If next month’s free Xbox One titles for Xbox Live Gold subscribers aren’t enough, Microsoft has announced some of the new games coming to Xbox Game Pass in August. Tomorrow, Ashes Cricket and Pandemic will be available for Xbox Game Pass on console. PC players can get their hands on the awesome side-scrolling platformer Downwell.

On August 8th, party game Jackbox Party Pack 2 becomes available for Xbox One, while Space Hulk Tactics is added to PC. Both console and PC players will have reason to rejoice on August 14th though, because Mega Crit Games’ Slay the Spire becomes available. If you crave a rogue-lite, dungeon crawler with deck-building, this is the game for you.

It’s worth noting that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will get access to all of the above releases as well. You can also avail of other benefits, like playing The Coalition’s Gears 5 four days earlier than its official launch date. And of course, with Xbox Live Gold included in the plan, you can get a head-start on playing multiplayer as well.

For those of you not in the know, Space Hulk: Tactics is an asymmetric turn-based strategy game where bulky armored Space Marines face off against a swarm of Tyranid aliens aboard derelict spaceships. Directly adapted from the board game, Space Hulk: Tactics may just be the most accurate recreation of the tabletop experience to date. More important than that though, it is a fun video game on its own, with a few setbacks.

"If you want to create a campaign to rummage through by yourself or with friends, it’s now possible and it really brings the experience closer to its tabletop roots."

There are two campaigns available to play: the Blood Angel side as well as the Genestealers side. Each comes with pretty comprehensive tutorials to get even newcomers started on their 40K journey and a decent amount of dialogue and story beats to keep you invested in the goings-ons. There’s a skirmish mode where you can go online to play missions other players have created or to even play against other people online. Though I was not able to find an online match, there’s no end of user-created missions for you to peruse. If you want to create rather than play, there is also a mission editor in place. If you want to create a campaign to rummage through by yourself or with friends, it’s now possible and it really brings the experience closer to its tabletop roots.

The Blood Angels are the more tactical and methodical faction in this title. Their gameplay is based around slow, planned-out movement and decision-making. Due to their bulky frame, mobility is the biggest hurdle to overcome in order to use them to their full potential. Every action, whether it’s moving, firing a weapon, or opening a door uses up an action point from your reserve. Even turning your character to face a certain direction will use up action points, so Space Marines oftentimes don’t move very far. When engaging an enemy, they have the advantage of long-range weaponry and there are also some units that can move and fire without using action points. This is the side that requires the most thought put into their moves and actions. You’re constantly being hunted and are never fast enough to outrun your opponents. Constantly changing and moving your defensive lines is the name of the game for the Blood Angels.

The Genestealers on the other hand are almost the exact opposite from the Blood Angels. Playing as them, you have an infinite amount of units at your disposal and you’re much more agile than the Space Marines. The goal playing as the Genestealers is to stop the Blood Angels from escaping the cold confides of the Space Hulk. The Genestealers spawn in bulk and this is necessary as you are required to get in close to attack since they can only attack through melee. You’re meant to lose expendable units and keep rushing the enemy until they break. The gameplay is very different from the Space Marines and can almost seem braindead against the somewhat lacking AI. But the experience is very unique and once the challenge is there, you end up feeling less like a part of a zerg rush and more like a hoard of Xenomorphs, stalking your prey and striking where they least expect.

"Maneuvering around this limited area becomes increasingly difficult the more units you accumulate and it oftentimes leads to awkward moments where you have to waste turns just rearranging them."

After a successful mission, your team can get outfitted with new and improved weapons as well, incentivising smart play. Keeping units alive from mission to mission suddenly becomes much more important when the chances of giving your Marine a drill fist. Units are all customizable and everything from their class to their shin guard color is up to your preference. There are also cards in place that you can utilize on your turns. These cards are used to give boosted stats or guaranteed hits on any given turn. Or you can forgo the benefits and just convert them into more action points. Finding this balance is something that adds a bit of depth beyond the positioning of units and the utilizing of skills.

Gameplay can be a mixed bag. Your team will require a lot of proper planning and positioning in order to cover each other’s weaknesses. Environments in this title subsist of series of linear hallways and chokepoints, which gives it a style of its own but can become samey after extended amounts of play. Coming from another tactical title like XCOM will require a little bit of adjustment if you don’t know what you’re getting into. And unlike that title, Space Hunk: Tactics doesn’t have any health bar in place. In this title, if you get hit, you die. There’s a definite rush from holding out with your team of marines against an encroaching horde and beating them back, barely making it to your objective. But when things go wrong, it can sometimes feels unfair.

The Blood Angels especially have a rough time. When holding down a position, all it takes is one bad dice roll for an entire squad to get easily get swarmed. Considering their limited mobility, it’s also no small task to make their way through a map to get to their objective. Considering that the Genestealers have an infinite stock of mooks to throw at you and also excel in close-quarters, all it takes is one break in the defensive line for tons of aliens to flood in and start hacking up Space Marines. However, the Genestealers have their own problems as well. With the cramped corridors of the Space Hulk, you oftentimes end up with a large number of units that get in each other’s way as you try to maneuver around and flank the Space Marines. Maneuvering around this limited area becomes increasingly difficult the more units you accumulate and it oftentimes leads to awkward moments where you have to waste turns just rearranging them.

"If you’ve ever been curious about the Space Hulk franchise and have wanted a good jumping-in point, this is a very welcoming experience for newcomers as well."

The game looks great though. In terms of presentation, every aspect of Space Hulk: Tactics is pristine. The look and feel of this title was obviously created with a lot of care put into it. The campaign has enough production value put into it that the dialogue is worth experiencing, although it is strictly aimed at players already familiar with the 40K lore. Environments and models are also rendered in a good amount of detail, something that is doubly apparent if you go into the first-person mode and start clunking around the Space Hulk as a Terminator. Though this isn’t really feasible from a tactical point of view, it is a great experience if you commit to a first-person only run.

Space Hulk: Tactics is a title that I’m sure would grow a faithful following regardless of its quality. Thankfully for Space Hulk fans, this title is worth their time and is an enjoyable game on its own merits. While there are a few setbacks that end up hampering the experience, the game gives players tools to create the kind of experience they want or to seek out fresh challenges other people have created. If you’ve ever been curious about the Space Hulk franchise and have wanted a good jumping-in point, this is a very welcoming experience for newcomers as well. You may not understand the significance of some characters or what they’re saying, but as long as you give your all for the emperor, you’re on the right track.

This game was reviewed on a Playstation 4.

Cyanide’s Space Hulk: Tactics has quite the extensive campaign, regardless of whether you’re playing as the Terminators or Genestealers. Along with multiplayer, however, there’s also a map editor that allows players to create their own custom missions and tile-sets. The developer has released a trailer for the same below, which highlights all the different things that players can manipulate when creating missions.

These include changing layouts, linking different elements together, designating different factions, custom rule-sets, restrictions, one of 20 different objectives for the Terminators (from extraction to extermination), and much more. One of the cooler features is previewing your map in first person, performing any changes and testing on the fly.

Finding maps in-game is also easy, thanks to the search functions present. Custom missions can also be shared among the community, for which Cyanide has created special forums. The beta is currently on-going on Steam, while Space-Hulk: Tactics launches in full on October 9th for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Cyanide Studio’s Space Hulk: Tactics is a more strategic take on the conflict between the Space Marines’ Terminators and the vicious Genestealers. The latest trailer details what the Genestealers are capable of, how they can move about and trick their opponents, their advantage in speed, and some of the more disgusting units they can have. Check it out below.

Those who pre-order Space Hulk: Tactics can partake in the beta, which starts on September 25th. Players can take control of either the Genestealers or Terminators in five maps of Skirmish and multiplayer. Along with full customization, a map editor will also be available for fans to tinker around with.

The beta also promises a “preview” of the campaign for each faction. Any progress made will transfer over to the full game when it releases on October 9th for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Steam pre-orders can avail of a 10 percent discount up to launch, along with bonus cosmetics for Blood Angels, Space Wolves, and whatnot.

Adapted from the beloved Warhammer 40K board game, Space Hulk: Tactics finally has a release date of October 9th. Developed by Cyanide Studio and published by Focus Home Interactive, it will release for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Check out the latest trailer below.

Space Hulk: Tactics takes place on an enormous Space Hulk and will offer two campaigns. Players can either play as the Blood Angels or the Genestealers with lots of customization items.  While the Blood Angels will have four Chapters to customize, the Genestealers will also have four Hive Fleets.

The game will boast an “innovative new card” and non-linear narratives, along with a mission editor to create custom maps. These missions can then be shared with other players (when you’re not challenging them online).

Pre-orders are now open on Steam, with a 10 percent discount, and some other bonuses like early access to the multiplayer beta, and unique colours and emblems for each Chapter. What are your thoughts on the trailer? Let us know below.

Focus Home Interactive will be present at E3 2018 in a big way. The publisher has announced its booth will be West-Hall #4512 on June 12th to 14th. Along with hands-on demos, there will be closed door presentations for upcoming games.

Some of the upcoming games will include the following major releases:

• Insurgency: Sandstorm – Dedicated multiplayer session with attendees and journalists
• Farming Simulator 19 – First ever gameplay reveal along with an “exciting surprise” to be announced at E3
• The Surge 2 – “Never-before-seen” gameplay of Deck 13’s Soulslike action RPG follow-up
• A Plague Tale: Innocence – A new gameplay walkthrough that introduces siblings Amicia and Hugo. Rat hordes en masse also expected to appear.
• Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game – Behind closed doors presentation with an exclusive walkthrough from Cyanide
• Greedfall – Spiders’ newest RPG, full of diplomacy and choices, will be showcased behind closed doors
• Space Hulk: Tactics – Playable in face-to-face sessions with Cyanide (who also developed Space Hulk: Deathwing) in Focus’s Public Area

A hands-off session for Necromunda: Underhive Wars behind closed doors with developer Rogue Factor and Fear the Wolves developer Vostok Games appearing for interviews have also been confirmed.

If that’s not enough, there will be stations for attendees and journalists with the latest releases including Dontnod Entertainment’s Vampyr, Deck 13’s The Surge – Complete Edition and Saber Interactive’s Spintires: MudRunner. Which game are you looking forward to hearing more about at E3 2018? Let us know in the comments below.