Do you remember the days when most shooters that got released were the full package? When we got a campaign that was worthwhile along with solid multiplayer and maybe even sometimes some kind of co-op mode? Do you miss the days when most shooter campaigns didn't feel like just a throw in but had genuine weight behind them? For the first time in what feels like a long time, we have that in this modern landscape thanks to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (read our review here) and thanks to it's early success, I'm hopeful we can start going back to games like this.

To say I had been waiting for Space Marine 2 for awhile would be an understatement. I'm by no means a big Warhammer fan, but I absolutely loved Space Marine back on the Xbox 360. That generation was absolutely loaded with top notch first and third person shooters, and it always stood out to me. But it had been almost 15 years since it came out, and the sequel was coming from a new developer and a new publisher.

I was optimistic and excited, but I knew there could be risks of getting too excited. Fortunately Saber Interactive created a fantastic sequel that has setup this franchise for what I think is long term success and I feel safe in saying I don't think we have to wait another decade plus for Space Marine 3.

But it's not just that Space Marine 2 was great (our review of it says as much and I wholeheartedly agree), it's that it was a full package. Like I said in my intro, for shooters these days that's rare. Most successful shooters these days are heavy on the multiplayer and light on the campaign, if they even have one. And I totally get it, the multiplayer of these games is what makes people continue to play these games day in and day out.

But I truly think it's the campaigns of these games that really set them apart. Game's like Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield and many more have shifted the focus so far into the multiplayer side of things that I almost think they've lost the plot of what makes the games special. Just think about the best games in those series and ask yourself what makes them so memorable and the best to you? It's almost always the one's with both the best campaign AND solid multiplayer.

Saber feels like they understood that better than most in the new modern setting. When any shooter comes out the focus is still on the multiplayer most, but Space Marine 2 really was about the entire package and it paid off for them in a big way. Originally when I was thinking of writing this I had wanted to talk about how Space Marine 2 has really brought the Warhammer world to a bigger mainstream gaming audience than ever before, which in my opinion it has. 2 million players in just a few days is huge, especially for Warhammer. Now what does the industry learn from this, if anything.

And let me be clear, this isn't to take anything away from the games like Fortnite or Apex Legends who focus on just multiplayer. There's clearly a space for those in today's gaming landscape. It's much more difficult to break into that scene, but they are hugely popular for a reason.

Or even a game like Doom, where ID has made a great campaign with very minimal focus on the multiplayer. It's the exact opposite situation as many shooters and I do appreciate that. But nothing beats the full package that Space Marine 2 has brought to the industry.

Do We See A Shift Back To The "Glory" Days?

The industry itself has always been a copycat industry, for better or worse and especially in the shooter genre. For years every developer was trying to make a WWII shooter. Then Call Of Duty and Counter-Strike switched things up and went modern and everyone followed. Then came PUBG and Fortnite and their battle royale modes and everyone wanted to make the next big battle royale game.

Now we are in the hero shooter and just multiplayer era in general. Space Marine 2 has broken that mold and succeeded in doing so. But will others follow? I think there's potential we see that happen. For awhile the entire industry, not just shooters, were seemingly getting away from single player experiences. They thought people didn't want "one and done" games anymore.

But it's clear with the success of games like Baldur's Gate 3, God Of War Ragnarok, Hogwart's Legacy and many more that this is clearly no longer the case. Gamer's want both experiences and shooters are in the unique position to offer both together. Embrace that and make a great $70 experience that people can both enjoy a 10ish hour campaign and then play hours on ends with friends in multiplayer or co-op.

I really do hope this is the start of going back to those days. Not every game needs to do it, but gamers will appreciate it that much more when it does happen and who knows, you might just have the next unexpected big hit on your hands if you do.