Dawn of War 2 - Excellent Sequel...Aside From the Bugs

The Warhammer 40,000 universe has always had a strong potential for gaming, but it was never truly realised until Dawn of War was released back in 2004. Dawn of War II sees the popular title developed into a different type of RTS from its predecessor albeit with the original developers (Relic) and publishers (THQ) still in place. In Dawn of War II genuine strategy on the battlefield is the key to victory...

The single player campaign is engaging and expansive, taking your Blood Raven Space Marines across multiple star systems. You must face down the three enemy races of the Orks (barbaric warmongers of the green-skinned variety), Eldar (highly advanced ancient descendents of elves) and the Tyranids (horrific alien horde intent on devouring everything). Your various squads all serve different purposes and it's up to you to work out which squads are best suited to deal with the mission you've undertaken. Much like an RPG, your characters progressively gain experience during the campaign which can be spent on improving skills and developing special abilities. The storyline works well within the universe and the character voice acting is convincing, however, several of the missions soon become repetitive and predictable (defend power generators/kill boss). On the plus side, however, you do have the option to hook up with a friend and go through the campaign in co-op mode; pitting two strategy orientated humanoid brains against the alien menace.

Alternatively, you can go up against thousands of players around the globe or the computer's A.I. in Multiplayer Mode. Multiplayer gameplay is thoroughly enjoyable and addictive, especially if you're a fan of the universe. Live achievements, leader-boards and a TrueSkill ranking system all give you targets to strive for and constantly improve your strategy. There's three modes to try including Head to Head, 2v2 and 3v3, so the replayability is tremendous.

If undertaking this challenge it's essential that you familiarize yourself with the game's four races so you're aware of all their strengths and weaknesses. You're given the option of choosing one of three commanders for each race, each fulfilling a different role (aggression, defence, stealth etc) that will help to determine what type of strategy you employ. One of the biggest changes from the original game is the omission of expandable bases, which have been replaced with an un-upgradeable command centre. This base point is responsible for unit spawning and moving up the technology levels whilst squads and commanders are upgraded on the battlefield. These changes, along with the population cap, now make it impossible to just box yourself in a well defended fortress base and build up a monstrous army to crush your opponent with.

Power generators and requisition points have to be captured at various strategic points on the map to increase your resources so expect constant skirmishes to get a foothold on the map. Cover such as barricades, foliage and debris plays a crucial role in fire-fights and melee tear-ups as it gives defensive bonuses. Squads can also enter buildings for advantages (heavy cover/elevated position) and disadvantages (one well thrown explosive and it's limb stew). Units can be suppressed by enemy fire, causing them to take large damage and slow down considerably, being rendered virtually ineffective. Taking these factors into consideration it's imperative you use the map to your advantage at all times as one mistake can cost you the game - which is won via victory point control or the destruction of the enemy's base.

The game is powered by the Essence Engine 2.0 which works effectively, brining the many individual characters to life and then putting them to death in the heat of battle with detailed animations. The graphics are of a high quality, however, there are still ongoing problems with the fabled 'Ultra' settings and many users have reported overheating GPU problems. This leads to the game's downside, as although it's a great game, it's plagued with bugs. Insane unit behaviour, constantly changing imbalances and in-game exploits are just a few of the many niggles Dawn of War II suffers from. Relic has been working hard to eradicate the problems with the resolve and dexterity of an embittered pest-exterminator, yet for all the patches (a major one, There is Only War, recently moved the game to 1.5) various problems still persist. But with a steady flow of new content and future expansions, once the last bug has been splattered across silicon hell, this game will stand as one of the strongest 40K based game thus far and an engrossing and addictive RTS to boot.