Warhammer 40,000 Boltgun 2 Takes the Ultraviolent ‘90s FPS to the Great Outdoors | IGN Preview

Warhammer 40K was always such a natural pairing with what has come to be called the "boomer shooter" – these crunchy, nostalgic celebrations of ‘90s mayhem that take notes from the likes of old-school Doom, Quake, and Rise of the Triad. The original Boltgun was one of those team-ups that seems so obvious in retrospect that I was almost mad I didn't think of it myself. With Boltgun 2, the couple of levels I played show a desire to evolve a bit beyond those templates, though. It still has the look and feel of all the blood-drenched classics, while dialing up the scope and expanding the environments and character roster. Like its predecessor, Boltgun 2 brings the grimy, oppressive reality of the 42nd Millennium to life with a readable, pixelated style that evokes the essence of it in a way that even the most hyperrealistic renditions like Space Marine 2 struggle to match. This art style just works for the chunky weapons, madcap enemies, and hostile environments so that it doesn't feel like a gimmick or a compromise. It feels like undiluted 40K. And it's impressive how much personality and detail they've packed into some of these low-res heretics. The biggest change this time around is