The Games Workshop corner of the internet has been rife with rumor for the past week about its newest boxed game release, Deathwatch: Overkill. Now rumor has become reality and the game has been officially announced.
Deathwatch: Overkill harks back to one of Games Workshop’s greatest ever releases, Space Hulk. It was a game where you could essentially reenact Aliens, with one side playing a horde of Geigeresque “Genestealers” and the other a handful heavily armored Terminator Space Marines. The action took place in the corridors of the eponymous space hulk. It was claustrophobic close combat, with movement all over the place.
As far as Games Workshop games went, this was about as exciting as it got. I was never a big fan of the Warhammer 40K strand, but Space Hulk I loved. I’m not the only one. When Games Workshop made a limited run of 4th edition Space Hulk games, it sold out faster than tickets to a Monty Python reunion. Despite this, there were no further print runs. Why the company has overlooked one of its best-loved games is something of a mystery.
Deathwatch: Overkill looks to be an attempt to readdress this. There are nine scenarios set in the confines of a mining colony. Once again, the mighty few take on the ravening horde. Games Workshop has released a comprehensive playthrough video, which reveals some interesting mechanics and, as usual, beautiful miniatures.
Preorders are available now for shipping on March 5th. Retailing at $165 (£100), it doesn’t look like Deathwatch: Overkill is designed to entice the family gamer with younger children. It seems we still have to wait for the forthcoming Battle for Vedros for that.
