I Feel Like This Forgotten Warhammer 40,000 Game Needs The Space Marine Treatment

I've been a big fan of Warhammer 40,000 ever since I was around 11. When I first stepped into a Games Workshop shop and browsed the endless overpriced boxes, I was drawn to the Imperial Guard - aka Astra Militarum - compelled by the slick uniforms of the Cadian soldiers, the nimble and almost patchwork-like design of the Sentinels, and the sheer firepower of the various armored vehicles from Leman Russes to Basilisk artillery. For the most part, my love of the Imperial Guard has lasted, endlessly rereading novels like Desert Raiders, Fall of Cadia, and, naturally, Ciaphas Cain omnibuses.

However, while I was never attracted to other main 40K factions, such as the Space Marines and Orks, I was drawn to the mysterious, ethereal Tau who are so vastly different from anything I had seen before. Of course, when I learned they had their own game, Warhammer 40,000: Tau Fire Warrior, I leaped at the chance to play it and got giddy when I realized it also included the Imperial Guard. That game has stuck with me ever since, and while it isn't considered one of the best Warhammer games of all time, it absolutely deserves a comeback.

Warhammer 40,000: Tau Fire Warrior Is Not As Good As I Remember

It's A Little Rough Around The Edges

I played Warhammer 40,000: Tau Fire Warrior on the PS2, something I feel is important to mention considering the notable differences in quality between each platform's version of the game. At the time, I remember thinking quite highly of it. I enjoyed being able to use Imperial Guard weaponry in a first-person shooter and exploring the deep lore of the Tau. It was also just fun to be playing a first-person Warhammer 40K shooter, as those didn't exist at all at the time.

Unfortunately, the game has not aged well at all, and, in reality, was terrible from the start. What my youthful brain had conveniently opted to forget was the awful audio quality, frustrating difficulty spikes, inaccuracy of the weapons, and generally buggy gameplay that was barely propped up by a largely uninteresting narrative. Apparently, I'm not alone in thinking that Tau Fire Warrior was, to put it lightly, practically undeserving of my time, as the internet has almost banded together to hate it.

However, despite the warranted criticism of a game that barely understood the lore it was adapting - when your Tau Pulse Rifles are weaker and less accurate than the Imperial Guard Las guns, it's clear someone has messed up - Tau Fire Warrior was pretty special. It chose to focus on a lesser-known race - who are just one of the many factions that should appear in Space Marine 2 - and pit players against the Astra Militarum and Adeptus Astartes, something that feels rare nowadays. It also featured some fairly stunning locations that look great even today, which was a huge bonus.

Tau Fire Warrior Is In Desperate Need Of A Remake

It Deserves A Space Marine 2 Quality Treatment

This may be the rose-tinted glasses I'm wearing, but Warhammer 40,000: Tau Fire Warrior really feels like it deserves a remake more than ever. It came out in an era when everything was desperately trying to be a Halo killer - Tau Fire Warrior included - and when publishers were willing to take risks on lower-budget games. It was also released during a time when fixing a game post-launch was an inconceivable idea, so it remained as buggy, broken, and boring as it was at launch.

However, I don't just want a Space Marine 2-style remake of Tau Fire Warrior because I played it as a kid. Rather, I believe it has a genuine chance to shine after the unbelievable success of Space Marine 2. I mean, who really thought that Space Marine 2 would do as well as it did, because I most certainly did not. Now that Halo has been well and truly killed, Warhammer 40,000: Tau Fire Warrior has a chance to stand out based on its own merits, instead of chasing those of another FPS.

While developers are less willing to take risks on smaller titles, a more passionate team of creatives like Saber Interactive could do justice to Tau Fire Warrior and likely find success in it. Players seem, more than ever, drawn to more back-to-basics experiences rather than bloated open-world titles, me included. After getting a taste of Space Marine 2's more simplistic gameplay style, I'm craving a first-person shooter like Tau Fire Warrior, one that feels reminiscent of when the genre was on top of the world.

Warhammer 40,000 Needs More Games Like Tau Fire Warrior

It's First-Person Shooters Haven't Hit The Mark

I've written before about how there should be a Warhammer fantasy game like Space Marine 2, and I stand by that. That setting has been grossly overlooked compared to 40K, at least when it comes to video games, and only really has Vermintide and the Total War games to tide fans over. However, while I would love to see a Warhammer game made with the same passion as Space Marine 2 was clearly made, I would much prefer a Tau Fire Warrior remake. That's largely because Warhammer 40K's first-person shooter games have been a bit dull so far.

The more recent Warhammer 40K games have all been developed by Streum On Studio, the more experimental studio behind Necromunda: Hired Gun and Space Hulk: Deathwing, as well as the cult classic and non-40K related game, E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy. While Streum On Studio has done an admirable job with the resources it has, it's clear it has been held back. While its 40K games are almost always lore-accurate and beautifully detailed, they're often buggy, underbaked, and lack the quality that Space Marine 2 has proven all Warhammer games need.

That's why a Tau Fire Warrior remake made with the same passion and resources that Space Marine 2 got would be so amazing. I would love to see unique FPS games coming out of the 40K brand that incorporate some of the franchise's lesser-known races. It's clear that the love for the 40K universe is there from both hardcore fans and casual players, so it makes perfect sense to not only push out a high-quality Warhammer 40,000 first-person shooter, but also revive the game that started it all.

Sources: YouTube/Sqotch 'Studios' Companion, Reddit