View source for Space Hulk (1993 video game)

{{Short description|1993 video game}}
{{For|the 2013 video game|Space Hulk (2013 video game)}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Space Hulk
| image = SpaceHulkCover.jpg
| caption = Box cover art for ''Space Hulk''
| developer = [[Electronic Arts]]
| publisher = [[Electronic Arts]]
| series = ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]''
| platforms = [[MS-DOS]] 3.3 or higher, [[Amiga]], [[NEC PC-9801|PC-98]]
| designer = Nick Wilson<br/>Kevin Shrapnell<br/>[[Andy Jones (game designer)|Andy Jones]]
| released = June 1993 (MS-DOS)<br/>Autumn 1993 (Amiga)
| genre = [[Real-time tactics|Real-time tactical]] [[first-person shooter]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
}}
'''''Space Hulk''''' is a 1993 [[Real-time tactics|real-time tactical]] video game for [[MS-DOS]], [[Amiga]] and [[NEC PC-9801|PC-98]]. The game was based on [[Games Workshop]]'s 1989 board game of the [[Space Hulk|same name]]. Set in the fictional ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' universe, the player directs squads of [[Space Marine (Warhammer 40,000)|Space Marines]], [[Human enhancement|genetically enhanced]] armoured soldiers, in their missions to protect the human race from deadly [[Extraterrestrials in fiction|aliens]]. ''Space Hulk'' was developed and published by [[Electronic Arts]], with support from Games Workshop.
The game takes place aboard huge derelicts known as space hulks. Drifting in and out of [[Hyperspace|the Warp]]&mdash;an alternate dimension used to cross interstellar distances&mdash;these vessels are infested with the four-armed [[Genestealer]]s. Using overhead maps, the player orders the Marine squads, and controls individual Marines via [[first-person shooter]] interfaces. The game features a [[Time control|time-limited]] option to pause the action while enabling the player to continue issuing commands.
''Space Hulk''{{'}}s theme of pitting slow and heavily armed Marines against fast, deadly Genestealers produced moments of frantic gameplay and a scary atmosphere for its reviewers, earning positive ratings for the game. A few reviewers, however, felt the game was too difficult and proved to be too frustrating. ''Space Hulk'' was followed up by ''[[Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels]]'' in 1996.
==Gameplay==
The game features 51&nbsp;missions that involve exterminations, retrieval of objects, and [[Rear guard|rearguard]] actions.<ref name=af52 /> A campaign, comprising 21 of these missions played in sequence, centres around a story about a Space Marine investigation of a distress beacon in a region of space threatened by Genestealers.<ref name=cu>{{cite magazine
| last = Dillon
| first = Tony
|date=October 1993
| title = Space Hulk
|magazine= [[Commodore User|CU Amiga]]
| pages =82–84
| publisher = [[EMAP]]
| location = London, United Kingdom
| issn = 0963-0090 }}
</ref> The remaining missions are tutorials designed to help players learn the game and standalone missions.<ref name=af52 /> Before a mission, the game briefs the player on the objectives and shows a small map of the operational area. Marines are usually equipped with a gun&mdash;the Storm Bolter&mdash;for long-range combat, and an energised glove&mdash;the Power Fist&mdash;for hand-to-hand fighting. For certain missions, the player can customise the squads' armaments, selecting from 10 other weapons, such as Heavy Flamers for destroying targets and the Chainfist for opening locked doors.<ref name=one61>{{cite magazine
| last = Upchurch
| first = David
|date=October 1993
| title = Review&mdash;Space Hulk
|magazine=[[The One (magazine)|The One]]
| issue = 61
| pages =50–53
| publisher = EMAP
| location = London, United Kingdom
| issn = 0955-4084 }}
</ref>  In the campaign, Marines who survive a mission gain experience, improving their combat abilities and chances of survival for future missions.<ref name=cu />
[[File:Space Hulk Planning Screen.png|left|thumbnail|alt=The Planning Screen is split into two halves. The bottom of the left half shows a small map of the operational area.  Buttons, displaying various icons, are arranged above this map. The right half is a top-down map, showing a closer view of a selected region of the operational area. Enemy aliens are represented with glowing blips or purple icons. Grey icons represent the player's marines.|On the Planning Screen, orders are issued to the Marines while they come under Genestealer attacks.]]
The player's Marines begin each mission grouped together at one or two starting points of the operational area, while Genestealers continually enter from marked entry points.<ref name=one61 /> Gameplay at this stage takes place between two separate interfaces: the Terminator View Screen, where the player takes direct control of individual Marines, and the Planning Screen, where orders are issued to the Marines by clicking on command icons.<ref name=morrison /> The Planning Screen has two maps; the smaller one on the bottom-left shows the operational area and the larger one displays a close-up view of the region selected by the player. Shown on the maps are the continuously updated positions of the Marines and their enemies. The game simulates [[Fog of war#Simulations and games|fog of war]] by blacking out unexplored areas on the maps and representing unseen Genestealers as blips, unveiling them as Marines come within sight.<ref name=one61 />
Switching to the Terminator View Screen offers a first-person perspective of the mission through the Marines' eyes. The Screen contains five monitors: a large primary monitor at the bottom and four smaller secondary displays arrayed above. The primary monitor displays the view of the Marine under the player's control. The character is moved by pressing the keyboard's cursor keys or clicking the directional arrows next to the monitor. The mouse is also used to aim and shoot at targets,<ref name=one61 /> although the computer determines if an accurate shot kills the target.<ref name=meer>{{cite web
| last = Meer
| first = Alec
| title = Retro: Space Hulk
| publisher = [[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]]
| date = 2008-03-31
| url = http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/retro-space-hulk/
| access-date = 2009-11-17 }}
</ref> The secondary monitors show the views of other squad members. Although the player cannot control the movements of these Marines through these interfaces, he or she can click them to shoot the Marines' weapons at the centre of their views. However, the player can take full control of a Marine by switching the character's view to the primary monitor.<ref name=one61 />
At any time, Marines armed with Storm Bolters and not under the player's control assume "Overwatch" mode, automatically firing at obstacles and enemies that come into their paths.<ref name=cu /> Storm Bolters have unlimited ammo, but may jam under sustained firing, rendering the weapon useless for a few seconds until the malfunction is cleared. In melee, the Power Fist is of limited effectiveness against a Genestealer's razor-sharp claws, while Marines armed with Lightning Claws or Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield are hand-to-hand specialists who forgo a ranged weapon.<ref name=dragon214>{{cite magazine
| first = Lester
| last = Smith
| author-link = Lester W. Smith
|date=February 1995
| title = Eye of the Monitor
|magazine=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]
| volume = 19
| issue = 214
| pages =63–64
| publisher = [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]]
| location = Wisconsin, United States
| issn = 0279-6848 }}
</ref>
Although the action unfolds in real-time, the player can pause the game by clicking the "Freeze" button and entering "Freeze Time". During this mode, all units stop moving while a timer runs down; the player can freely issue and modify orders to the Marines. Once the timer is depleted or the Freeze button is clicked again, every unit resumes its movement. The timer for Freeze Time slowly replenishes, as long as the game stays in real-time.<ref name=morrison />
== Synopsis ==
=== Setting ===
''Space Hulk'' is a video game based on a 1989 board game of the [[Space Hulk|same name]]. Set in the fictional ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' universe, the video game tasks the player to take control of [[Human enhancement|genetically enhanced]] soldiers called Space Marines. As veterans of their Space Marine Chapter who earn the right to wear [[powered exoskeleton]]s known as Terminator Armor, these Marines embark on missions aboard the eponymous derelict [[starship]]s that drift in and out of [[the Warp (Warhammer)|the Warp]], an alternate region of space where vast interstellar distances can be traversed in a short time. The vessels are infested with [[Genestealer]]s, four-armed [[Extraterrestrial life in popular culture|aliens]], who invade worlds encountered in the ships' paths. Sworn to protect the human race, the Marines aim to eradicate the alien threat.<ref name=af52>{{cite journal
| last = Mead
| first = Rob
|date=November 1993
| title = Game Review&mdash;Space Hulk
| journal = [[Amiga Format]]
| issue = 52
| pages =70–71
| publisher = [[Future plc|Future Publishing]]
| location = Bath, United Kingdom
| issn = 0957-4867 }}
</ref><ref name=morrison>{{cite book
| last1 = Morrison
| first1 = Mike
| last2 = Morrison
| first2 = Sandie
| title = The Magic of Interactive Entertainment
| edition = Second
| year = 1994
| publisher = [[SAMS Publishing]]
| isbn = 0-672-30590-9
| pages = 79–80
| chapter = Interactive Entertainment on Personal Computers&mdash;Adventure }}
</ref>
=== Plot ===
[[File:Space Hulk Terminator View Screen.png|right|thumbnail|alt=The Terminator View Screen has a small top-down map at the bottom left, and compass and a gauge on the bottom right. Occupying a large space in the bottom centre is the screen for the marine that the player is currently controlling; it shows the scene as if the player is looking from the marine's eyes. Four other screens are arrayed in the top half, showing the view from the other marines' eyes.|Overwhelmingly quick Genestealer attacks in narrow spaces led reviewers to proclaim this game as very difficult and frightening. Oft-remarked is the aliens' likeness to H. R. Giger's [[Alien (Alien franchise)|creations]].]]
''Space Hulk''{{'}}s campaign is mostly [[Exposition (literary technique)|exposited]] through pre-mission briefings.<ref name=cu /> The prologue in the manual says the Dark Angels, a force of Space Marines, had repelled a Genestealer incursion in the Tolevi [[star system|system]] many centuries before current events in the game. A Dark Angel hero was leading his men aboard the invading space hulk, ''Sin of Damnation'', when it vanished into the warp. The first mission in the campaign sends the player's squad to investigate the Tolevi system for a distress call of Dark Angels' origin. A nest of Genestealers is uncovered on the planet Ma'Caellia, and the player's forces are ordered to destroy the aliens' [[Tyranids#The Hive Mind|Hive Mind]]. However, there are too many Genestealers, and the Marines are forced to withdraw. Without any other options, the Marines destroy the infestation and all other life forms on the planet through exterminatus with virus bombs&mdash;[[Biological warfare|biological weapons of mass destruction]]. As they are doing so, the ''Sin of Damnation'' re-enters the system, and the player receives orders to invade the hulk. Aboard the vessel, the player's squads destroy the Genestealers' [[gene bank]]s and their [[Genestealer#Patriarch|Patriarch]]. The end of the campaign tasks the player to control a lone Marine as he goes deep into the hulk to find the source of the distress call.<ref name=story>{{cite book
| title = Space Hulk
| date = 1993-03-03
| publisher = [[Electronic Arts]]
| isbn = 1-55543-665-X
| pages = 30–43
| chapter = Deathwing Campaign }}
</ref>
==Development==
The original ''Space Hulk'' board game was published by [[Games Workshop]]. It was the company's third board game that was adapted as a video game; the previous two board games were ''[[HeroQuest]]'' and ''[[Space Crusade]]'', whose video game adaptations were both published by [[Gremlin Interactive|Gremlin Graphics]].<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Barker
| first = Linda
|date=March 1992
| title = Reviews: Space Crusade
| journal = [[Your Sinclair]]
| issue = 75
| pages =14–15
| publisher = [[Dennis Publishing]]
| location = London, United Kingdom
| issn = 0269-6983 }}
</ref> The board game version of ''Space Hulk'' is played between two players, who assume the roles of the Marines and Genestealers. The players take turns moving their pieces to accomplish their objectives; the Marines' player, however, is [[Time control|given a certain amount of time]] to finish each of their turns.<ref name=dragon214 /> The game is designed to encourage the two players to adopt different tactics in their play&mdash;the slow-moving Space Marines with long-range guns versus the fast-moving Genestealers who fight hand-to-hand.<ref>{{cite book
| last1 = Bjork
| first1 = Staffan
| last2 = Holopainen
| first2 = Jussi
| title = Patterns In Game Design
| year = 2004
| publisher = Charles River Media
| isbn = 1-58450-354-8
| chapter = Patterns for Game Sessions
| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IFQfyODK4wAC&pg=PA335
| page = 335 }}
</ref>
Conversion of ''Space Hulk'' into a video game was initiated in 1991 by [[Electronic Arts]], who also managed the project's development. Instead of following Gremlin's approach and creating exact copies of the board games in digital form, Electronic Arts and Games Workshop opted to develop a video game, based on ''Space Hulk'', with features that took advantage of the personal computer's technological advancements.<ref>{{cite journal
|date=October 1992
| title = The Ultimate Autumn Preview
| journal = [[Amiga Power]]
| issue = 18
|page=59
| publisher = Future Publishing
| location = Bath, United Kingdom
| issn = 0961-7310 }}
</ref><ref name=wd163>{{cite magazine
| last = Dews
| first = Robin
|date=July 1993
| title = Space Hulk: The Computer Game
|magazine=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]
| issue = 163
| pages =4–5
| publisher = [[Games Workshop]]
| location = Nottingham, United Kingdom
| issn = 0265-8712 }}</ref> The interior walls of the space hulks were rendered by [[Ray tracing (graphics)|ray tracing]], passing much of the graphical work to computers. This method reduced the time needed to introduce new sets of walls into the game from two weeks to twelve hours.<ref>{{cite book
| title = Space Hulk
| date = 1993-03-03
| publisher = Electronic Arts
| isbn = 1-55543-665-X
| chapter = Artist's Biography&mdash;Andy Jones
| page = 34 }}
</ref> Although digital speech was a relatively new technology at the time,<ref name=meer /> the team made use of [[sound card]] technologies to produce alien screeches and roars that permeate the hulks, and warning cries from Marines under attack.<ref name=morrison /> The game's opening tune, "Get Out Of My Way", was recorded by British [[hard rock]] band [[D-Rok (band)|D-Rok]], with [[Brian May]] of [[Queen (band)|Queen]] as guest guitarist.<ref>{{cite magazine
| date = 1992-12-12
| title = Rock N Blues Weekender
|magazine= [[Kerrang!]]
| issue = 422
| publisher = EMAP
| location = London, United Kingdom
| issn = 0262-6624 }}
</ref> Games Workshop helped Electronic Arts keep the game true to its ''Warhammer 40,000'' roots by providing the writers with materials and answers on the fictional universe.<ref>{{cite book
| title = Space Hulk
| date = 1993-03-03
| publisher = Electronic Arts
| isbn = 1-55543-665-X
| chapter = Artist's Biography&mdash;Nick Wilson
| page = 33 }}
</ref> The development team created the tutorial missions, but adapted the other missions straight from the board game and the ''Deathwing Campaign'' expansion set.<ref name=cu />
Initially released in June 1993 on floppy disks for [[IBM Personal Computer]]s and their [[IBM PC compatible|clones]] that ran [[DOS]], ''Space Hulk'' was later published for other platforms and media.<ref name=wd163 /> The CD-ROM version of ''Space Hulk'' included nine new missions, new cinematic animations, and new digital sound effects and speech (which required a sound card).<ref>{{cite web
| title = Space Hulk
| publisher = CDAccess.com
| date = n.d.
| url = http://www.cdaccess.com/html/pc/spacehlk.htm
| access-date = 2007-12-08
| archive-date = 2008-01-18
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080118033748/http://www.cdaccess.com/html/pc/spacehlk.htm
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Unlike the versions that ran on DOS, the [[Amiga]] version (published in Autumn 1993)<ref name=wd163 /> cannot be installed on a hard drive; Amiga users have to swap floppy disks at several points of the game while playing it.<ref name=af52 /> In Japan, the game was [[Porting|ported]] to the [[NEC PC-9801|NEC PC-9821]] by a local video game company, Starcraft.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Games and Other Old Software for the 98s
| publisher = Cosmos
| date = 2008-08-25
| url = http://www.lcv.ne.jp/~cosmosak/computer/new.htm
| language = ja
| access-date = 2011-12-15
| archive-date = 2013-07-29
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130729080343/http://www.lcv.ne.jp/~cosmosak/computer/new.htm
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>  In 1996, Electronic Arts produced a sequel, ''[[Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels]]'', to ''Space Hulk''.<ref>{{cite journal
| date = 2001-08-13
| title = Space Hulk: Vengeance Of The Blood Angels Review
| journal = [[PC Zone]]
| publisher = Dennis Publishing
| location = London, United Kingdom
| issn = 0967-8220
| url = http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=3440
| access-date = 2009-11-24 }}
</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels for 3DO
| publisher = [[CNET Networks]]
| work = [[GameSpot]]
| date = n.d.
| url = http://www.gamespot.com/3do/action/spacehulk/index.html
| access-date = 2009-11-24 }}
</ref>
==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| CGW = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{r|brooks199405}}
| NGen = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="NG"/>
}}
{{Listen
| filename = Space Hulk briefing.ogg
| title = Mission briefing from the game
| description = The monastic briefings received polar reviews on their effects to the game's atmosphere; these vocals are produced over PC speakers.
| format = [[Ogg]]
| pos = left
| type = sound}}
Reviewers noted the atmosphere experienced while playing ''Space Hulk'', describing it as similar to the science-fiction film ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986). Aside from the concept of pitting heavily armed soldiers against aliens that looked like [[H. R. Giger]]'s "exo-skeletal nightmares", ''Space Hulk''{{'}}s Terminator View Screen was reminiscent of a sequence in the film where a marine lieutenant monitored and ordered his troops as they executed a mission in a dark, dank environment.<ref name=af52 /><ref name=one61 /><ref name=ap31 /><ref name=dragon213>{{cite journal
| author1 = Jay
| author2 = Dee
|date=January 1995
| title = Eye of the Monitor
| journal = Dragon
| volume = 19
| issue = 213
| pages =62–64
| publisher = TSR
| location = Wisconsin, United States
| issn = 0279-6848 }}
</ref>
Handling slow, cumbersome Marines against fast, deadly Genestealers proved to be intense sessions of panic and fear for the game's critics.<ref name=ap31>{{cite journal
| last = Tucker
| first = Tim
|date=November 1993
| title = Space Hulk
| journal = Amiga Power
| issue = 31
|page=82
| publisher = Future Publishing
| location = Bath, United Kingdom
| issn = 0961-7310 }}
</ref> They were stressed from monitoring several Marines at the same time while Genestealers probed the flanks and sent decoys to lure Marines to their deaths.<ref name=one78>{{cite journal
| last = Broughton
| first = Matt
|date=March 1995
| title = Replays!&mdash;Space Hulk
| journal = The One
| issue = 78
|page=58
| publisher = EMAP
| location = London, United Kingdom
| issn = 0955-4084 }}
</ref><ref name=af13>{{cite journal
| last1 = Osborne
| first1 = Ian
| last2 = Smith
| first2 = Mark
|date=December 1993
| title = Reviews!&mdash;Space Hulk
| journal = [[Amiga Force]]
| issue = 13
|page=57
| publisher = [[Europress|Europress Impact]]
| location = United Kingdom
| issn = 0967-702X }}
</ref> Despite playing in a well-lit, noisy office, David Upchurch of ''[[The One (magazine)|The One]]'' said the game "[scared] the pants off" him,<ref name=one61 /> and Jeff James of ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' stated that because of the combination of "excellent use of digitized sound" and "Genestealers rendered in sickening purple hue", "More than once I jumped out of my command chair".<ref name="james199309">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=110 | title=Electronic Arts' Space Hulk |magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=September 1993 | access-date=30 July 2014 | author=James, Jeff |page=30}}</ref> A February 1994 survey of space war games in the magazine gave it a grade of B, stating that "graphics are superb and there is gore aplenty", but comparing non-controlled squad members to ''Star Trek'' [[redshirt (character)|redshirt]]s.<ref name="cirulis199402">{{Cite magazine |last=Cirulis |first=Martin E. |date=February 1994 |title=The Year The Stars Fell |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=115 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=94–104}}</ref> A May 1994 survey in the magazine of strategic space games set in the year 2000 and later gave the game three-plus stars out of five, stating that it was "as authentic as you'll find, with great graphics and sound".<ref name="brooks199405">{{Cite magazine
|last=Brooks
|first=M. Evan
|date=May 1994
|title=Never Trust A Gazfluvian Flingschnogger!
|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=118
|magazine=Computer Gaming World
|pages=42–58}}</ref> ''[[CU Amiga Magazine|CU Amiga]]''{{'}}s Tony Dillon believed the game was not for those with "a weak heart",<ref name=cu /> and ''[[Compute!]]''{{'}}s Scott May declared the game "a bug blaster's nightmare come true."<ref name=compute>{{cite journal
| last = May
| first = Scott
|date=January 1994
| title = Reviews: Space Hulk
| journal = [[Compute!]]
| volume = 16
| issue = 160
|page=138
| publisher = Compute Publications International
| location = New York, United States
| issn = 0194-357X }}
</ref> The game further evoked a sense of esprit de corps with its [[Christian monasticism|monastic]]-style briefings, according to ''[[Amiga User International]]''.<ref name=aui>{{cite journal
|date=December 1993
| title = Space Hulk
| journal = [[Amiga User International]]
| volume = 7
| issue = 12
|page=87
| publisher = Croftward
| location = United Kingdom
| issn = 0955-1077 }}
</ref> However, video game journalist Alec Meer remembered the briefings as "one of videogame history's greatest atmosphere-spoilers" for their flat deliveries.<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Meer
| first = Alec
|date=October 2004
| title = Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
| journal = [[PC Format]]
| issue = 166
| publisher = Future Publishing
| location = Bath, United Kingdom
| issn = 0963-5521
| url = http://www.pcformat.co.uk/reviews/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=32492&subsectionid=680
| access-date = 2007-12-06
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080202073940/http://www.pcformat.co.uk/reviews/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=32492&subsectionid=680
| archive-date = 2008-02-02 }}
</ref>
Besides its atmosphere, ''Space Hulk''{{'}}s game mechanics received close attention. [[Lester W. Smith|Lester Smith]] of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' said the video game was an excellent adaptation of its original tabletop form. He praised Electronic Arts for conveying the "bug-hunting experience on its own merits, using the computer's strength", rather than trying to imitate those aspects of the board game.<ref name=dragon214 /> Upchurch, along with Rik Skews of ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'', agreed, pointing out that the electronic version was better off with the concept of Freeze Time than implementing a recreation of dice rolls and sequence of turns found in the board game.<ref name=one61 /><ref name=cvgskews>{{cite journal
| last = Skews
| first = Rik
|date=December 1993
| title = Reviews&mdash;Space Hulk
| journal = [[Computer and Video Games]]
| issue = 145
|page=35
| publisher = [[Dennis Publishing]]
| location = London, United Kingdom
| issn = 0261-3697 }}
</ref> A few reviewers disagreed.  Dee and Jay of ''Dragon'' wanted a "computer game that was faithful to the elements of the board game", and said the video game's design proved too difficult for them; they found controlling five or more Marines in real-time against Genestealers impossible.<ref name=dragon213 /> Similarly, ''[[Amiga Force]]''{{'}}s Mark Smith and Ian Osborne were flustered by having to command several Marines at the same time while they came under sudden attacks from several directions. The Marines' slow speed were another frustration.<ref name=af13 /> Offering another insight, Meer opined the Marines' slow response was integral to the game's atmosphere: made slow and cumbersome by the game's design and interface, the Marines' battles against fast and deadly foes became nerve-wrecking affairs for the player.<ref name=meer /> Likewise, May found the multitasking nature of the game crucial to its intensity.<ref name=compute /> Rob Mead offered an opinion not from a player of the board game in his article for ''[[Amiga Format]]''. He rated the video game "very good, but not brilliant", and suggested it would appeal more to aficionados of the board game because such players tend to appreciate attention to detail, planning, and tactics.<ref name=af52 />
Amiga reviewers had a common grouse: the frequent disk swaps required were tedious.<ref name=af52 /><ref name=gamer /> Regardless, the game's tense atmosphere&mdash;generated by the combination of game mechanics, use of sounds, and artificial intelligence&mdash;provided memorable moments to many reviewers.<ref name=af52 /><ref name=cu /><ref name=one61 /><ref name=dragon214 /><ref name=cvgskews /><ref>{{cite journal
|date=September 1993
| title = Reviews&mdash;Space Hulk
| journal = Computer and Video Games
| issue = 142
|page=93
| publisher = Dennis Publishing
| location = London, United Kingdom
| issn = 0261-3697 }}</ref>  As one of them&mdash;Simon Clays of ''[[Amiga Computing]]''&mdash;put it, ''Space Hulk'' was "a very difficult strategy-cum-3D dungeon-esque title with plenty of action and gripping play."<ref name=gamer>{{cite journal
| last = Clays
| first = Simon
|date=December 1993
| title = Space Hulk
| journal = [[Amiga Computing]]
| issue = 68
| pages =130–131
| location = United Kingdom
| publisher = Europress Impact
| issn = 0959-9630}}
</ref> May said the game offered "demented" violence, but was "irresistibly exhiliarating when the action erupts in nonstop, heartpounding carnage."<ref name=compute /> A decade after the game's release, several reviewers mentioned ''Space Hulk'' as a ''Warhammer 40,000'' video game worthy of praise.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Gillen
| first = Kieron
| author-link = Kieron Gillen
| title = Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Review
| website = [[Eurogamer]]
| date = 2004-09-24
| url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_warhammer40kdawnofwar_pc
| access-date = 2007-12-06 }}
</ref><ref>{{cite web
| last = McNamara
| first = Tom
| title = E3 2004: Warhammer 40k&mdash;Dawn of War
| work = [[IGN]]
| publisher = IGN Entertainment
| date = 2004-05-13
| url = http://pc.ign.com/articles/515/515191p1.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040528115734/http://pc.ign.com/articles/515/515191p1.html
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = May 28, 2004
| access-date = 2007-12-06 }}
</ref><ref>{{cite web
| last = Bemis
| first = Greg
| title = Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior (PS2) Review
| work = [[G4tv.com]]
| publisher = [[G4 Media (TV company)|G4 Media]]
| date = 2004-01-13
| url = http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/46486/Warhammer_40000_Fire_Warrior_PS2_Review.html
| access-date = 2007-12-08
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050307013412/http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/46486/Warhammer_40000_Fire_Warrior_PS2_Review.html
| archive-date = 2005-03-07 }}
</ref> Meer reflected on replaying the game fifteen years after its release, "The panic and terror of facing 90 degrees away from your enemy, and knowing that you can't do a damn thing about it before your lower intestine spills onto your feet, is still something pretty special."<ref name=meer  />
''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, and stated that "if you like a heavy dose of atmosphere and a little strategy mixed in with the action, ''Space Hulk'' delivers."<ref name="NG">{{cite magazine|title=Finals|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=21|publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]]|date=September 1996|page=150}}</ref>
In 1994, ''[[PC Gamer UK]]'' named ''Space Hulk'' the 10th best computer game of all time. The editors considered it uniquely high-quality for a board game adaptation, and wrote that "the tension created as you struggle to keep your group alive against increasingly insurmountable odds is incredible."<ref name=pcgameruktop50>{{cite magazine | author=Staff | magazine=[[PC Gamer UK]] | title=The ''PC Gamer'' Top 50 PC Games of All Time |date=April 1994 | issue=5 | pages=43–56 }}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|3}}
==External links==
*{{moby game|id=/space-hulk|name=''Space Hulk''}}
*{{abime|id=2026}}
{{Warhammer 40,000}}
{{Games Workshop}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Good article}}
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