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Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

• By Andrew Dagley
• April 01, 2009 15:08 PM PST
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War Games

While just about all of the changes are positive, there are still some disappointments, the largest of which is that once again only the Space Marines are given a campaign. It makes sense considering their widespread appeal but I would have liked to have seen a campaign for the Eldar, whose involvement in things is pretty well fleshed out, and the Tyranids. (Sorry Ork fans, they're mainly props that push for the real action forward.) The campaign also recycles maps over multiple missions-in many cases you'll comb over the same map multiple times, especially if you decide to take on a lot of side missions. That said, Dawn of War II's campaign is by far the best in the series so far, and one of the best designed I've seen in any RTS.

Combat itself is also much improved over the last rendition and to a great extent borrows and improves on the elements present in Company of Heroes. The use of cover and suppression fire elevates the gameplay above the standard RTS concept of drowning your enemy in waves of disposable units. With only four squads available -- this equates to about a dozen Space Marines in total ---the focus has been shifted dramatically towards actual combat tactics. Where resource management and expansion is often the critical factor in most RTS games, DoW II's focus is on squad tactics and how you use their special abilities. Because you only have a limited number of units at your disposal -- downed units are only lost for the current mission and rejoin your forces later-tactics become key. Rather than throw units at your enemy's base, you have to use your Devastator Space Marines to set up a base of fire and suppress the enemy while Assault Marines jump into the midst of them and engage them in melee combat. It is a satisfying change of pace from the last game, where combat was far more simplistic and much more tied to resources. Though some will undoubtedly find this change to be a negative, it definitely works. Also, gamers who don't find the regular RTS formula enticing will appreciate it as well.

For the Glory!

Besides the main campaign, Dawn of War II has also has fairly robust skirmish and multiplayer modes. In contrast to the original, this time there are only six maps in total evenly divided between two and six player varieties. Much like the single-player campaign Relic has also changed up much of the focus in multiplayer as again almost all of the base building aspects have been removed in favor of gameplay that favors tactics and expert handling of individual units. The familiar resource methods are still in use however, with requisition, power, and victory nodes still in play; multiplayer matches feel very much like Company of Heroes, where territory is held less by static defenses and more by well placed units such as Devastator squads armed with heavy bolters that can suppress an area.

I have no doubt that Dawn of War II will be remembered fondly in the years to come. Relic has helped push the RTS genre into new directions and their latest effort represents the culmination of their work so far. Some gamers will no doubt hate the new direction they've taken but the game is much improved and definitely deserves its fair share of love. While it still early, I wouldn't hesitate to nominate it for PC Game of the Year honors come December.

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