Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior
Encyclopedia
Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior is a Warhammer 40,000
video game available for the PlayStation 2
and Microsoft Windows
. It was developed by Kuju Entertainment
and was released in October 2003.
The game is a first person shooter, where the player takes the role of a Tau
Fire Warrior (Promoted to Shas'ui halfway through the game) named La'Kais, seeking to rescue his leader and defend his race from the aggressive Imperium of Man
and forces of Chaos.
There is also a multiplayer mode consisting of Deathmatch
, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag
. Eight multiplayer maps are included with the game, Deathmatch having its own, and Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag having their own. Fire Warrior was one of the first PlayStation 2 games to support 8 player games using its broadband
adaptor.
After Kais fails to rescue the Captain, he and several teams of Fire-Warriors are launched, by boarding pod at the Imperial ship. There, he disables the ship's guns and nearly captures the ship's commander, Admiral Constantine. Kais is clubbed on the head by Captain Ardias, however, and is captured.
Ardias brokers a truce between the Imperium and the Tau, and it is revealed that Governor Severus has been seduced by the Powers of Chaos, teleporting a contingent of Word Bearers Chaos Marines onto the ship. They capture the ship's remaining guns, in an attempt to re-start the Imperium-Tau war, but are stopped by Kais's destruction of the guns. Ardias then sets the ship to self-destruct, and Kais escapes via a Dreadnought drop-pod.
Landing in the midst of a ruined Imperial city, Kais fights his way to fellow Tau Fire-Warriors, and learns from Ardias that Severus plans to use an Imperial Titan held in the City. Kais destroys the Titan, enters Severus's fortress, and kills Severus and his daemonic master. The game ends with Ardias ordering that the planet should be destroyed to prevent the taint of Chaos from spreading.
Many adversaries from the Warhammer 40,000 universe are encountered by the protagonist Kais, such as Dreadnoughts, Chaos Space Marines
, Imperial Guard, Daemon princes, and an Imperial Valkyrie.
is called Shas'o Kais. Whether or not this is the same Kais is unconfirmed, as Kais is a recruit in Fire Warrior and the rank of Shas'O approximates to that of general, so a significant amount of time must have passed (32 years for Tau society). Also, at the end of the Fire Warrior novelization, Kais was shown to be in a coma, possibly mentally broken by his experiences fighting the forces of Chaos, though the medics said he may have pulled himself out of this.
Furthermore, Kais is a Tau name meaning 'skillful' (The famed Commander Farsight is mentionned in the tau langage section of the tau codex as being named Shas'O Vior'la Shovah Kais Mont'yr, with all parts of his name explained) so it is unlikely that they are the same Tau.
and Gamespot
. It was described as a let-down "shooter by the numbers" FPS for the PC and ended up with a 5.5 on GameStats, despite its promotional posters claiming "Who needs Halo?". However, IGN gave the PS2 version an 8.1 and the game received a B- from the Play Magazine, along with other decent reviews. The PS2 version was actually better received by critics and fans all around, earning it a 7.1 on Gamestats
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
video game available for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It was developed by Kuju Entertainment
Kuju Entertainment
Kuju Entertainment is an English computer and video game corporation consisting of three studios, two of which are located in the UK: Zoë Mode , Headstrong Games , and one in the Czech Republic: Vatra games...
and was released in October 2003.
The game is a first person shooter, where the player takes the role of a Tau
Tau (Warhammer 40,000)
In the universe of Games Workshop's table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, the Tau Empire is an alien race, inhabiting a small but dense region of space on the eastern edge of the Galaxy, roughly 300 light years in diameter...
Fire Warrior (Promoted to Shas'ui halfway through the game) named La'Kais, seeking to rescue his leader and defend his race from the aggressive Imperium of Man
Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)
The Imperium of Man is a fictional galactic empire of over a million planets that contains the vast majority of humans in the forty-first millennium, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe created by Games Workshop....
and forces of Chaos.
There is also a multiplayer mode consisting of Deathmatch
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
. Eight multiplayer maps are included with the game, Deathmatch having its own, and Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag having their own. Fire Warrior was one of the first PlayStation 2 games to support 8 player games using its broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
adaptor.
Plot
The story takes place over a period of 24 hours. The game begins with Kais's first mission, an attempt to rescue the Ethereal Ko'vash from Governor Severus. He infiltrates Severus's prison-fortress, and escapes with Ko'vash intact. As the Orca dropship begins docking with the Tau Emissary class cruiser, it is attacked by an Imperial Battleship, and boarding pods are launched. Kais then fights a desperate battle against a force of Storm Troopers as they try to disable the cruiser's engines, and assassinate the Captain.After Kais fails to rescue the Captain, he and several teams of Fire-Warriors are launched, by boarding pod at the Imperial ship. There, he disables the ship's guns and nearly captures the ship's commander, Admiral Constantine. Kais is clubbed on the head by Captain Ardias, however, and is captured.
Ardias brokers a truce between the Imperium and the Tau, and it is revealed that Governor Severus has been seduced by the Powers of Chaos, teleporting a contingent of Word Bearers Chaos Marines onto the ship. They capture the ship's remaining guns, in an attempt to re-start the Imperium-Tau war, but are stopped by Kais's destruction of the guns. Ardias then sets the ship to self-destruct, and Kais escapes via a Dreadnought drop-pod.
Landing in the midst of a ruined Imperial city, Kais fights his way to fellow Tau Fire-Warriors, and learns from Ardias that Severus plans to use an Imperial Titan held in the City. Kais destroys the Titan, enters Severus's fortress, and kills Severus and his daemonic master. The game ends with Ardias ordering that the planet should be destroyed to prevent the taint of Chaos from spreading.
Many adversaries from the Warhammer 40,000 universe are encountered by the protagonist Kais, such as Dreadnoughts, Chaos Space Marines
Chaos Space Marines
In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, the Chaos Space Marines or Chaos Marines, are Space Marines who serve the Chaos Gods. They are also referred to as the Traitor Legions, primarily in background material written from the perspective of the Imperium.-History:The background shown in both...
, Imperial Guard, Daemon princes, and an Imperial Valkyrie.
Characters
- La'Kais -- the game's protagonist. The game is Kais's first day of live combat action so the first level is named "Trial by Fire".
- Governor Meyloch Severus—The GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the planet Dolumar IV in the game. Prior to the mission 'No Rest for the Wicked', he was interested in the Tau psyche, disappointed that they did not have any link to the Warp. He aligned himself with the Chaos DaemonDaemon (Warhammer)In the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, the Daemons are malevolent spirits born out of the destructive power called Chaos...
Tarkh'ax, and summoned Word Bearers Chaos marines onto the Imperial battleship. The Chaos marines destroyed the ship, and Severus holed up in his fortress on Dolumar IV, 'The Pit'. Chaos marines under his command also attempted to capture and control an Imperial Titan, but they were foiled when Kais destroyed the sacred machine. When killed by Kais, his corpse was possessed by Tarkh'ax. - Admiral Constantine—The captain of the Imperial ship that attacks the Tau in an attempt to retrieve the Ethereal after Kais rescues him. His boarding force is repelled, and the Tau launch a counter-boarding action, where Kais eventually attacks the bridge and nearly captures the Admiral. He is later taken by Governor Severus and the Word Bearers, and lasts just long enough to give Kais a final warning before he is turned into a Chaos Spawn.
- El'Lusha—The Commander of Kais' force. He guides Kais through the first half of the game. In the novel, he dons a Crisis Suit and his team helps defeat the Daemon for good.
- Aun'el Ko'Vash—The whole reason for the game, the first missions on Dolumar IV are to rescue Ko'Vash.
- Ardias—Captain of the 3rd Company of the Ultramarines Chapter. He saves the Admiral's life when Kais storms the bridge. He negotiates a truce between the Imperials and Tau, where later, he overrides Kais' communications, allowing him to direct Kais through the second half of the game to fight the Chaos incursion. In the novelization, he also fights against Tarkh'ax in the Chaos temple.
Voice actors
- Narrator: Tom BakerTom BakerThomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
- Lusha: Burt KwoukBurt KwoukBurt Kwouk OBE , born Herbert Kwouk, is an English actor of Chinese descent, known for many television appearances and for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films.-Career:...
- Governor Severus: Sean PertweeSean PertweeSean Pertwee is an English actor known for his television, film and voice-over work.-Career:In the early 80s, he auditioned for a place at the Surrey County Youth Theatre where he was cast as Captain Fitzpatrick in the play Tom Jones, based on the novel by Henry Fielding...
- Admiral Constantine: Brian BlessedBrian BlessedBrian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
- Captain Ardias: Peter SerafinowiczPeter SerafinowiczPeter Szymon Serafinowicz is an English actor, comedian, writer, composer, voice artist and occasional director.-Early life:Serafinowicz was born in Liverpool, England. He attended Our Lady of the Assumption Roman Catholic Primary School and St Francis Xavier Secondary School...
- Ko'vash: David YipDavid YipDavid Yip is an English actor.Yip, of Asian and English descent, was born in Liverpool and trained at East 15 Acting School, London...
Novel
In October 2003, Black Library Publishing released a novelization of the game under the same title (Spurrier, 2003). The book explores the plot of the game in much greater detail, as well as a close look at Tau culture.Continuity
The commander of the Tau strike force in Dawn of War: Dark CrusadeWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade is the second expansion to the PC-based RTS game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. Based on Games Workshop's popular tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40,000, Dark Crusade was released on October 9, 2006. The...
is called Shas'o Kais. Whether or not this is the same Kais is unconfirmed, as Kais is a recruit in Fire Warrior and the rank of Shas'O approximates to that of general, so a significant amount of time must have passed (32 years for Tau society). Also, at the end of the Fire Warrior novelization, Kais was shown to be in a coma, possibly mentally broken by his experiences fighting the forces of Chaos, though the medics said he may have pulled himself out of this.
Furthermore, Kais is a Tau name meaning 'skillful' (The famed Commander Farsight is mentionned in the tau langage section of the tau codex as being named Shas'O Vior'la Shovah Kais Mont'yr, with all parts of his name explained) so it is unlikely that they are the same Tau.
Reception
Fire Warrior received mediocre reviews from the majority of the gaming press sites on the PC version, receiving an average score of 6.0 from sites such as IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
. It was described as a let-down "shooter by the numbers" FPS for the PC and ended up with a 5.5 on GameStats, despite its promotional posters claiming "Who needs Halo?". However, IGN gave the PS2 version an 8.1 and the game received a B- from the Play Magazine, along with other decent reviews. The PS2 version was actually better received by critics and fans all around, earning it a 7.1 on Gamestats