely not a stable experience, and this is just early access

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I only had problems with one person who had some very tight router security settings. You might look at your Ipv6 setting. The only other issue I've had has been the odd infiniloading which cleared up for me mostly.

[@DR3WSIX]

@@Reginald-sc9tk that’s mainly what the issue is. The problem infinite “joining server” at every turn during PvE is unbearable. Me nor my friends are able to join/host Operations/Campaign without getting that bug 9/10 times

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

@@DR3WSIX That's gotta be an internet security issue for sure, i'm guessing IPV6. I had a friend with that issue and it went away when he changed his settings.

[@DR3WSIX]

@@Reginald-sc9tk I don’t reckon so, but I appreciate the tip regardless. It’s happening to DOZENS of people on Reddit at the very least, and all of my friends that own the game too. At least they said they’re trying to fix it in the first patch

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

@@DR3WSIX Glad they are then. Sorry you're having issues with it. That's decidedly unfun.