The Space Marine Facebook Page announces a playable demo for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will be released next week for this upcoming third-person action/RPG, with the Windows and Xbox 360 demo expected on August 23 and the PlayStation 3 edition to follow the next day. They also explain how those who preorder the game will get early access this week: "Players who have pre-ordered the digital PC version of Space Marine through Steam will receive an exclusive early access period starting on the 18th of August, running through the weekend. Steam will also be running a Warhammer 40,000 bundle sale at a very special rate during the same period. Check out STEAM for more details." There's also this opportunity to get the demo 24 hours early: "Space Marine ‘Honour Guard’ community members will also get the chance to play the demo early on August 22nd, 24 hours prior to the public launch. For more information on how to sign up to get the demo visit http://www.spacemarine.com/user/register and make sure you have registered with the Honour Guard." Here's the outline what this sample of the game will offer:

The Space Marine demo features two very different areas of the game. The first pits the player against an Ork horde outside the gates of a munitions factory. Armed with six devastating weapons, including the iconic bolter and lethal chainsword, the player will get to experience Space Marine’s seamless mix of melee and ranged combat first hand as they take on the rampaging invaders. The second area gives players a taste of the exhilarating Jump Pack sequences where the game’s hero—Captain Titus—takes to the skies to rain death from above.