Warhammer 40k, Dawn of War II Review (Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC))

Member Name: Crytek

Product:	Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC)
Date:	12/04/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice graphics, micro-management is involving and a new take on RTS for the Warhammer games.

Disadvantages: Hardware requirements, Requires Steam.

The original Dawn of War was your typical RTS style game - expand your base, expand your army and charge youe enemies.

Dawn of War 2 has changed the way you play in the Warhammer universe dramatically. To start with there are only four races, each sporting roughly 10 different units. Compared to the 20 unique units of the original games' 8 races, this is obviously less.

So does this mean that the game is worse? Well that is, of course, a matter of opinion. In the new Warhammer installment you cannot expand your base and your army is limited to a relatviely tiny number, but the micro-management capabilities of all of your units has been greatly expanded and must be exploited in order to beat your opponents.
An example of this is the new cover system, where your units take cover behind "weak", "medium" and "strong" cover, "medium" being inside structures postioned around the maps. Your units require management to survive, no longer are they just disposeable grunts - they are your soldiers and your responsibility.

The graphics have been greatly enhanced, the only issues being the hardware requirements which could be a problem for some. The units all look fantastic (with the exception of some of the Tyranid units when zoomed in closely) and the environments are spot on, brought to life by the advanced lighting and shadow effects.

There have been many negative reviews about the game requiring Steam, a third party program which manages games. If Steam goes down you cannot play, and the newest version if always required. I have personally had no problem with it but many have, so could become problematic.

All in all, this game deserves an 8/10. Fun, action-packed and will last many hours. A wise purchase and an essential one for any Warhammer fan.

Summary: Explosive, action-packed RTS fun. A must for any Warhammer fan.