For the Emperor! (Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC))

Member Name: Lucius86

Product:	Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC)
Date:	13/05/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great looks, tighter gameplay, RPG elements work brilliantly.

Disadvantages: Long install, wish campaign choices had more impact.

Set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Dawn of War 2 is the sequel to Relic's first Dawn of War, and not only do I find this game better than the original, I rank this as one of the all time best games in the RTS genre.

It is unusual for a sequel to deviate this much in terms of gameplay from a successful title with numerous mission packs, but this is what Relic have done. You take command of a much smaller amount of troops than before, which means you spend more time actually looking after your troops and getting the best use out of them. Also changed is the base building - it's non existant now! Instead the game focuses on wargear for your characters, much like in an MMO like World of Warcraft. During your missions, you will acquire new gear that you can use in future battles, and these not only provide a cosmetic change, but can drastically alter your stats and strategy. With this, coupled alongside being able to spend talent points on your units, means that a force commander can be equipped with high-powered rocket launcher, providing you with a very unique force to take to the battlefield.

This system works, and works so well it made me question is this game really a real-time-strategy, or is it an RPG? True, the view-point is similar to a RTS, but the emphasis on cover for your squads, and each units personal progression draws many more similarities to an RPG. Whatever it is, it's damn fun.

The storyline focuses on the Tyranids attacking a number of worlds, and you have to decide which missions to do. And each mission takes up a certain amount of time in the campaign, which is key as you may have to sacrifice losing a key structure you earlier captured just to help halt the tyranid infestation on another planet. These choices, although maybe not so important as I would have liked, help make the campaign intriguing, exhilarating and actually meaningful. Now how often do you hear that about a RTS???

Multiplayer uses XBox Live matchmaking, and it works pretty well. I managed to get into the games pretty quickly, and you can play any of the four races - eldar, space marines, orks or tyranids. Each army is very unique and require a different play style to maximise their potential.

This game also comes with achievements, the first PC-only game to do so - any 360 games out there will like the extra 1000 gamerpoints!

Overall, I loved this game. Dawn of War was a good game, but Dawn of War 2 is great. Its a beautiful looking, bloody war that you should try out. Work of warning though - the game is deeply tied to Steam, and installation and updates can take several hours!

Summary: This is how sequels should be done. A fantastic addition to the Dawn of War franchise!