Loved it!

Space Marine is rock solid. Great graphics, delightfully visceral gameplay, a surprisingly engaging story with endearing characters... And multiplayer I'm actually interested in!? There isn't much bad here; I've read complaints about checkpoints and the "cliffhanger" ending, and I noticed some infequent issues with models getting stuck on world geometry, but it's all so minor in context. The checkpoints could've been laid-out a little more efficiently to reduce time spent running around, but if they were placed any more frequently, the game would've been far too easy; the designers managed to find the right balance of feeling like a total badass while still having to replay the challenging points a few times. Yes, you're going to waste some time, but no, it's not particularly frustrating. The ending isn't a huge cliffhanger, but rather a setup of things to come; the main story is still self-contained and complete. As for the good, many people immediately draw comparisons to Gears Of War, and while I see why they do; Gears is all about finding cover, whereas Space Marine is all about not giving a fuck because you have a chainsword!  Seriously though, Space Marine is such a slick production and a refreshing departure from everything else. It's ridiculously surreal, yet takes itself completely seriously without coming-off as silly. It redefines the beat-'em-up genre while marrying it to the third-person shooter genre with aplomb. Gears is still killer, but Space Marine gives us something genuinely new and exciting. Oh, and the multiplayer: I got into it to earn an achievement for the Great Gift Pile contest on Steam, and ended-up having so much fun I stuck around well after earning the prize! I'm putting it hold for now so I can work on this stack of unplayed games, but I'll be coming back to it, I'm sure.

Speaking of stacks of games, I've picked-up the following on Steam:

• Batman: Arkham City
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
• Crysis: Maximum Edition
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• L.A. Noire
• Sonic Generations
• Star Wars: Knights Of the Old Republic
• Star Wars: Republic Commando

I also won copies of Grotesque Tactics and Portal, as well as a bunch of Steam coupons... I'm so screwed.