Video Game Review, PC: Dawn of War 2
The enthusiast buzz on Dawn of War II is that it is a sort of streamlined stripped-down Real-Time-Strategy title that introduces new ideas to the RTS genre. While I will not speak for the multiplayer game, I can say it is not an appropriate description for the game’s single-player mode (note that DoWII single-player and multi-player modes are different genres of game).
Dawn of War II is a squad-based tactical title. It has much more in common with Silent Storm, Fallout Tactics, or X-Com than it does Starcraft (other than the art style, characters, races, setting, and scenario that Blizzard appropriated from the original line of Warhammer miniatures in the late-90s). In that regard, it is probably similar to the original miniature wargame.
Dawn of War II focuses on tactics in a sequence of combat scenarios, not overall strategy during a large-scale conflict. A typical mission places the player on a map where he must maneuver to an objective and capture it. Along the way, the player will encounter countless enemy encampments he must fight through. The catch, as it is in all tactical games, is that the player does not have access to many new resources. He can not, for example, build a base to generate more troops. The focus thus shifts from killing the enemy, to keeping one’s own troops alive. While lost squadmates can be replenished at occasional checkpoints, and fallen troop leaders can be nursed back to health, there is very little margin for error in the heat of combat. Dawn of War II also features defensive missions, where the player’s small troupe is dug in and defending against waves of enemies. Again, it is paramount to keep one’s squadmates alive in this scenario, as reinforcements are not easy to access.
Dawn of War II plays more like a traditional RTS in multiplayer mode.
RPG-like character progression, reminiscent of other tactical games (mentioned earlier: Silent Storm, et al), provides a strong thrust to the game. Each squad leader has an array of areas to specialize in, special abilities to unlock, and equipment to shuffle around. The focus of speciality, as well as equipment load-out, can completely change the role of a squad in combat. For example, the scout leader can be equipped with a shotgun and focus on high movement ability to function as a shock troop, or alternatively the same squad leader can be equipped with a sniper rifle and cloaking ability to function as a sniper. As in other games with character progression systems, Dawn of War II provides a feeling of ownership and accomplishment as the player’s squadmates are powered-up customized.
The statregic map view in-between missions allows the player to choose which missions he would like to go on, and in which order. Game progress is ultimately linear, but the feeling of relative freedom is welcome. Dawn of War II frequently presents optional missions and optional secondary objectives as well.
While I like Dawn of War II’s gameplay, I do not like its personality. I am not compelled by its steroided, too-masculine cast of heroes. I am unsurprised by its generic, insect-like alien race, or its other generic, orc-like alien race. I don’t like my stay in its bleak, bombed-out urban battlefields. There is not much to its canned science fiction story that is told without the slightest hint of irony or self-awareness (warfare is the solution to every problem). I am neither grossed-out, nor thrilled, by its particular brand of staid violence; be prepared for the same chainsaw swords and fountains of blood gamers are now well-accustomed to. I may have found these things compelling when I was a teenager. It is easy to look past Dawn of War II’s unlikeable exterior, though, because there is a good game underneath.
Dawn of War II is engineered in such a way as to ensure people have some reason to explode when they are killed.
While Dawn of War II presents a boring personality, it does so excellently. A powerful game engine fuels the action, and applies all the right shaders and post-processing to give the title an expensive-looking sheen. It ran well on my PC when it was a mid-range system, but ran even better at high settings after an upgrade. Dawn of War II has music, but nobody is likely to remember it.
Dawn of War II is an excellent squad-based real-time tactical game. It is well-designed and rewards subtlety and planning. Even though its art style and story will disappoint anyone outside of the hormone-powered 12 to 16-year-old boy demographic, the game plays well enough that it’s a well-advised purchase for tactical fans.
As a footnote, Dawn of War II requires both Steam Activation and Games for Windows Live. These services require internet access upon initial installation. Both are excellent services, and I am personally more than obliged to participate. However, not everyone wants to install third party software, and Games for Windows Live does not always work as intended (for example, I could not get Dawn of War II to load my profile in Windows 7 due to conflicts with my wireless card, so I could not play the game). Note that Steam Activation extends all the benefits of Steam games (save backup, ability to download the full game at any time, etc) to the retail CD version of the game.
Rating: 
/ 5