Relic's Dawn of War games have, by and large, been phenomenal RTS titles that have been a joy to play. At E3 this year, rumors were circulating about the company's next entry into the series; while some gamers might be disappointed to learn that this isn't true, they'll probably be overjoyed to hear that Relic's next project will be a third-person action game that is still based on the Warhammer 40,000 brand.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will cast players as the titular badasses of the universe. Though the game is early in development, the studio had put together a sample video of gameplay footage, which all looks very impressive thanks to a robust graphics engine. Based on the footage, gameplay will consist of fast-paced melee and shooter combat that occurs in both tight corridors and large, open environments.

The plot, briefly outlined, is that the Orks have invaded an imperial planet and it's up to the Space Marines to repel the horde. The trailer showed off a lot of intense melee combat that seemed combo-oriented, as well as characters taking on swarms of Orks with their machine guns. There was also a character loadout screen briefly displayed, showing the player-character being modified with equipment like a jetpack, much the same way one can do in Dawn of War. What was very encouraging to see, though, was the fact that the game is just as brutal as Relic's previous Warhammer titles, so the action is mixed with a heavy amount of gore.

At the moment, Relic has yet to announce a release date, and a number of details are still being worked out because the game is still so early in development. While the title is coming out for the 360 and the PS3, that's about all the company was willing to admit to; not even the specific chapter of Space Marines was confirmed, though the Ultra Marines were shown in the trailer, it turns out they were just chosen as a random example. Presumably, Relic will release some more details about the game in the coming months, and we'll be eagerly awaiting them until then.