Space Hulk: Tactics

While this virtual version of the popular table top game offers a fun new way for longtime fans to play, newcomers might find its complexity too frustrating. In Space Hulk: Tactics, you either have to stop some nasty aliens as a commander of the Space Marines, or have to take out some annoying humans by controlling some Genestealers. Either way, this is a fairly faithful adaptation of the Warhammer 40,000 series turn-based tactical strategy war game Space Hulk, which was originally released as a table top game nearly thirty years ago. Except this version not only adds an optional first-person perspective, but a new card-based mechanic that gives you special attacks and other bonuses. There's also two complete solo campaigns, one for each side, along with the option to compete online against your friends. Players can even design and share their own maps.

But while longtime fans of the original Space Hulk will enjoy playing this on their computers or consoles, strategy fans unfamiliar with the table top version might find this to be a bit confusing. Not only does the tutorial sometimes fail to adequately explain how this works, it also doesn't include a primer on the Warhammer 40,000 universe, which itself is very complex. It also doesn't help that, if you sit at a reasonable distance from your TV, the icons and text are so small that it's hard to tell what's going on. Which isn't to say they should've made a simplified version of this game; quite the contrary. it's just that unless you've played the original Space Hulk, or other deep and complex tactical strategy games, you may want to do some research before taking on Space Hulk: Tactics.