Warhammer 40000: Dawn Of War - Impressive Aggressive RTS (Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (PC))

Member Name: AndyCreighton

Product:	Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (PC)
Date:	25/05/09 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Visuals, Good Story, Requires Aggressive Play

Disadvantages: Storylines For Each Faction Would Have Been Nice

Back when I was 10 I used to collect, build, paint and battle with Warhammer 4000 (nerd alert). So when I heard they were releasing a RTS game based on the 40k universe I was quite intrigued. I love RTSs and I used to love Warhammer 40k, what could go wrong? The answer? Not a lot.

Now while a Warhammer fan would instantly recognise the different between the factions and each unit, the game is quite inviting for new players. With a great tutorial that teaches you the basics of the game and introduces you to several units it wont be too long until you know your Lascannon from your Plasma Pistol.

The game comes with 4 civilisations, the Space Marines, the Eldar, Orks and the Chaos Space Marines. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses and their own individual tech tree, however as the units vary greatly the game ends up slightly unbalanced so its best if you can get online and download the latest patches.

The campaign mode is excellent, it follows the Blood Ravens of the Space Marines as they receive a distress call they discover a sinister plot where all is not what it seems. The story is absolutely engrossing and has many twists and turns. The only problem with the campaign is that its only based around the Space Marines, there are no missions for the other factions. While this isn't that big of a problem it would have been nice to play as the others.

The basic idea of the game is that you start with your HQ and nothing more. After training up a few troops, you can then capture points on the map to supply you with additional resources. This type of play ensures than your leaving the comfort of your main base early on and almost guarantees early battles. This is a smart move by THQ and it works, the whole game usually consists of battles for these strategic points.

DoW looks absolutely excellent. The character models are brilliant and each unit has its own animations. You have the ability to zoom right into the battle and view it from any angle or perspective you wish. Its here that you really see the magic unfold. The death animations are great, as you see your Space Marine rip through the enemy ork with his chainsaw, or the deadly Dreadnought pick up a Chaos Marine and rip him in half, they are truly gruesome and look great. A mention also has to go to he opening animation which is breathtaking, it feels like your watching some Hollywood CGI movie.

Overall Dawn of War is an enjoyable RTS that requires a lot more aggressive play than the likes of Age of Empires or any other collect your resources, build your army, attack sort of RTS. DoW looks great, sounds great and plays great. A Classic.

Andy Creighton

Summary: Great RTS, One Of The Best Made.