Updated on the 10/07/09 to include technical aspects and both multiplayer modes.
Singleplayer -
The attraction of a power armoured marine from space carrying enough firepower to tear sizeable holes through buildings and rather miffed xenos of irregular sizes is an attractive prospect for many gamers. Controlling, customizing and using with tactical and strategic precision several squads of such super soldiers should therefore be a delight orders of magnitude higher than many RTS and RPG's combined.
Does DoW2 really push that genre blending envelope and deliver? Read on.
You are a space marine commander, part of a Chapter (army) of space marines defending the Imperium of Man a vast but disperate series of worlds that have been under siege by several alien species. All of these races dislike each other as much as you so many conflicts see humanity caught in the middle of agreements or disagreements far outside the human realm of control.
The standard army, the Imperial Guard are billions strong but against the alien species are pretty much a way of slowing not reversing the loss of territory the real human hammer comes in the form of you and your brethren. The word brethren is not used idly, the space marine Chapters believe with religous zeal and fervour that the Emperor is a living God albeit currently wounded and incapacitated.
You are the apex of human experimentation in genetic manipulation, taken as a boy trained until you survived no matter the odds and then thrust into this unforgiving world of war your task is to complete your mission with your squads of marines no matter the cost.
The game itself fails to give you the above background, if Dawn of War hadn't been a mainstay of mine, later bolstered by quick borrowing from friends of the appropriate reading material I'd have been pretty much in the dark. I'd have been a few marines versus a lot of enemies.
It's obvious that the current game is not really interested in winning converts but selling to the choir, which is a shame as the gameplay is well suited to a beginner course in how to put holes in Orcs and other nasties and through exposition gives you some fragmented information on the lore behind the game.
The gameplay is pretty well grounded, coming from the developer that created Company of Heroes you'd expect cover and troop movement to be integral parts of the games' combat mechanics and they are used very well. Setting up heavy troops behind cover and letting them mow down enemies while moving up with assault squads to take on units at closer and more deadly range is fun and rewarding.
Technically the new game engine is a marvel and although demanding on hardware is one of those upgrades that feels both substantial and welcome. The animations of individual soldiers on the field, be they freakish Tyranid hordes, lumbering Orcs or hardy Space Marines are a joy to behold and really bring out the character of the different species. Coupled with awesome melee animations and a lot of blood there's more than enough action variety on screen to keep you interested.
Tonally the game strikes a better idea of a desperate, war-torn world than the original, smashed buildings, empty houses, dirt tracks and flora are all detailed with equal attention to your main character and all this helps your eye to follow the action clearly.
The sound too is first rate, although I could be running the risk of being bored of gravel-voiced marines the gunfire, explosions and general heavy bass is fitting to the environment and helps ground action with consequence. The seemingly tiny action of throwing a grenade on screen is given gravity by knowing that in a few seconds a loud and destructive noise mixed with a very pretty particle animation is going to murder your marines.
A good deal of cover is destructible and this is a great boon to the strategising. The frantic redirection of forces as walls and building crumble on the battlefield adds elements of uncertainty to you carefully laid plans.
Finding weapon and armour upgrades that can be used on your squads becomes a must as the enemies slowly become harder to kill and more numerous. The pacing of the game can be a bit slow each mission usually starting with an area to setup your men and either put out scouts to feel for enemies or await a timed rush of enemies designed to wake you up after landing.
There is a role-playing element to the game that involves the leaders of your squads accruing experience points that you can spread over different disciplines once at a certain level abilities become unlocked and the options you have with each character on the battlefield enlarge. Some of the unlockables are well thought out and worthwhile others beg the question why a well armed long fought marine wasn't already equipped similarly from the beginning.
Ultimately this feature adds another layer of customisation but as you can't take your version of the character onto multiplayer battlefields these decisions only affect the singleplayer experience. After a while you'll be experimenting with putting points down to find out what things are and what they do rather than poring over the decision as if it will make a life or death difference on the field, which is fun but can seem contrived.
This is where the real gamut of gameplay ends.
Each mission is pretty much the same grind, kill until:
A) The entire map is subdued, everything is dead then the mission objectives can be completed.
B) The units between you and the mission objectives are dead.
You will be rated on thoroughness vs. speed, although this can be frustrating as if you are quick you will not be thorough and if you are thorough you will not be quick, a little guidance from command on what you should aim to do would be appreciated. It would be nice if you were awarded special perks for completing the mission as directed this would be a small feature but would add depth and a sense of a wider struggle.
Additionally each level has a special character that needs to be taken down, they have a set number of attacks and once you learn or can guess what's coming it's a matter of realigning your troops to match the situation. Although this is no different to many RPG's it seems increasingly unlikely that a single boss would come out of the woodwork at every turn to fight your squads that have increasing numbers of dead bodies behind them. It seems a little lazy in terms of planning and progression of the game.
Graphically detailed and providing different types of tactical situation and terrain each level is ostensibly filled with similar choices and ways to approach objectives, sometimes differing approaches mean very little strategically. Unlocking new weapons and armour is all very well but why exactly is better armour to be found lying around on a planet? Why am I not recieving these upgrades for better mission performance from my superiors? Some game mechanics don't really make much sense and are therefore increasingly annoying.
While very well polished visually and with a solid story there's no real character interaction, gameplay variety or RPG depth to Dawn of War 2. Coupled with a reduced unit number and no comparable base building to DoW this sequel seems like a game that's trying to be too much. While succeeding at all of it in some way is good, it only achieves anything on a superficial level and once you've seen it you realise how shallow the content is.
Multiplayer -
I can't see how anyone could overlook such an important part of the game unless you're me apparently...
Refreshingly DoW2's multiplayer pace (once you've stopped being spammed as a beginner) is consistent with the original ebb and flow of two evenly matched forces and their commanders it all feels very similar to the larger engagements of the original game.
Smaller forces make for punishing games and you can find yourself knee-deep in enemies in short order if you wait around too long the only gameplay style that isn't catered to is the turtle defender. While base building is kept to a minimum there are buildings to be built and maintained, my favourite being the fleshy, living, breathing buildings of the Tyranids.
Each army comes with a hero that can be upgraded as more and more experience is gleaned from battle. Making a return appearance are points to capture across the map although these are less varied in nature than the original DoW they do add an extra strategic element to the manouvering before engagements and affect resource control.
The hero upgrades are well worth investing in and the best commanders will field mixed units capable of turning their attention to vehicle and infantry alike usually using the commander character as the killing blow of the final battle. One of the better aspects of gameplay here is the slow steady build of forces during a multiplayer game. Skirmishes lead to XP for the hero and you to putting out more troops and in short order your army is built and tearing across the map looking for the bulwark of enemy forces.
Personally I'd like these clashes to be longer but if a player is determined a match will be over quickly and even if they aren't it would be hard sustain a match beyond 45 minutes with experienced players going head-to-head.
Something I've noticed is that when two players are on a team their combined forces at maximum output equal only slightly more troops than you'd have as a single player in DoW. I think this is deliberate so that you effectively have one army under two commanders and as long as you communicate well there are few obstacles that can keep you at bay and the depth of strategy available becomes increasingly interesting the downside is that if your opponents get the upper hand the match is virtually over which can make battles even quicker.
Versus multiplayer is fun, even more frenetic than the singleplayer but once the initial shock of the brutal and relatively short matches wears off it becomes a gritty and intense formula that you will either like or, as with the singleplayer campaign wish more had been done with.
Another side to multiplayer is co-operative play, where more than one person divides control of the squads given to you in the singleplayer campaign. The tactical benefits of this are varied as the two of you play more and more levels together you will grow to know each others' moves and begin working like a well oiled killing machine. This of course is the perfect ground to prep you for the more combative versus mode of the multiplayer arm.
Co-op play also lengthens the appeal of the singleplayer campaign in as much as getting the right gameplay tactics down together is usually more rewarding and fun than singleplayer alone. Even with this added boost the campaign still becomes repetitive the boss battles eventually becoming tiresome.
A formuliac singleplayer campaign bolstered by a more interesting co-operative option further enhanced by a solid combative multiplayer element. Dawn of War 2 feels like it's the computer game of the table-top game not a sequel to the Dawn of War that had at its' back armies of size and substance clashing across a besieged planet. Although very well polished both visually and audibly it feels like a backward step for the franchise not the dark, terrible new Dawn I had hoped for.
Verdict -
If you're not into RPG/RTS blends or want a deep fulfilling game: Avoid it.
If you want a few hours fun and like the idea of commanding a few Space Marines: Rent it.
If you are a Games' Workshop fan and always wanted the computer game of the game: Buy it.
Singleplayer -
The attraction of a power armoured marine from space carrying enough firepower to tear sizeable holes through buildings and rather miffed xenos of irregular sizes is an attractive prospect for many gamers. Controlling, customizing and using with tactical and strategic precision several squads of such super soldiers should therefore be a delight orders of magnitude higher than many RTS and RPG's combined.
Does DoW2 really push that genre blending envelope and deliver? Read on.
You are a space marine commander, part of a Chapter (army) of space marines defending the Imperium of Man a vast but disperate series of worlds that have been under siege by several alien species. All of these races dislike each other as much as you so many conflicts see humanity caught in the middle of agreements or disagreements far outside the human realm of control.
The standard army, the Imperial Guard are billions strong but against the alien species are pretty much a way of slowing not reversing the loss of territory the real human hammer comes in the form of you and your brethren. The word brethren is not used idly, the space marine Chapters believe with religous zeal and fervour that the Emperor is a living God albeit currently wounded and incapacitated.
You are the apex of human experimentation in genetic manipulation, taken as a boy trained until you survived no matter the odds and then thrust into this unforgiving world of war your task is to complete your mission with your squads of marines no matter the cost.
The game itself fails to give you the above background, if Dawn of War hadn't been a mainstay of mine, later bolstered by quick borrowing from friends of the appropriate reading material I'd have been pretty much in the dark. I'd have been a few marines versus a lot of enemies.
It's obvious that the current game is not really interested in winning converts but selling to the choir, which is a shame as the gameplay is well suited to a beginner course in how to put holes in Orcs and other nasties and through exposition gives you some fragmented information on the lore behind the game.
The gameplay is pretty well grounded, coming from the developer that created Company of Heroes you'd expect cover and troop movement to be integral parts of the games' combat mechanics and they are used very well. Setting up heavy troops behind cover and letting them mow down enemies while moving up with assault squads to take on units at closer and more deadly range is fun and rewarding.
Technically the new game engine is a marvel and although demanding on hardware is one of those upgrades that feels both substantial and welcome. The animations of individual soldiers on the field, be they freakish Tyranid hordes, lumbering Orcs or hardy Space Marines are a joy to behold and really bring out the character of the different species. Coupled with awesome melee animations and a lot of blood there's more than enough action variety on screen to keep you interested.
Tonally the game strikes a better idea of a desperate, war-torn world than the original, smashed buildings, empty houses, dirt tracks and flora are all detailed with equal attention to your main character and all this helps your eye to follow the action clearly.
The sound too is first rate, although I could be running the risk of being bored of gravel-voiced marines the gunfire, explosions and general heavy bass is fitting to the environment and helps ground action with consequence. The seemingly tiny action of throwing a grenade on screen is given gravity by knowing that in a few seconds a loud and destructive noise mixed with a very pretty particle animation is going to murder your marines.
A good deal of cover is destructible and this is a great boon to the strategising. The frantic redirection of forces as walls and building crumble on the battlefield adds elements of uncertainty to you carefully laid plans.
Finding weapon and armour upgrades that can be used on your squads becomes a must as the enemies slowly become harder to kill and more numerous. The pacing of the game can be a bit slow each mission usually starting with an area to setup your men and either put out scouts to feel for enemies or await a timed rush of enemies designed to wake you up after landing.
There is a role-playing element to the game that involves the leaders of your squads accruing experience points that you can spread over different disciplines once at a certain level abilities become unlocked and the options you have with each character on the battlefield enlarge. Some of the unlockables are well thought out and worthwhile others beg the question why a well armed long fought marine wasn't already equipped similarly from the beginning.
Ultimately this feature adds another layer of customisation but as you can't take your version of the character onto multiplayer battlefields these decisions only affect the singleplayer experience. After a while you'll be experimenting with putting points down to find out what things are and what they do rather than poring over the decision as if it will make a life or death difference on the field, which is fun but can seem contrived.
This is where the real gamut of gameplay ends.
Each mission is pretty much the same grind, kill until:
A) The entire map is subdued, everything is dead then the mission objectives can be completed.
B) The units between you and the mission objectives are dead.
You will be rated on thoroughness vs. speed, although this can be frustrating as if you are quick you will not be thorough and if you are thorough you will not be quick, a little guidance from command on what you should aim to do would be appreciated. It would be nice if you were awarded special perks for completing the mission as directed this would be a small feature but would add depth and a sense of a wider struggle.
Additionally each level has a special character that needs to be taken down, they have a set number of attacks and once you learn or can guess what's coming it's a matter of realigning your troops to match the situation. Although this is no different to many RPG's it seems increasingly unlikely that a single boss would come out of the woodwork at every turn to fight your squads that have increasing numbers of dead bodies behind them. It seems a little lazy in terms of planning and progression of the game.
Graphically detailed and providing different types of tactical situation and terrain each level is ostensibly filled with similar choices and ways to approach objectives, sometimes differing approaches mean very little strategically. Unlocking new weapons and armour is all very well but why exactly is better armour to be found lying around on a planet? Why am I not recieving these upgrades for better mission performance from my superiors? Some game mechanics don't really make much sense and are therefore increasingly annoying.
While very well polished visually and with a solid story there's no real character interaction, gameplay variety or RPG depth to Dawn of War 2. Coupled with a reduced unit number and no comparable base building to DoW this sequel seems like a game that's trying to be too much. While succeeding at all of it in some way is good, it only achieves anything on a superficial level and once you've seen it you realise how shallow the content is.
Multiplayer -
I can't see how anyone could overlook such an important part of the game unless you're me apparently...
Refreshingly DoW2's multiplayer pace (once you've stopped being spammed as a beginner) is consistent with the original ebb and flow of two evenly matched forces and their commanders it all feels very similar to the larger engagements of the original game.
Smaller forces make for punishing games and you can find yourself knee-deep in enemies in short order if you wait around too long the only gameplay style that isn't catered to is the turtle defender. While base building is kept to a minimum there are buildings to be built and maintained, my favourite being the fleshy, living, breathing buildings of the Tyranids.
Each army comes with a hero that can be upgraded as more and more experience is gleaned from battle. Making a return appearance are points to capture across the map although these are less varied in nature than the original DoW they do add an extra strategic element to the manouvering before engagements and affect resource control.
The hero upgrades are well worth investing in and the best commanders will field mixed units capable of turning their attention to vehicle and infantry alike usually using the commander character as the killing blow of the final battle. One of the better aspects of gameplay here is the slow steady build of forces during a multiplayer game. Skirmishes lead to XP for the hero and you to putting out more troops and in short order your army is built and tearing across the map looking for the bulwark of enemy forces.
Personally I'd like these clashes to be longer but if a player is determined a match will be over quickly and even if they aren't it would be hard sustain a match beyond 45 minutes with experienced players going head-to-head.
Something I've noticed is that when two players are on a team their combined forces at maximum output equal only slightly more troops than you'd have as a single player in DoW. I think this is deliberate so that you effectively have one army under two commanders and as long as you communicate well there are few obstacles that can keep you at bay and the depth of strategy available becomes increasingly interesting the downside is that if your opponents get the upper hand the match is virtually over which can make battles even quicker.
Versus multiplayer is fun, even more frenetic than the singleplayer but once the initial shock of the brutal and relatively short matches wears off it becomes a gritty and intense formula that you will either like or, as with the singleplayer campaign wish more had been done with.
Another side to multiplayer is co-operative play, where more than one person divides control of the squads given to you in the singleplayer campaign. The tactical benefits of this are varied as the two of you play more and more levels together you will grow to know each others' moves and begin working like a well oiled killing machine. This of course is the perfect ground to prep you for the more combative versus mode of the multiplayer arm.
Co-op play also lengthens the appeal of the singleplayer campaign in as much as getting the right gameplay tactics down together is usually more rewarding and fun than singleplayer alone. Even with this added boost the campaign still becomes repetitive the boss battles eventually becoming tiresome.
A formuliac singleplayer campaign bolstered by a more interesting co-operative option further enhanced by a solid combative multiplayer element. Dawn of War 2 feels like it's the computer game of the table-top game not a sequel to the Dawn of War that had at its' back armies of size and substance clashing across a besieged planet. Although very well polished both visually and audibly it feels like a backward step for the franchise not the dark, terrible new Dawn I had hoped for.
Verdict -
If you're not into RPG/RTS blends or want a deep fulfilling game: Avoid it.
If you want a few hours fun and like the idea of commanding a few Space Marines: Rent it.
If you are a Games' Workshop fan and always wanted the computer game of the game: Buy it.
