Yes, they were talking about the feeling. They'll have parrying, blocking, etc from Dark Souls; and the weight and animation of Space Marine.
Sorry, but if you directly kick the blade of a chainsword, power weapon, etc., I don't really care if you're wearing ceramite armor or not; weapon beats foot, and your new name is Stumpy.
Do you think military martial arts, from using bayonets to stomping someone to death is overly complicated? all of them share the same characteristics; simple, effective, quick and lethal. That's it, Hollywood has done so much harm presenting a false sense of what melee combat is. Space Marine melee, from the tactical up to the assault, is what i would expect from a SM, powerful and overwhelming. Nothing fancy or complicated. Have any of you guys done some form of contact sports that is not oriental?
Yeah, Hollywood has done so much harm! Now people don't even want or expect realistic melee in their grimdark space warfare simulators. Madness. Hmm, half of these ranged weapons seem to have been produced from Hollywood sci-fi flights of fancy rather than -actual- science. Some are clearly overly complicated. The devs should toss them out in favour of realistic weapons. Have any of you ever even gone to a shooting range? (My apologies, but arguments to reality and against "hollywood" in such a fanciful setting that frankly gives zero fucks about reality are highly amusing, and I could not contain myself.)
Firstly, if you think oriental martial arts aren't designed to kill quickly and with minimal effort/risk then you've not explored them in much detail. Secondly, what Unahim said. This is 40K. It's Superhero Fight Scenes except the Superheros actually kill each-other, and have weaponised chainsaws. Astartes/Traitors should be parrying and grappling before ramming the chainsword/powersword into someone's gut. The Orcs should be less fancy than that baseline, all powerful overhead chops, using their ridiculous strength to just hack people to pieces. Eldar, obviously, should be doing the ridiculous blade-ballet stuff, flipping over opponents and dodging like crazy ninja aliens (also, should be aaaall in the alphastrike - Banshee Screams, Scorpion's Stings, etc). It doesn't have to be based on WW1 bayonet drills to fit the gritty nature of the setting - hell, the only group in 40K who do use bayonet combat are the guard, who's chances in CQC against anyone short of the Tau are basically nil.
It is, although developed in a time when fire-arms weren't prevalent. I have spent more than half my life in martial arts, just stopped recently due to studying and working. However, you would expect a SM or similar to use techniques more akin to Systema or Krav maga. More modern ones if you will with attention to firearms. That is the point firearms changed the way we engaged in close quarters. Unless they duel, that is something else, but duel techniques rarely were ever seen on a battlefield.
Actually lore-wise Space Marines don't fight in a fanciful and over the top way like in Hollywood, extremely brutal and straight for the kill. Which is what you would expect from something like an SM. For the other races combat isn't portrayed as over the top either. A melee ends up with dozens dead on both ends, and a ton of wounds for the survivors, just like such brutal and close combat would be. A simplistic and more "realistic" take would aid in presenting the factions and its components as "professional" soldiers, give them a more gritier and down to earth feel. Which is the elements that people like about 40k, it isn't a dumb ballerina dodging everything all the time and kicking everyones ass. If the Hollywood take of turning it fancy would help to portray 40k better, i would vote for it. But it doesn't.
The thing is, modern firearms aren't really anymore relevant to 40K warfare than medieval techniques are to modern warfare. Space Marines are seven-eight feet tall (depending on source) genetically engineered supersoldiers that wear powered exo-suits plated with tank armour and whom are capable of surviving multiple hits from fully automatic armour piercing grenade launchers. Ork Boyz are similarly fearsome, and whilst lacking the armour are just as strong as a Marine wearing his. Both are quite capable of surviving incapacitating wounds in the long term with minimal if any medical care. The Adeptus Astartes Chapters are not units of commandos, they are knightly orders. They are well capable of advancing under heavy fire to engage in melee combat should they choose, even without the Jetpack. The fact is, three of the four races present in Eternal Crusade are capable of shrugging off repeated hits from weapons that will literally turn a Guardsman into unrecognisable mulch. And the other one is capable of moving so swiftly that a baseline human can't keep track of them. Krav Maga, Systema, etc are likely to be antecendants of the martial arts employed by Imperial Stormtroopers, who don't stand a snowball's chance in hell in CQC against the Astartes, Waagh or Aspect Warriors. They do fight in a fanciful and over-the-top way, just not like a John Woo movie. Against similarly adept opponents they smash eachother through scenery, rip limbs off and shove running chainswords into the vital organs because that much gross damage is the only way to kill an Ork or Space Marine. The Eldar are the only race liable to fight "John Woo style" and that's purely because they are capable of doing that crap without wires, and presumably have a detailed enough knowledge of enemy anatomy and capability for precision movement that they can take advantage of destroying specific, vital, anatomy - the 40k equivalent of pressure points. Or be a Striking Scorpion who just does the gross damage thing, but with more style.
The thing those modern military martial arts have in common is what they have in common with SM and any other military techniques developed in 40k. Straight to the neck brutal overwhelming lethal force (precise and simple blows and movements designed to render anything useless). As you said they don't bother much in dodging, they just ram their huge masses alongside their fellows into the pressed formations of the enemy, (SM vs Orks etc). They will direct stabs directly to crippling points, not wait for a flourish or anything. More than anything they would resemble butchers, not fancy or overly complicated techniques. Kill in the most effective way possible. When sparring or even fighting you read continuously how they do this, they are butchers, killers, not fancy warriors. Ergonomics should play a huge part in rendering how they fight. Like sword fighting, in films you see many times how they lock swords to engage in some conversations, which is utter bullshit.
