Game Review: Dawn of War II

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
9.0 of 10
Platform: Windows
Developer: Relic Entertainment
Publisher: THQ

Buy game from Amazon


Introduction
I'm not that much into RTS (real-time strategy) games. There are a lot of its aspect that I find a bit boring. Accumulating resources, in particular, just gets in the way of jumping right out of the frying pan and into the action. I just find it irksome and uneventful to look for a heavy resource area in the game, secure it and then harvest it, instead of razing my enemies' base with my army. The same case with constructing bases which seems to be more like fillers than an actual game feature. It's a good thing that game developers like Relic Entertainment are reinventing the mechanics of RTS games.

A Force Commander with his gut-wrenching chainsword.

When Relic came out with Dawn of War, 5 years ago, the game was so revolutionary to me. For the most part, it is still comparable to Warcraft or Command & Conquer games. The only thing that separates it from other RTS is its method of accumulating resources. Instead of harvesting food or mining gold, Relic replaced it with point locations -currency generating areas- that players need to capture and hold. Now, Relic returns with a new game, Dawn of War II. This time they pushed the envelope even further by taking out all the unnecessary elements that hampers the fun in RTS games.

Gameplay
Like most RTS games, Dawn of War II is divided into two modes: The multiplayer and the campaign. Unlike most RTS, however, Relic has stripped Dawn of War II of features that might put off a lot of traditional RTS aficionados. Base construction, to my delight, doesn't exist here. You start with one base (with two turrets in multiplayer) on every game. That's it. You don't have to trouble yourself constructing other buildings and a second base anymore. There are also fewer unit choices and less upgrades in this game. All you really need to worry about is how to outmaneuver your enemies.

A rumble in the jungle: Space Marines vs. Tyranids.

I usually don't play multiplayer games but Dawn of War II has goaded me in with its fast paced action. In Dawn of War II, you get to choose from four different races (Space Marines, Eldar, Orks and Tyranids), each with their own unique units and play style. Like with most RTS nowadays, you also get to choose a hero (or commander). All races have three different types of hero with abilties ranging from offensive, defensive, stealth and support. Then, you can either play one on one or a team battle. But if your skills aren't that sharp to handle the big boys, you can always practice on an AI opponent to toughen up.

There are two ways of winning a multiplayer game in Dawn of War II: Annihilation and Victory Points. Annihilation, as much as menacing as it sounds, is actually boring because its too slow. Since the nodes (currency generating points) in the game can be easily taken and lost, the balance of power constantly shifts between you and your opponent. So it's really hard to amass an army large enough to assault an enemy base. Victory point control, however, is much more fun. You (or your team) just need to capture all Victory Points and hold it until the opposing player (or team) run out of points.

One of the campaign's mission maps.

As much as I love the multiplayer, it was the campaign that made me fall in love with this game. The campaign's gameplay is actually a squad tactical RPG (similar to Freedom Force) rather than a RTS. You control a squad of four consisting a Force Commander and another three units of your choosing (Scout, Dreadnought or 3 types of Space Marines). Just like in a RPG, all squad members gain levels and can equip wargears -which are gained either as a reward or dropped by an enemy. Once your squad is ready, you can choose your mission in the planetary map.

Technical
Graphically, Dawn of War II isn't a bad looking game. There are tons of eye candy in here, from the glint coming off from the golden shoulder pads of your Space Marines to the billowing dust clouds following your Dreadnought's wake. The effort spent in the details of this game is as meticulous as one would paint a miniature figure. Speaking of miniature figures, in homage to the Warhammer 40K table-top version, Relic also included an Army Painter in this game. Not really important but it's a nice feature nonetheless. The only thing I didn't like about the visuals is the lack of in-game cinematic and cut scenes.

Paint your armies with the army painter. There are lots of color options, from dried blood to bone grey.

The sounds are also as impressive as the graphics. I love the voice acting in this game because, due to the lack of cinematic, it really captured the fanatical and combat hardened nature of the Space Marines. I especially love hearing Cyrus and Avitus. In fact, one of the reasons that kept me playing is because I wanted to hear them talk. The sound effects, however, outshines (or should I say drowns) the voice acting. From the buzz of the chainsword to the hum coming off the Razorback, the effects are gloriously loud and made me love my new set speakers even more.

Conclusion
Relic outdid themselves this time. I only bought Dawn of War II thinking that it will be more of the same. But what I actually got is an entirely different game, not only to its predecessor but to the entire RTS catalog. The lack of base building here, both in multiplayer and campaign, excited me to no ends because it puts you right into action. The campaign, tweaked into a squad tactical RPG, also offers a different experience from the multiplayer feature. I know that a lot of the changes here will make most die hard RTS fans unhappy. But I say, RTS fan or not, this is a pretty awesome game and every gamer should try it.

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Owned! Pawned!

For two days in a row, I spent my time playing the multiplayer mode of Dawn of War II. Within those two whole days, I've also suffered a losing streak. I've been pawned and owned many times over by the players I've encountered, even the most green. A lot of them were fast and systematic. They knew when to recruit, where to start and how to strike. Although some players were just lucky. But luck still favors the prepared. So, as of right now, Skron80 (my Steam ID and Games for Windows LIVE ID) is probably the ultimate noob in multiplayer Dawn of War II.

It doesn't surprise me though. Since I lean more towards single player role-playing games, I was always bad with online player vs. player (PvP) games. First-person shooter, real-time strategies, you name any sort of PvP and I suck at it. True, I was decent with Counter-Strike and Rogue Spear. But I never really stood out amongst my peers. Starcraft? I only play 4 vs. 4 because, while I'm a fast Zerg player, I had no strategy or micro-managing skills. I was only the cannon fodder, good at delaying opponents while my three team members hatch the big plan. The same can be said about me with Warcraft III. I can't even beat my 13 year-old nephew in this game.


So now comes Dawn of War II, and other RTS made by Relic, which requires a lot of management. Even my friends, who were ardent RTS gamers, were put off by Company of Heroes' tactical and micro management. Although Dawn of War II looks simple on the map (no buildings, less upgrades, fewer units) its complexity lies in strategies, in which I lack. I've seen players with two units beat three of mine because they have the right wargear, tactical position and execution of abilities. During combat, I also noticed that these players pay attention to their units, directing them and moving them constantly out of harm's way.

As for me, I'm trying to come up with some strategies of my my own (I can't find one on the net) and polish my skills by playing against a computer opponent. My goal is to defeat two opponents in hard difficulty before I play online again. But, right now, I can't even defeat one AI on normal difficulty. Looks like I still have a long way to go. Knowing myself, I'll probably quit before I reach my goal. So to any Dawn of War strategist reading this blog: Please take me under your wing and share with my your ultimate stratagems.

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First Impressions: Dawn of War II

I've almost left this blog inactive for a week. That's because I've been playing Dawn of War II, non-stop, ever since I downloaded it from Steam last Saturday. Every time I'm near my computer, I just want to start this game, don my Terminator armor and direct my squads to kill some Eldars, Orks and Tyranids. Yes, it is very addictive and it's hard putting it down. However, for a brief time, I've managed to gather enough willpower to pull myself away from this game and write my initial thoughts about it.

"For the Emperor!"

Since I'm more into single-player games, the first feature I checked was the game's official campaign. Surprisingly, and much to my delight, the campaign's gameplay in Dawn of War II is actually more of a tactical RPG (like Freedom Force) than a real-time strategy. You don't gather resources, construct buildings and raise an army in the campaign. Instead, in each mission, you get a squad of four Space Marines to complete your objectives. These Space Marines, however, can earn experience, gain levels and equip war gears that are randomly dropped in the span of the campaign.

So, yeah, I'm pretty impressed with this game's official campaign. I was just expecting a real-time strategy game but I got more than that, better than that. So that's a good thing. Now, would you excuse me? I need to get back to the game and quell a Tyranid incursion.

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Steaming Snow

Finally, I've been granted a much needed time off from work for 4 straight days. On top of that, it's also the weekends, and coincided with pay day too. So I made plans on how to spend it and, so far, I couldn't complain. Yesterday, I had a haircut, pulled my comics, and ate at Portillo's (got myself a greasy Double Bacon Burger). Today, my plan was to get a copy of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, one of my most anticipated games of this year, and shop for some books and CDs. However, when I woke up this morning, I saw the snow whipping the living daylights out of the day.

Dawn of War II, available on Steam.

But the snow didn't really ruin my day because of online shopping. Yes, thank God for online shopping. I would've been left dejected if I got snowed in, on my 4-day pseudo vacation, without playing Dawn of War II. So, instead of whining about the bad weather, I opened my Steam account, purchased a digital copy of Dawn of War II, and waited for a little less than two hours for the download to finish. It's that simple and fast. Normally, I don't do digital purchases -for the reasons that I like to keep a hard copy of my games (the same goes for all my media). But I needed Dawn of War II, direly. Hence, my first digital purchase of a game.

As for the books and CDs, it was also easy. I just went to Amazon and got them. I already knew what music I wanted, which was Carving Desert Canyons by Scale the Summit. It took me awhile to decide which books to get. But, in the end, I went with The Book of Dead Philosophers and The Next 100 Years. I'll be reading both of these in the next two months. In addition, I also got the hardcover copy of Ayn Rand's Anthem. It is one of my favorite books but I had to donate my copy (a mass market paperback) to make some space for my new library of hardcover books and large paperbacks (see my post here).

Well, that's how I spent day two of my 4-day off. While I won't be able to read books or listen to some new music, at least I'll be able to play Dawn of War II for the next two days. As for the Steam purchase, it was actually a good experience and I might consider of buying my games, digitally, from them.

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Between War and War

The Forever War and Dawn of War II.

I've got exactly 8 days between a war and another war. Dawn of War II is finally coming out next week. Although, before I get behind the keyboard and lay out my stratagems to defeat the aliens and the heretics, I need to finish reading The Forever War first.

I'm not sure about the details within this book, yet, except that it's about the war on Iraq. A lot of people liked this book a lot and, since I haven't read anything on the recent war on Iraq, I decided to ask my aunt for it (as her Christmas present). It's been waiting for me on the top of my drawer since December. It wasn't neglected or anything. I was just busy reading two 900-page books, Anathem and 2666, which I will never read again unless I have a week vacation. But, now, it's this book's turn to be consumed.

But I only have more than a week to finish it, and then it's Dawn of War II. Though this book is only 400 pages long. So, compared to Anathem and 2666, it doesn't seem that much.

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My 9 Most Anticipated Games for 2009

Last year, PC gaming wasn't so good. Well, not to me anyways even though I've played some good titles like Sins of a Solar Empire and Fallout 3. What irked me was the lack of exclusive PC games. I don't want to be greedy or anything but console gamers don't share their games to us. So why can't we do the same?

Anyways, that was yesterday and I don't want to mull over it because 2009 is the year of real-time strategy, and this is the only genre that console gamers can't play (or can't play well yet). So here are my few choice games for this year:

9. Mirror's Edge

One thing about being a PC gamer is that you're not important. So while console gamers got Mirror's Edge last Christmas, I have to wait until this month to play this adrenaline pumping, vertigo inducing and platform jumping game. This game, I think, is much similar to Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth where all you do is run from your enemies while thinking quickly on which way to go next. That was a fun game but Mirror's Edge pushes it to the next level with its kick-ass graphics and dystopian setting.

8. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor

I'm not much into real-time strategy (except for Total War). Mainly, and honestly, because I get bored building bases and mining resources. But Company of Heroes, as well as Dawn of War, changed all that. I just fell in love with its fast and action-packed combat, and its interactive environments which gives the game a lot of tactical depth. I'm not really expecting much from this game, however, except that I'm thrilled and eager to play another of its campaign.

7. Demigod

This game is a combination of real-time strategy, tower defense, and elements of action RPG, much like Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients. But this game will push and break the barrier even more than DotA did. If you're not convinced yet, just know that Chris Taylor (developer of great RTS such as Total Annhilation and Supreme Commander) of Gas Powered Games and Stardock (developer of Sins of a Solar Empire) are handling the reigns of this game.

6. Empire: Total War

The Total War franchise have always been one of my favorite real-time strategy game. From Shogun to Medieval, all games in this series have unprecedented tactical and strategical depth compared to other games of similar ilk. I must admit, however, that I always found Total War's learning curve to be quite hard, and mastering it is near impossible for me. But with Empire's naval battles, I think losing sleep to learn how to play this game will be worth it.

5. Disciples III: Renaissance

I prefer turn-based combat over real-time, and Disciples have always been my preferred turn-based strategy game. What I like about this game is its simplicity. Recruit a hero, give him two or three units (depending on how many he can lead), and let him loose to expand your kingdom. So I'm glad that in Disciples III not much have changed. Although there are only three races to choose from this time, and the graphics is much more stunning.

4. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

I don't know what I can say about this game except that I love this game for the reasons I love Company of Heroes (see above). Although I'm looking forward to see this game's new feature, such as Hero leveling, play its non-linear missions -similar to Total War and Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth- and the Games for Windows Live support.

3. Deus Ex 3

Deus Ex is one of my favorite games of all time. It's a FPS/RPG hybrid with an excellent storyline, cyberpunk theme and a gameplay where one problem can be solved in multiple ways, whether the use of stealth, guile or direct force. So you can't imagine how excited I am to get my hands on this game. Although, as of now, there's not much info about it. Except that its story is set before the first game, where Mechs are still the shit and Nano Augs don't exist yet. Nonetheless, I expect nothing less from Eidos on this one.

2. Alpha Protocol

I love role-playing games. But, unfortunately, most games that are out now have themes of medieval fantasy or science fiction. While I don't have much problems with that I just wish a little bit of change. That's why I'm excited about Obsidian Entertainment's Alpha Protocol. Its contemporary setting, espionage theme and high C4 combat, similar to Mass Effect, is something I really look forward to this year.

1. Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins is a role-playing game developed by BioWare. A spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, as they claim it, the game features pause and play tactical combat, sterling storyline, copious amount of cinematic dialog, and dialog options that can affect the game world. I actually thought that this role-playing game was on its way to being a vaporware when BioWare stopped feeding us news and updates about it. But, after 5 long years of waiting, Dragon Age: Origins is finally going to be released this spring. Now all I have to do is bite my nails until that day.

These are the nine games that I'm looking forward this year. I think most of the games here will be released early (Demigod, Alpha Protocol and Dragon Age will be released this Q1). So that means it'll be a bit easier on the wallet. I can't guarantee if these games will live up to their hype though. But I'm hoping they will.

Happy New Gaming Year!

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