I am big fan of everything 40k and loved the first space hulk they brought out. If you have the original one and were not a fan of the RNG'nes of the dice rolls, Then Ascension will be a pleaseant surprise for you.

Shooting, Overwatch and Close Combat is no longer done with dice rolls and instead with a percentage chance to hit.
Which in my opinion is a good fit as the percentage will get higher over time whe you use skills and find weapon upgrades inside crates during levels. This, along with customisation of your terminators, makes your squad feel bad ♥♥♥ compared to the rookie squad that you will end up neglecting ( unless you play the harder difficulties anywas).
The nice thing about all this is that even if you have an excellent team and don't save scum, 1 wrong move and you're bound to lose one of your guys.

The graphics have gotten a noticable overhaul compared to the original. The lighting is alot better, Excellent shadows (better then some AAA games i've seen) and the visual effects are without a doubt much better.

Time for the bad part I guess, If you've read anything about the game, people are saying it runs at a really low frame rate or that the menu is basically a slide show cause it's poorly optimized, I say to them that they need to stop blinking so fast. My frame rate is over 60 fps and drops to about 30-40 with fire everywhere, dead bodies and everybody on overwatch with the sight cones active. So as you can tell, that's not the bad part cause fps doesn't make the game unplayable.. Even at 10-20fps. What does is the part where if you equip your heavy terminator with a cyclone missile launcher you can't click on him, to move him, shoot, overwatch, nothing. Tiem to restart the level it is. Started again, same thing, reset the game, same thing. The cyclone missiles just plane bug the game out (at least for me anyway)...

Then later in the Ultramarine campaign, )Im guessing really close to the end.) I have my squad with combi-flamers and it was running fine. All of a sudden I could't move, click on anyone to do anything with them. Not sure if it's an isolated case due to the fact that apparently nobody has had any time to write about it anywhere cause they still insist on complaining about a frame rate issue that seems fine to me. Time to restart my entire campaign and see if it happens again.

Anyways, Would I recommend this game? Hell yes. (if you like 40k)

Great graphics, Gameplay, Fun to play (despite the no multiplayer and game breaking bugs).
But all in all it's a fantastic game make by what seems to be people that love what they do and put some actuall effort into thier work ulike some... wont mention names. *cough* ubisoft *cough*

Keep up the good work guys and fix my damn missile launchers :)

Solid game, needs better mission briefs. Lack of the Terminators speaking can leave an empty atmosphere. So much history with WH40K not being used here

I think this game is great.

+Nice graphics and animations
+3 chapters, 3 space hulks
+Various maps and objectives
+Unit and equipment progression

It's typical Space Hulk, one minute you're on top, the next minute you're dead. I love the brutality (play on hard or impossible). But really, you don't remember the maps where you just stand back and kill everybody. It's the maps where the genestealers are overwhelming you everywhere and your last surviving terminator is running for the exit that are the best.

I recommend this game for people that like TBS games or WH40k fans. If you don't like to lose, then maybe this game is not for you (or play on normal / easy).

Genre - Games Workshop Sci-Fi Board Game Conversion
I have played the original Space Hulk and was unsure whether to invest in this game also. All I can say is I am glad I did. It appears the developers have learnt from the first game that a straight board game conversion needs some tweaks to make it more fun on for the average PC gamer. Gone are the random bolter malfunctions and now if you fail it is more down to bad tactics and not just being very unlucky at the wrong time. Don't get me wrong there will still be instances you have to re-load within a level to avoid a bad timing incident. You now get persistent upgrades for your Terminators, which makes it feel more like a squad based RPG. I have lost some men on the way and on normal mode they are replaced with equivalent levels, so you don't feel you have to re-load everytime you let a man die (Hooray for casulties of war, shame there are no records of them like XCom and Cannon Fodder). The Genestealers themselves now have different mutations making them a more interesting threat, e.g. some burst into acid, whilst others are just tougher to kill. There are three chapters included each with their own campaign and there are optional and alternative routes to complete each one. Basically this is Space Hulk the sequel, and it is a lot more Aliens than Alien vs Predator.

Good recreation of the SH boardgame, surprisingly good actually.

The community asked for difficulty tweaks and the team answered with a patch that gave full customization, a new DLC and plenty of bugfixes and other tweaks.

This means: the game is good, the DEVs listen to the community, hence this game is a worthy investment.

A more accessible version of Space Hulk there are lots of things to like about Ascension. A slightly faster pace with more options and missions, along with the carrot of levelling up your squad members, the game is enjoyable and has the potential to be expanded further.

Given the nature of the base material though there are still some caveats - ranged is easier/safer than melee (especially once you level up a little), going slowly and carefully through the levels still takes a fair chunk of time, and the step up in difficulty from normal to hard is more of a cliff than a gentle slope. The lack of a save option during missions on the impossible setting also limits them as it commits you to a session rather than being able to dip in and out as time permits on the other difficulties.

Overall fun though, and I would recommend for people that like squad based games in confined environments and have a little patience.

I have not played the board game or the previous video game but I have a pretty good knowledge of 40k.

Pros:
-Really nice map layout with darkened levels
-Well done action point system {although the action point system is the same as the board game and the other video game}
-Cool shoulder camera
-Not too much randomeness but just enough { I heard the other video game had too much randomeness}
-Interesting customization system
-Really nice tactical parts, espeacially when withdrawing from blocked genestealer spawners
- Over 103 missions and 3 space marine chapters
-Permadeath makes your termies valuable

Cons:
-Terrible optimization, not that it matters too much
-Customization is not as deep as it could have been, but is sufficient
-A couple of wall clips here and there
- People who have not played 40k probably will not enjoy this as much
-Squad composition is always the same
-No multiplayer
- No Dark Eldar

As a fan of turn based tactical strategy games (My all time favorite being Silent Storm 2), I have to say, this game is utterly wicked as f#$k. And if your a Warhammer fan, it becomes twice the amount of f#$king awesome in one game. Its beautiful and very deep, has tons of missions (100+ missions across 3 campaigns in the base game and more missions in the expansions they will release) is very faithful to the original material and is difficult but not unfairly so. Such as a game like dark souls, understanding the way all moves, attacks and enemies function will lead you to victory and the tense moments such as trying to escape with all your marines alive as the genestealers rush to your position en mass truly make the game exciting for me as a turn based tactical strategy guy. Hop on it fellas :D

EXCELLENT game. I played and loved the older PS1 version so I can appreciate a much needed new version of the franchise. Much improved over the version from last year as far as how moody and immersive it is in comparison and not to mention the three campaigns that come with it as well as three different space marine factions you can use for each campaign.

The graphics are far improved as well with great use of lighting. Some say it's too dark but I think that just adds to the terror of space marines dealing w/aliens in dark corridors. Gameplay is a little more forgiving as well in that you know when your marines' guns are going to jam/overheat as it shows an icon telling you how hot your weapon is getting. If you loved the movie Aliens, GET IT.

Having loved playing the board game as a child, I was one of the (seemingly) few people who actually didn't mind the first version of Space Hulk that Full Control produced. Sure it was obviously rushed, the terminators were slower than the multiplayer loading screen and it wasn't exactly atmospheric, but I don't think it deserved the barrage of abuse that it received, it was simply a direct port of the board game.

Space Hulk Ascension however, takes an OK game up to a good game. Its still not perfect, but the developers didn't just decide that they knew best, they actually listened to the feedback from the first, and improved on those aspects: adding a leveling system, better lighting, more variety with weaponry and skills and generally a smoother gaming experience without taking away the core aspects that make Space Hulk what it is.

If there are any devs out there reading this: one nice little feature would be a way of seeing lifetime statistics for your terminators - i.e. number of kills etc. Also some flash missions seem far too easy, and you can set up a winning overwatch on the first couple of turns - minor gripes to an all round good game!

I would give Space Hulk Ascension 8 / 10

As a fan of both the tabletop wargames and the original, this is probably one of the best tactical WH40K games out there. The graphics upgrade is enough to justify the purchase, but the XP and advancement system adds a whole new level of strategy.

S!

As a fan of Warhammer 40k and missing out the original Space Hulk aeons ago, was very pleased to spot the new Space Hulk and Space Hulk : Ascension to emerge. While the first is a straight "board game to PC" conversion, it offers tough gameplay. Ascension, even a bit more "streamlined", is like a gateway to Warhammer 40k to newer players. It is a tough one, but also modernized making gameplay more fun. Graphics are nice as well and with tweaking options for sure will run on your rig.

TL;DR Want death and claustrophobia around every corner? Welcome to Space Hulk!

They have changed a fundamental part of the game by introducing the fog of war i.e. you cannot see the map beyond a certain range. This in my view is a big step backwards from the first Space Hulk game. It makes it very difficult to strategise when you cannot see the map or know how to position your space marines..

I'm hoping this will be changed otherwise I won't be playing for very long. A bit disappointed tbh.

This is the game Space Hulk should of been. Just a shame I had to buy both.

Takes a while to get used to but it"s worth it

This is the space hulk I've been waiting for. It has a touch of X-Com while retaining the feel of the boardgame.

Great improvement over previous Space Hulk game.

You really just spend your time plodding down dark corridors, looking for a nice place for your squad to die.

one word: AWSOME

This is an early review from a 40k fan that was very disappointed with the first Space Hulk game by these guys.
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I'm pretty early into Ascension right now (Blood Angels/Hard/Sin of Damnation), but based on my experience a few hours into the campaign -- THIS is the Space Hulk game I wanted, and here's why.

The immediate obvious upgrade are the visuals. Everything looks remarkably better now. Especially glorious are some of the improved animations. My favorite being the new Genestealer finisher moves; fittingly brutal and memorable ends to our heroes of the Imperium.

Tactical options are similarly improved -- and vastly expanded. Think XCom/Jagged Alliance 2 style trade-offs between accuracy and AP, and fine-tuned % chance to hit instead of D6 rolls. Every mission completion will make you feel like a master of calculated risk, instead of a broken peasant berated by the shrieking laughter of the dice gods.

Weapons are way more interesting now. Bolters overheat during extended firefights ala Incubation. Melee is now way less of a near-certain death sentence, as it is possible to improve a Terminator's melee skill via leveling and perks. The heavy flamer now has template options which are *excellent* -- you can choose to shoot a long narrow stream of fire, a short wide one, or in-between. Squad customization and leveling is well implemented and a huge plus. With customization and leveling comes a much deeper feeling of ownership and attachment to your every success and disaster. On hard difficulty, I assure you, you will sacrifice your rookies in desperate moves to support and protect your veterans.

Did I mention the campaign? No more linear mission list. It's now a branching campaign with random flash missions on the side. Did I say campaign? I meant 3 campaigns. And now your squads can stick together through all 3 campaigns as a persistent force, leveling up and unlocking perks together the whole way through.

One last thing I need to mention is probably my favorite improvement --how much faster and fluid the enemy turn is. Now all of your Terminators fire as all of the Genestealers rush you simultaneously. It looks epic and delivers a much more intense payoff when you brace for an assault and hit the end turn button. It's about as far removed as possible from the tedious (and frankly boring to watch) combat resolution of the previous title. It actually feels like combat now.

I do have some suggestions for the developer. I want a hotkey for reloading. I want icons over unit cards so I can see who is out of ammo, or has an overheated or jammed weapon. I think the deployment process during mission start should be improved. I want music in the loadout screen. I posted these suggestions in the forum last night. Soon after, in my thread and many others, I saw the developers quickly respond and let us know that suggestions are very welcome, and will be used for internal discussions. That kind of customer interaction should be commended, and it's the main reason why I decided to spend a chunk of tonight writing this review, rather than just playing all night and keeping my excitement to myself.

Overall there are a ton of changes both big and small that elevate this game far above its predecessor. If you like combat-focused turn-based strategy games, and the idea of spraying alien guts all over the walls of a space derelict sounds like your kind of party, then all I can say is -- the xenos must be PURGED, brothers.