Post by adam on Sept 6, 2009 16:10:48 GMT 10
So i picked up Dawn of War 2 a few weeks ago, being a big fan of the first Dawn of War(s) [except Soulstorm] and have found it to be very entertaining. Just like most of the reviews say, it is an almost complete redo of the original, taking many of the old parts and either improving them or throwing them out. For anyone who has either played Dawn of War, or is interested in a real-time strategy version of 40k, i suggest giving this game a look. There are some things I dont like about it, and heres a heads up on them.
Windows Live - Why, oh God, why. Its like having to sell your soul to the devil to play this awesome game. I found it took a long time to register my stuff to this thing, its directions and explanations of registration are difficult to understand and seems like alot of effort for something that really has no value what so ever.
Smaller (but Smarter) battles - unlike the unrestrained carnage of Dawn of War, you will find that you can no longer unleash 100 space marines on an enemy base, instead the squads are smaller, the maps are tighter and the units cost a bit more. This can be a good thing though, as its not everyday that 100 black templars just mosey on down to a planet to beat up on a bunch of nids, more like 30 black templars in dawn of war 2.
On this note, anyone who has played the ww2 real time stategy Company of Heroes will see a slight resemblance, no, not the Tyranids storming the beaches of Normandy for you historically challenged individuals, but in the squad hiding behind cover feature, which is essentially little points behind rocks or walls that units will automatically take cover behind to gain a defensive bonus. This is a good little feature in my books because i despise micro managing my armies (hence why i play Orks).
tremendous lag- for those of us that are not technologically equipped to handle this game, you will be potentially be playing on 'craptastic' detail settings. This means you dont get the wonderful ragdoll body effect on dead units (a new feature to strategy games), or the metallic shine on the armour of space marines or the incredible destruction effects on the map terrain. However if you do have a Hal 9000 for a PC, youll enjoy all of this and possibly more. ya lucky bastard.
Now, things i DO like;
Campaign- Wowzors this campaign was cool, no more base building is good for me, just a bunch of space marine squads that level up and get wargear like an RPG style game. The characters are surprisingly interesting and charismatic for brainwashed super soldiers, except for Cyrus the overly-dramatic-scout-sergeant, complete with emo-fringe and goatee. It really tapped into the idea of Space marines being a small band of warriors battling their way around a map with nothing but their training and weapons to keep them alive. This is made even better because you get a realistic amount of marines for you to use, totaling up about 20 of them to complete a mission, unlike Dawn of War.
Vehicles- Once you start rolling out those Dreadies and Tanks, you will be laughing. Anything short of a rocket launcher or powerfist will just bounce off the hull of the vehicle, and this unstoppable power flattening scores of infantry is only enhanced by the fact that vehicles can ram through walls and forests in a nice big explosion, allowing your troops a little door way into the enemy armies flanks to cause mayhem.
Retreat- While it is the cowards way out, it is also the key to victory sometimes. In Dawn of War, if i was getting my green ork ass handed to me, i would have to deal with it. but in dow2, i can retreat back to my base and resupply my soldiers so it isnt a total defeat. This ability is available to all infantry [except terminators] and is essentially the "oh shi-" button. Also, the familiar reinforcing squad option is only available when your in proximity to your HQ building, so that means no more mid battle reinforcing that makes for long and exhausting fights. I like this because it means there is more thought that goes into a fight, like "if i fight that guy, will there be enough of my army to defend the point after?".
Combat Points- Fighting a combat gives you combat points, each race has its different name for it but essentially its the resource that you earn to do cool little tricks like Orbital Bombardment, Webway Gates, dropping Spore Mines on your enemy and my personal favorite, the Waaagh! which makes the lowliest Boy a speedy, choppy, tough guy in the most inopportune time for your opponent. These abilities often turn the tides of battle for your game, and are a great addition since Dawn of War.
So i hope in reading this youve learned a thing or two about Dawn of War 2, because i know sometimes those professional reviews can be nothing but asskissing their sponsors, if you get the game let me know and perhaps we could sort out some kind of Games By the Beach server online. Thanks for reading!
Windows Live - Why, oh God, why. Its like having to sell your soul to the devil to play this awesome game. I found it took a long time to register my stuff to this thing, its directions and explanations of registration are difficult to understand and seems like alot of effort for something that really has no value what so ever.
Smaller (but Smarter) battles - unlike the unrestrained carnage of Dawn of War, you will find that you can no longer unleash 100 space marines on an enemy base, instead the squads are smaller, the maps are tighter and the units cost a bit more. This can be a good thing though, as its not everyday that 100 black templars just mosey on down to a planet to beat up on a bunch of nids, more like 30 black templars in dawn of war 2.
On this note, anyone who has played the ww2 real time stategy Company of Heroes will see a slight resemblance, no, not the Tyranids storming the beaches of Normandy for you historically challenged individuals, but in the squad hiding behind cover feature, which is essentially little points behind rocks or walls that units will automatically take cover behind to gain a defensive bonus. This is a good little feature in my books because i despise micro managing my armies (hence why i play Orks).
tremendous lag- for those of us that are not technologically equipped to handle this game, you will be potentially be playing on 'craptastic' detail settings. This means you dont get the wonderful ragdoll body effect on dead units (a new feature to strategy games), or the metallic shine on the armour of space marines or the incredible destruction effects on the map terrain. However if you do have a Hal 9000 for a PC, youll enjoy all of this and possibly more. ya lucky bastard.
Now, things i DO like;
Campaign- Wowzors this campaign was cool, no more base building is good for me, just a bunch of space marine squads that level up and get wargear like an RPG style game. The characters are surprisingly interesting and charismatic for brainwashed super soldiers, except for Cyrus the overly-dramatic-scout-sergeant, complete with emo-fringe and goatee. It really tapped into the idea of Space marines being a small band of warriors battling their way around a map with nothing but their training and weapons to keep them alive. This is made even better because you get a realistic amount of marines for you to use, totaling up about 20 of them to complete a mission, unlike Dawn of War.
Vehicles- Once you start rolling out those Dreadies and Tanks, you will be laughing. Anything short of a rocket launcher or powerfist will just bounce off the hull of the vehicle, and this unstoppable power flattening scores of infantry is only enhanced by the fact that vehicles can ram through walls and forests in a nice big explosion, allowing your troops a little door way into the enemy armies flanks to cause mayhem.
Retreat- While it is the cowards way out, it is also the key to victory sometimes. In Dawn of War, if i was getting my green ork ass handed to me, i would have to deal with it. but in dow2, i can retreat back to my base and resupply my soldiers so it isnt a total defeat. This ability is available to all infantry [except terminators] and is essentially the "oh shi-" button. Also, the familiar reinforcing squad option is only available when your in proximity to your HQ building, so that means no more mid battle reinforcing that makes for long and exhausting fights. I like this because it means there is more thought that goes into a fight, like "if i fight that guy, will there be enough of my army to defend the point after?".
Combat Points- Fighting a combat gives you combat points, each race has its different name for it but essentially its the resource that you earn to do cool little tricks like Orbital Bombardment, Webway Gates, dropping Spore Mines on your enemy and my personal favorite, the Waaagh! which makes the lowliest Boy a speedy, choppy, tough guy in the most inopportune time for your opponent. These abilities often turn the tides of battle for your game, and are a great addition since Dawn of War.
So i hope in reading this youve learned a thing or two about Dawn of War 2, because i know sometimes those professional reviews can be nothing but asskissing their sponsors, if you get the game let me know and perhaps we could sort out some kind of Games By the Beach server online. Thanks for reading!
