History VideoGame / FireWarrior

* TheJuggernaut: Space Marines can survive almost 20 times the amount of gunfire a basic Imperial Guardsman can (it takes 21 laspistol shots or nearly 80 autogun rounds to bring one down), and their standard weapon is functionally a semi-auto antipersonnel rocket launcher, while still being as quick and maneuverable as any other enemy type despite their heavy armor. Fortunately, you'll usually have access to heavy weapons to take them on; a couple direct grenade hits or 4-5 shots from their own Bolters should do them in.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The bolter is this; it is the series' iconic weapon for a reason, being a semi-automatic antipersonnel explosive launcher. As implemented in this game, it is also frustratingly slow-firing and inaccurate, especially when combined with the game's wonky hitboxes on enemies. There is some [[JustifiedTrope justification]] for this, considering a Fire Warrior isn't likely to be able to wield a bolter scaled for [[PowerArmor armoured]] [[SuperSoldier Astartes]] ergonomics with much grace. When faced with tougher enemies like Chaos Space Marines, the plasma rifle or rail gun are much more effective due to their better accuracy.

* ObviousBeta: The PC version has some downgraded effects/menus from the [=PS2=] version and more general bugs; such as enemy dialogue repeating more, the sword not actually being in Kais' hand properly among other issues.

* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Averted but not inverted. Kinetic and Energy weapons are spread over the power scale pretty much randomly. Played relatively straight with the [[MagneticWeapons Rail Rifle]], which is a de facto EleventhHourSuperpower that handily outperforms every other weapon in most circumstances (it can even kill a Daemon Prince in just 4 headshots). The autogun(an [=M16=] assault rifle in all but name) also outperforms the Imperium's lasrifle, but not the Tau Pulse Rifle.

* EasterEgg: Looking at the screens on the Battle-Barge shows that they're displaying a Windows 95 Blue Screen of Death error.

* EliteMooks: Storm Troopers start appearing about an hour or so into the game, and are an upgrade from the basic Guardsmen in every way. They have 2-3 times as much health, and are more likely to wield assault rifles or shotguns, which hit more consistently than lasrifles and are quite effective at suppressing your shield regeneration.

* TheAntiNihilist: Shas'el Lusha, Kais' immediate superior and mentor shows himself to be one of these late in the novel. He finally breaks etiquette and explains the unthinkable to Kais: that The Greater Good does not really exist, and the Tau will never achieve it fully. However, he says the important thing is the reaching for ideal, not the attainment of it, and just trying is an ennobling thing in itself.

* InferredHolocaust: Invoked by one of the Tau Air Caste captains during a space battle with an Imperial fleet. He wonders how the "gue'la" manage to cope with the complexity of space battles without the aid of artificial intelligence like what the Tau use, reasoning that they compensate by shear numbers of manpower. This causes him to realize that every missile impact he makes on one of their ships is killing thousands of people. He finds it a sobering thought.

* MeleeATrois: In the last 3rd of the game, Governor Severus summons a warband of Chaos Space Marines to wreck havok aboard the Imperial flagship and the colony below. However, said Chaos Marines don't actually seem to be aligned with Severus' personal guard (who are also hostile to you), and will happily slaughter them just as eagerly as they do the Imperial loyalists and Ultramarines. Granted, that sort of behavior is pretty par for the course for Chaos.

* MightyGlacier: Chaos Obliterators (basically a Space Hulk Terminator on demonic steroids) are walking tanks that duel-wield an autogun and a plasma gun and take about a dozen railgun shots to bring down, but lack the speed or maneuverability of regular Chaos Space Marines.

* SceneryGorn: One of Fire Warrior's strong points is one of the best on-screen depictions of ''[[EarthShatteringKaboom Exterminatus]]''.

* [[ASpaceMarineIsYou A Fire Warrior Is You]]: A [[SilentProtagonist mute]] PoweredArmor-wearing [[NewMeat rookie]] taking orders from a VoiceWithAnInternetConnection to shoot up [[HumansThroughAlienEyes "aliens"]] in [[NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom narrow corridors]]? Yep, it's all there.
* [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Anti-Hero with Good Publicity]]: [[spoiler:Despite Kais' dad being a completely and utter son of a bitch in reality, as Lusha reveals, having once shot a subordinate for a relatively minor offense and generally being a BadBoss, the Tau public at large have a very idealized view of him as a heroic figure due to the Water Caste media editing out any depiction of him as such for, presumably, propaganda reasons.]]

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking:
** Imperial Sergeants have about 4 times the amount of health as regular Guardsmen, and wield a Laspistol in one hand and a chainsword in the other. Stormtrooper Sergeants aren't noticeably tougher than Guardsmen Sergeants, but upgrade from the Laspistol to a plasma pistol.
** When you fight him on the bridge, Admiral Constantine takes almost as many hits as a Space Marine before he surrenders, and he's armed with a plasma pistol and backed up by 4 Space Marines (two of them Sergeants) and several shotgun-wielding conscripts.
** Governor Severus fights you with a plasma rifle and has 4-5 times as much health as a Chaos Space Marine, despite being an ordinary human, solely because he's the BigBad. He's still a fairly easy fight (largely because you have the high ground), essentially being a TrickBoss before the real FinalBoss fight with the Lord of Change.

* BeginnersLuck

** At several points in the game, you overhear Imperial communications talking about enemies 'coming out of the walls' that 'aren't ours or Tau', foreshadowing [[spoiler: the presence of Chaos forces]].

* HeroicBSOD: Kais gets this a lot and in the end is a complete wreck.

** A literal example. Daemonic possession requires that a sentient have an excess of emotion, some kind of fear or desire that a daemon can latch onto, a chink in the mental armor through which it can worm its influence into them. [[spoiler: The attempt to turn Aun'El'Kovash into a daemonhost fails because his emotions are in perfect balance, with each emotion checked by every other, and there is nowhere in his mind that a daemon can find purchase to invade and take him over.]]
** The Tau race in general are difficult to [[spoiler:corrupt with Chaos, since their weak connection with the warp leaves little psychic presence. Khorne can only influence Kais because he's just a little bit too into this whole "Fire Warrior" thing, making his relatively dim presence in the warp just bright enough to catch the Ruinous Powers attention, and even then he doesn't lose rational thought or start mutating like most Chaos followers.]]

* TheGoomba: Blue-suited Imperial Guardsmen are the weakest enemies in the game, going down after a few shots and being armed with horribly inaccurate lasrifles.

* LimitedLoadout: the player is able to use two weapons and the bonding knife, but one of those weapons (The standard-issue Pulse Gun) cannot be replaced except with another Tau weapon (you cannot carry two human weapons at once), forcing the player, in practice, to drop any human gun they find to get another one for the first hour or so of the game. This often means you're unable to hold onto heavy weapons like the Laspistol, sniper rifle, plasma rifle, or Bolter, as you ''need'' to use those dropped Lasrifles or Autoguns because you don't get enough ammo for your Pulse Gun to get through the mission using it alone.
* LeeroyJenkins: Governer Severus employed the Raptors chapter of Space Marines to capture Aun'El Ko'vash on the basis that they were a chapter know for being risk-takers almost to the point of recklessness and were not given to second guessing their missions. [[JustifiedTrope Keep in mind]] that Space Marines are famous for making the LeeroyJenkins tactic actually work most of the time. The Raptors just happen specialize in it. The funny thing? [[CharacterizationMarchesOn Later information]] from Games Workshop and ''TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}}'' turn the Raptors into a whole chapter of CombatPragmatist.

* MissionControlIsOffItsMeds: Or rather, it ''hates'' you. When [[SpaceMarine Ardias]] takes over for your MissionControl. Most of the time he keeps his xenophobia reeled in for the sake of the mission, but during the "blow up the [[HumongousMecha titan]]" level he can't go two minutes without calling you and the whole Tau race sniveling weaklings. He mostly seems to be annoyed you're a puny {{Muggle}} and not as fast as a Space Marine.

* ObviousBeta: The PC version has some downgraded effects/menus from the [=PS2=] version and more general bugs. (Enemy dialogue repeating more, The sword not actually being in Kais hand properly among othe issues.)

* TeamKiller: A scene present only late in the novel taking place on the bridge of a Warlord Titan in the midst of it's awakening rituals in it's hanger. [[spoiler:The bridge is packed full of heretic Astartes, there to witness the coming slaughter as they forcibly take control of the previously inactive Titan. Kais enters the room and darts around the Astartes' legs, where they're too packed in to fight effectively or coordinate. A Khorne berserker present keeps trying to swat down the annoying xenos with his chain axe, getting only more enraged with each miss. By the time he realizes Kais is out of sight, the rest of the heretics are dead at his feet. Kais then shoots him.]]

* ObviousBeta: The PC version has some downgraded effects/menus from the PS2 version and more general bugs. (Enemy dialogue repeating more, The sword not actually being in Kais hand properly among othe issues.)

All in all, it was a pretty mediocre game, [[SoOkayItsAverage meeting with average reviews.]] Developed for Playstation 2 and PC, it shows its age, displaying many of the hallmarks and limitations of 6th generation console FPS games. Unlike the later ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' series, developed by RTS veterans Relic, ''Fire Warrior'' was made by the relatively unknown and inexperienced Kuju Entertainment (who would go on to make the ''VideoGame/BattalionWars'' games). It isn't a bad game by any means -- it's quite fun in places -- just totally forgettable. The [[{{Novelization}} book based on the game]] however is pretty well liked, going more in detail about the Tau culture, mindset and giving the main character a backstory. Also notably, the Tau commander of the Dawn of War expansion Dark Crusade is called "Shas'O [[NamesTheSame Kais]]", with developers heavily implying it's the same man (well, xenos).

* VoiceOfDramatic: [[SoOkayItsAverage Say what you like]] about the game, but at the very least it gave us a trailer of Creator/TomBaker declaring "It is the 41st Millennium... and there is '''only WAR'''"

* AwesomeButImpractical: The bolter is this; it is the series' iconic weapon for a reason, being a semi-automatic antipersonnel explosive launcher. As implemented in this game, it is also frustratingly slow-firing and inaccurate, especially when combined with the game's wonky hitboxes on enemies. There is some [[justification JustifiedTrope]] for this, considering a Fire Warrior isn't likely to be able to wield a bolter scaled for [[PowerArmor armoured]] [[SuperSoldier Astartes]] ergonomics with much grace. When faced with tougher enemies like Chaos Space Marines, the plasma rifle or rail gun are much more effective due to their better accuracy.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The bolter is this; it is the series' iconic weapon for a reason, being a semi-automatic antipersonnel explosive launcher. As implemented in this game, it is also frustratingly slow-firing and inaccurate, especially when combined with the game's wonky hitboxes on enemies. When faced with tougher enemies like Chaos Space Marines, the plasma rifle or rail gun are much more effective due to their better accuracy.

* [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Anti-Hero with Good Publicity]]: [[spoiler:Despite Kais' dad being a completely and utter son of a bitch in reality, as Lusha reveals, having once shot a subordinate for a relatively minor offense and generally being a BadBoss, the Tau public at large have a very idealized view of him as a heroic figure due to the Water Caste media editing out any depiction of him as such for, presumably, propaganda reasons.]] There's a reason they call Tau [[FanNickname Blue Space Communists]]...

* ShortRangeLongRangeWeapon: Spread in this game is absolutely horrendous for every weapon but the Rail Rifle and Plasma Rifle. Common weapons like bolters and lasguns will require several shots to obtain one hit even with the crosshair squarely on the target at ranges as short as 10 meters.

* NotSoDifferent: The novel plays with this several times.

** The Greater Good and Imperial Creed are both presented as unattainable ideals that one is [[ImpressiveFailure simultaneously expected to fail at and do your level best to live up to.]]

* MissionControlIsOffItsMeds: Or rather, it ''hates'' you. When [[SpaceMarine Ardias]] takes over for your MissionControl. Most of the time he keeps his xenophobia reeled in for the sake of the mission, but during the "blow up the [[HumongousMecha titan]]" level he can't go two minutes without calling you and the whole Tau race sniveling weaklings.

* MightyGlacier: Chaos Obliterators (basically a Space Hulk Terminator on demonic steroids) are walking tanks that duel-wield an autogun and a plasma gun and can take over 3 times as much damage as a regular Chaos Space Marine, but lack the speed or maneuverability of regular Chaos Space Marines.

* DamageSpongeBoss: The Chaos Spawn and the Lord of Change can both soak a startling amount of damage from heavy weapons, considerably more than anything else in the game (in comparison, a Dreadnought can be taken out with a few railgun shots to each arm, and even a Daemon Prince can be killed with just 4 railgun headshots).

* ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge: The Heavy Stubber stands out for being a bog-standard assault rifle ripped straight out of a contemporary FPS in a galaxy full of [[EnergyWeapon Energy Weapons]] and micro-RPG launchers. There's also the shotgun, which is surprisingly dangerous for how low tech it is. In fact a trio of Storm Troopers armed with shotguns can kill you more often than an entire level of Guardsmen armed with lasrifles.

* HandCannon: The Laspistol packs a surprising punch, killing Guardsmen with just 2 torso shots or 1 headshot. However, it only holds 6 charges per mag, and ammo for it is more scarce than for the Lasrifle or Stubber. There's also the plasma pistol used by Tech Priests; it fires a huge energy projectile that kills most basic enemies in one shot and can even take out a Space Marine in 5 or so shots.

* TheJuggernaut: Space Marines can survive almost 20 times the amount of gunfire a basic Imperial Guardsman can (it takes 21 laspistol shots or nearly 80 autogun[=/=]stubber rounds to bring one down), and their standard weapon is functionally a semi-auto antipersonnel rocket launcher, while still being as quick and maneuverable as any other enemy type despite their heavy armor. Fortunately, you'll usually have access to heavy weapons to take them on; a couple direct grenade hits or 4-5 shots from their own Bolters should do them in.

* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Averted but not inverted. Kinetic and Energy weapons are spread over the power scale pretty much randomly. Played relatively straight with the [[MagneticWeapons Rail Rifle]], which is a de facto EleventhHourSuperpower that handily outperforms every other weapon in most circumstances (it can even kill a Daemon Prince in just 4 headshots). The stubber (an [=M16=] assault rifle in all but name) also outperforms the Imperium's lasrifle, but not the Tau Pulse Rifle.

* LimitedLoadout: the player is able to use two weapons and the bonding knife, but one of those weapons (The standard-issue Pulse Gun) cannot be replaced except with another Tau weapon (you cannot carry two human weapons at once), forcing the player, in practice, to drop any human gun they find to get another one for the first hour or so of the game. This often means you're unable to hold onto heavy weapons like the Laspistol, sniper rifle, plasma rifle, or Bolter, as you ''need'' to use those dropped Lasrifles or Stubbers because you don't get enough ammo for your Pulse Gun to get through the mission using it alone.

*** On the tabletop, "Rapid Fire" is lenient, often meaning "a semi-automatic gun in an expert's hands". Furthermore, the video game bolter's reduced fire rate is justified by the Tau being relatively small creatures who aren't accustomed to high-recoil slugthrowers.

* TheJuggernaut: Space Marines can survive over 10 times the amount of gunfire that a basic Imperial Guardsman can (it takes 21 laspistol shots to kill one, compared to just 2 shots to kill a Guardsman), and their standard weapon is functionally a semi-auto antipersonnel rocket launcher, while still being as quick and maneuverable as any other enemy type despite their heavy armor. Fortunately, you'll usually have access to heavy weapons to take them on; a couple direct grenade hits or 4-5 shots from their own Bolters should do them in.

* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Averted but not inverted. Kinetic and Energy weapons are spread over the power scale pretty much randomly. Played relatively straight with the [[MagneticWeapons Rail Rifle]], which is a de facto EleventhHourSuperpower that handily outperforms every other weapon in most circumstances. The stubber (an [=M16=] assault rifle in all but name) also outperforms the Imperium's lasrifle, but not the Tau Pulse Rifle.

* LimitedLoadout: the player is able to use two weapons and the bonding knife, but one of those weapons (The standard-issue Pulse Gun) cannot be replaced except with another Tau weapon (you cannot carry two human weapons at once), forcing the player, in practice, to drop any human gun they find to get another one for the first hour or so of the game. This often means you're unable to hold onto heavy weapons like the Laspistol, sniper rifle, or Bolter, as you ''need'' to use those dropped Lasrifles or Stubbers because you don't get enough ammo for your Pulse Gun to get through the mission using it alone.