61.9 hours played
Written 27 days ago
For my money, it's the best 40K computer adaptation ever made. But that may not be the case for you, so let me tell you where I'm coming from.
This game takes me back to my days of playing tabletop in the mid '90s. The battlefields are made to look like lovingly crafted battletables in my favorite shop, the character models look like they are hand-painted by professional painters, and it's all brilliantly animated. Visually, this is the wet dream of my 20-something nerd self from three decades ago.
The gameplay is smooth and intuitive, the best I've ever seen in a turn-based computer game. No looking up hit tables, no rules lawyers sending everyone eye-rolling to the restroom, no six-hour marathons in a room filled with the smell of second-hand cigarette smoke and spilled Mountain Dew. It just works, and it works well. The AI is okay. It's good to practice against, and can occasionally hand you a defeat if you get too cocky. There are campaigns and they are pretty good, including an endless defense mode if that's your thing. But the real allure is the multiplayer. My 50-something friends and I can play a match in an hour or two from different states without interfering with our family Saturdays. A good human player will really stretch your tactical acumen in a way that no AI can do. Well... not yet, at least. Those crazy dudes in Silicon Valley are actively working on Skynet at the moment.
Make no mistake: this is a tactical game through-and-through. There is no grand strategy here; it's about small unit warfare of company and battalion size. If grand strategy is your thing and you're looking for a 40K fix, I suggest Gladius instead. That is very much a Civilization-style game focused on large plans and long-range objectives. Battlesector is focused on one battlefield and one battle at a time. For me, that's the charm of it. Only you can decide if it's for you.
Finally, I want to address the fact that many -- maybe even most -- of the negative reviews for this game focus on or at least mention the "overpriced DLC." These people are either broke or not familiar with Games Workshop... perhaps even both. First, it isn't "overpriced." I spend more money on lunch every day. If you think $15 is too much to spend on a DLC that adds a faction, then you need to stop playing video games and find a second job. Secondly, this has been the GW model (pun intended) for decades. I spent thousands of dollars on model booster packs during the '90s. Want a new squad? Buy a model pack. Want to try a new faction? Buy a really big model pack. By comparison to the physical models, the DLC prices are a once-in-a-lifetime bargain.
And I don't have to paint them.