The Warhammer 40,000 sequel is similar to the real-time strategy you may have played just a few years ago, but don't think you know whats in store this time around. Many changes mean this is a similar looking, but very different game.
The Intro videos are great, without needing to show lengthy introductions, the short clips deliver the wider storyline and individual battle levels quite well. With on screen instructions so you can start a new game and get straight into the action. With the usual command & conquer style view you command the troops with a birds eye view of the theater with typical mouse point-and-click selection, movement and deployment. If you have played the original, you'll quickly notice the emphasis is on individual troop tactics rather than base building. In fact, there are no bases to build in the game.
You're deployed into the battlefield with a specific task and a handful of troops with different weapons and skills. Putting the right troops into the right spot is paramount in firefights. There is cover spead out everywhere and buildings you can occupy when you make every attempt to gain ground towards the latest objective. When troops are hiding or in large groups, select troops carrying grenades to disperse the crowd or the objects blocking the volley of bullets fired by your heavy gunners.
Selecting the right soldiers for the job is important. A mission might take a few attempts with a different starting line, plus the occasional small reinforcements, to beat a level. Completely different weapons and tactics might be needed for the next level. Selecting which mission is also important. Which direction to attack from, or planet to attack on the command screens as well as which objectives on the battlefront can give different outcomes to the game. Once you have selected your next mission, choose four squads while trying to determine what equipment you will need.
In the battle you gain experience, abilities and the occasional bonus when you kill or with the many crates scattered about witch are shot then clicked on with the mouse to uncover the reward. Determining what enemies are ahead and organize your troops accordingly.
Dawn of War II uses the Essence Engine 2, its predecessor was used for the Company of Heroes games. The graphics are colorful and it's easy to identify what your looking at, or for. Some screens are plain and not necessary such as the three ships in space seen between levels.
The recordings sometimes blend together making some voice instructions and narration hard to hear and sometimes lacking but that is typical battlefield expectations and the flow of the game makes it easy to follow on through.
Online skirmish options are available for multiplayer play using the Games for Windows - Live service. Select a faction and a commander and choose one of two game modes. In Annihilation mode you destroy the enemy troops and bases on the battlefield, and Control Point Victory mode is a capture the flag style game where capturing the victory points on the map until your opponent has 0 points and is defeated. The game also features a co-op mode.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is a familiar genre with a rather simple gameplay process that most gamers would have seen before. It was rather bold to remove the base building gamers would expected when opening the box, but this to a completely newcomer to the series will be an easier to follow title that will entertain for a short while. Worth buying if you've played the original, worth buying if your a fan of the real-time strategy games.
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