Customer Reviews

Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War Game of the Year

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This "Game of the Year" edition of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (DoW) contains new battle maps, online features and an observer mode to enhance what was already a terrific RTS computer game. Each of the four races in the game look and behave as one would expect from Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 (aka 40K) universe. The Eldar are graceful and cultured in their speech and appearance (think High Elves in space), performing marvelous acrobatic moves in combat. Orks are brutal, awkward and ramshackle in their appearance and gait, Chaos Marines and their demonic minions are dark, cruel and monstrous while regular Space Marines (enhanced humans) are very industrial and all business. The animations in combat are so good you'll want to play some skirmishes on easy difficulty so that you can take your time looking close up at the individual fighting using the fully moveable 3D camera. There are even special "sync-kill" animations when certain creatures destroy each other. For example, when the Space Marine Commander kills a gigantic Bloodthirster (huge winged demon), the animation sequence is one of the most spectacular in the game!

The skirmish option offers both single and multiplayer modes with many different battle maps from which to choose. This offers near limitless permutations, providing tons of re-playability. The campaign is a wee bit linear and not overly challenging, but is loads of fun, has an entertaining story and can be completed by all players regardless of skill level. Difficulty level settings can be used in both campaign and skirmish play to make the game more or less challenging as desired.

The voice acting and music are quite good in DoW and enhance play enormously. The game is highly evocative of the dark, gothic feel of the 40K miniatures game produced by Games Workshop (GW).

Resource gathering is used as is expected in an RTS game, but it is very simple and does not occupy an enormous amount of game time. The emphasis of DoW is all on the action and combat! Resources are gathered by capturing strategic points and critical locations on the battle map. Capture more territory and more resources will be available to you to complete your research and build your army.

Note that the expansion pack for this game, Winter Assault, will provide players with even more maps and options, as well as a new army, The Imperial Guard. There are also numerous mods available on the Internet providing even more armies from the 40K universe.

Relic has done something which many Games Workshop fans have been wishing for all these many long years. They finally took the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, with its rich and detailed history and background, and turned it into a fun and rich RTS. Dawn of War brings to the RTS genre of gaming new innovations which gives the game a unique look in terms of gameplay. Relic really brought the grim future of Warhammer 40k and it truly nothing but war.

Dawn of War uses many of the basic concepts of past real-time strategy games like Starcraft (in my opinion a knock-off of Warhammer 40k), Warcraft, Age of Empires and a multitude of RTS clones. The game allows a player to pick from four different races for multiplayer. These races are the bread and butter of the Warhammer 40k mythos. There's the Space Marines of the Imperium who are the humans (genetically-enhanced superhumans) in the game with the Eldar taking the role of the elves if this games was based in a high-fantasy setting. The other two races might be considered the villain races of the game in the form of the brutal and savage Orks (Orcs in space as I like to call them) and the Chaos Space Marines (the darker and evil version of the Space Marines).

Each of the four race follows a tech tree to determine which units become available right from the get-go and what could be requisitioned later on as certain goals are met either through building certain structures and/or taking command of relic items. This is where Dawn of War takes a different path in terms of gameplay mechanics. Instead of farming for energy, gas, crystals or any sort of energy patches around the map, the player can concentrate of just taking control of strategic points which allows for more areas to be used to build structures such as power plants and armories to requisition troops and vehicles. The game breaks away from past RTS by not bogging down the player with building farms an non-combat units to farm resources.

This new way of procuring units and energy to build more structures allows for players to get into the thick of the fight right from the beginning. In fact, creating a fighting squad is the first thing players need to learn to do right from the start in order to capture strategic points to expand a player's space to build power plants and structures on. These units are accurately designed and portrayed both in look and how they move and fight. From the Space Marines and their methodical way of fighting, to the graceful Eldar who speed gives them an advantage over slower opponents and right down to the hardy and brutish Orks who can take more damage than other units. All four races are pretty well-balanced in that no specific army is overpowered over the rest.

The single-player campaign really brings the universe of Warhammer 40k to life with it's brutal story of warfare, conspiracies and epic storytelling. Relic introduces a new Space Marine chapter to the Warhammer 40k canon with the enigmatic Blood Ravens Chapter whose role in Dawn of War brings them into conflict with not just the Orks but also with the Eldar and their twisted and debased battle-brothers, the Chaos Space Marines. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the single-player campaign. It's quite a change to actually have an engaging campaign to play through which most RTS games don't have.

Overall, Relic did a fine job in translating the grim future of Warhammer 40K into an innovating real-time strategy game. Dawn of War takes what's very good of past RTS games while bringing in something new to the table which gives the game its own unique-style of gameplay. Finally, Games Workshop has a hit on their hands and something that brings the world they've created and cultivated for the past 25 years to new fans. Dawn of War is a game worthy of being called a Warhammer 40k game.

I am a long time fan of the WH40k world, and the game faithfully re-creates the art and atmosphere of the original tabletop game. The game play itself is almost exactly like warcraft, with a few twists and turns that make it better. Probably the best improvement is that you can click on any squad member, and the entire squad will be selected, making it much easier to move large numbers of units around at a time.

I haven't tried the online mode, but that's because I am a high school graduate (and then some) and am assuming that some enterprising 13 year old will trounce me in under 30 seconds. I didn't find the game compelling enough to invest the effort to get good at it. The single player missions are easy enough that you can get through them even if you aren't that great at the game. Which is a good thing if you're like me and you're just looking to have some fun.

relic has always been an excellent games maker. they are always innovative. they have done an outstanding job yet again.

i have seen many previous adaptations and attempts at getting the warhammer 40k universe into a playable computer game. i believe that relic is the first to actually bring it home. i have played the single game thru at least 3 times. each race is very different in the strategies they have, and when playing in multiplayer, you need to get ready fast! all the races have their own perks, and drawbacks. i would recommend this to ANYONE who wants to play an awesome RTS, with GREAT graphics and sound. i think this adaptation of the 40k universe is absolutly the best BY FAR.

Dawn of War is a must have pc game for Games Workshop enthusiasts.
The graphics are very good for an RTS. The battle animations are completly brutal and a joy to behold. The animations are so cool that you may find yourself saving game films and watching them just to admire the carnage without trying to manage a hectic battle. It's true that the campaign is short, however the skirmishes supply an endless amount of gameplay. You most definetly get your money's worth here. The voice acting is top notch and really serves to add drama to the battles. Each race is unique and potentially devastating. So pick this one up and get ready to wage the war!

I played the demo of Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War perhaps 6 months before I was able to purchase the full version... After I got the full version, this game simply went to the top 5 of my RTS games.

This game is extremely fun to play as it has a very peculiar strategy element... Unlike some games in which you simply mass a bunch of units and send them hoping for the best, Dawn of War places a really tight limit around your units... Which, in my opinion, is a very celver thing as it forces you to think and diversify your units so to counter any threats you might find. Also, the fact that you have "hero" units with special abilities can really give you and edge... Moreover, certain units also have abilities that, when used correctly, can turn the tide of the battle... Moreover, if you are the type of person who likes to group up and rush out, this game is also for you, as it has 4 different races for which you must have different strategies, anywhere from conservative to "all out".

The graphics of this game are also very good, they are certainly not the best out there, but still, they do good justice... The easy controls of the camera allow you to have a bird's-eye view of the battlefield, or zoom in and watch the carnage up close, the camera even shakes when you are very close to a big weapon that is being fired. And I think that it is small details like that that spell out goodness.

The game is also enjoyable on the Campaign, Skirmish, and On-line modes, so you will not get bored so fast as there is always somehting new to try.

So overall, I highly recommend this game to anyone, Warhammer fan or not... And if you are still unsure, then download the demo and give it the free shot!

- Seb.

Starcraft was ground breaking when it came out.

This is the latest ground breaking RTS game.

Get the version with the expansion "Winter Assult" included. They made some pretty good updates with that expansion.

Cutting edge ideas! Being able to color your armies and add your own decals! WHY HASN'T ANYONE THOUGHT OF THIS YET!?! So simple yet SOOO much more satisfying when you see your Terminator squad march over the bodies of te Orks, Eldar, and Chaos Marines.

Before I say anything else, I DEFINETLY recommend this game because of it's cutting edge ideas and creativity. That being said, here are some pluses and minuses.

Posatives: Online play, Army Painter, good graphics, cool sounds, cutting edge new creative ideas

Negatives: BIG NEGATIVE Only one Campaign (Space Marine): no Ork, Eldar, or Chaos Marine campaigns, Lack of ability to customize Space Marines in single player campaigns, lack of replayability other than online, sluggish story-line: you see what's going to happen in the beginning and it takes the whole game to get there, with almost no twists or turns, if this game is rated 'M' why didn't they write a storyline that reflects our intelligence. Story-line feels like it's written for a Space Marine whose worked Ordinance for too long. (Ordinance=Explosives lol)

All that being said, I WOULD STILL DEFINETLY recommend this game to ANYONE who likes action/strategy/rts/ect. Because they have some VERY cutting edge CREATIVE ideas in here that you WILL NOT see anywhere else

Having played the tabletop strategy game that this is based on, I find that dawn of war is a great pc game. I would recommend buying this game for anyone who finds a interest in science -fiction futuristic setting or futurisric gameplay. There are multiple Races you can play as, such as the fast and agile eldar, whose arrogance is only matched by there firepower, or the space marines, chosen of the immortal emperor to know no fear and fight for the purity and sanctity of the imperium, or the xenos scum known as the orcs, who rely on the driving spirit of th waghhh!!! to propel themselves into space and plague the holy worlds of the emperor. dawn of war is a great game and if you want to know any back round on the game jusy go to http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40K/spacemarines/default.htm
just copy and pate this.

Generally speaking: I find RTS games boring and confusing (maybe I'm dumb), and science fiction too nerdy (even for someone who grew up playing d&d when no one was watching.

Someone bought me this game and I played it just so I wouldn't feel like a jerk for not appreciating their gift.

That said, this is now one of my top 3 favorite games of all time. The worlds and characters are so brutal that it seems to void stereotypes. The gore is nearly top notch, quotes are violently entertaining, Races etc... so fun, and dark.

The game play is extremely intuitive, playing through the short intro set up will explain almost everything you need to know to make it through a game. Thats when the fun begins; strategy, troop spam, unofficial alliances.

Me and my friend used to set up campaigns of me and him vs 6 computer players. Games would go on for 4-12 hours and we were never bored..... Buy this game, and buy it for anyone you like.