What Space Marine 2 puts you in
You play Lieutenant Demetrian Titus, reinstated to the Ultramarines, fighting in third-person action across far-flung planets. The combat is fast and gory: you wield deadly abilities and devastating weaponry to cut down the relentless Tyranid swarms, and later hold back Chaos assaults as well. Fights run at scale, with hundreds of enemies on screen at once, made possible by Saber's Swarm Engine. So expect open battlefields packed with bodies rather than careful one-on-one duels. It's the sequel to 2011's Space Marine, so the story continues Titus's story and his loyalty to the Imperium.
Playing it with friends
Groups have two main ways in. The PvE side lets you and two others tear through unending waves of Tyranid and Chaos assaults in the 3-player Siege mode: each wave you beat earns points you spend on ammunition, equipment charges, Medicae Stimms and more, or you save them to summon reinforcements like Cadians, Space Marines or the Dreadnought. It runs as long as you can survive. There's also PvP, listed with both online PvP and online co-op, and the store notes cross-platform multiplayer, so your group isn't locked to the same storefront. Everything you play unlocks new skills and cosmetics for your own Space Marine over time.
Building your character
You pick from seven unique classes, each with up to 25 perks to unlock. Perks can also go onto individual weapons, and there's a large pool of armour and weapon cosmetics to change how you look. Between class choice, perk layout and weapon loadouts, two people can end up playing very differently even in the same mission.
Before you start
Difficulty is adjustable, so a group can settle on a level that suits everyone. Text size, colour alternatives, camera comfort, subtitle options and per-channel volume controls are all available if anyone in your crew needs them. Controller support covers DualShock, DualSense and full controller play generally, and progression syncs through Steam Cloud. Steam Achievements and Steam Trading Cards are on offer too, plus Family Sharing if someone wants to try it before buying their own copy.