Homeworld. Dawn of War. Company of Heroes. In the world of PC gaming, these are big names. While Relic might not be widely known as a console developer, it's not entirely unfamiliar with the territory. The Outfit, an over-the-top World War II action game focused on multiplayer mayhem, was put out for Microsoft's Xbox 360 very early on in that console's life cycle, and was met with a. Now the company is again dipping into Games Workshop's gleefully violent and chaotic Warhammer 40 ,000 universe and preparing something new, this time only for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Utilizing a proprietary engine and being built by a new console-focused team, Relic is busy putting together Space Marine, a third-person action-RPG. After seeing some early footage, it looks as though it's going to be as bloody as Warhammer 40K fans might expect, filled with large-scale battles, brutal weaponry, and frantic fighting.

In Space Marine you play as (surprise!) a Space Marine, a genetically enhanced super soldier engineered specifically to smash the faces of anything that gets in the way. We witnessed in the video a group of four Space Marines landing on an Imperial planet to fend off a massive incursion of Orks. If you have no idea what Warhammer 40,000 is, then you should just know that it's a universe within which numerous alien races are constantly killing each other in a spectacularly gory manner, and generally enjoying the process.



Debut Trailer - Watch or download the video here (HD available).

Of the races included in the footage, the primary conflict involved a handful of Space Marines against seemingly overwhelming swarms of Orks. Near the end we also spotted a Carnifex, a towering agent of devastation and member of the Tyranid race. Relic would not say anything further about to what degree Tyranids will be in the game, so no word yet on exactly what's going on or what other races, if any, might be included. If you don't know what Tyranids are, they're a somewhat insect-like alien race that overwhelm and decimate whatever they happen upon. To get a better idea of what they're like, check out this, Relic's recently released PC-only real-time strategy game.Back to the gameplay, the action appears to be fast, brutal, and bloody. It's still pretty early on, so specifics weren't plentiful, but it seems as though as a single Space Marine you'll move through the story and engage in some large-scale conflicts against mobs of enemies. Using power swords, chain swords, hammers, bolters, heavy bolters, and more it appears your Space Marine will have quite a few deadly tools to wipe out the Ork hordes from range or up close in melee. In addition to acquiring a number of types of weaponry, you'll also get some useful items that can help with taking out even bigger groups of baddies. We saw a jump pack that a Space Marine can equip and use to pop up into the air and slam down on the ground, sending Orks tumbling in all directions around the point of impact. There's also the potential to acquire and put to use more devastating items, which might include something like an orbital strike that sears a large swath of a planet's surface with a blast originating at an orbiting Space Marine ship.