It is the 41st Millennium in Sub-Sector Aurelia, a cluster of worlds on the edge of the Galaxy, and a battle of epic proportions is about to begin. Ancient races will clash across the planets that dot this section of space, battling for the greatest of stakes - not only the claim to the land and its bounty, but the fate of each race.
The squeal to Dawn of War was indeed very interesting in many aspects, but some aspects are perhaps a disappointment.
9/10 campaign, story line
9/10 Last stand
3/10 skirmish gameplay
6/10 replayability
8/10 AI
6/10 Graphics/function of graphics
3/10 base building
8/10 RPG element
Worth the buy? 4/10
Other than the requirement of a needed and optimal computer, on top of it, the game killing my Motherboard, the game is... not as good as DOW I.
The campaign is PHENOMENAL. Last Stand mode is PHENOMENAL! Replayability because of the new RPG element, on top of your characters getting new wargear and leveling up = best idea, ever. However, why in the gods names did you remove base building, extract the best of the best features of DOW I out from DOW II and make this game a load of disappointment in the most prolonged gaming, skirmish?
Campaigns are great, beauties, great story lines and fantastic missions, but they do not last forever. The Last Stand mode makes up for the lack of skirmish, but gameplay went down hill overall from DOW I to this.
The tactics are a lot more advanced, however. But the need to reinforce at your HQ from a long distance away from the battlefield, things too expensive and remarkably difficult to protect is just an annoying immersion killer. Unable to build stuff, the maps too small, my god what have you done?
Campaign has some stiff stuff about it, too. The missions take a long time to complete, you are mostly walking around healing your troops, and it is downright a shame that there are no massive battles anywhere. Stealth, abilities, cover, all that is much better than DOW I, but what the developers took out from DOW II is down right disappointing. Along with the need of a new computer.
Combine this with DOW I, though, best graphics, best gameplay, and you have a major hit. THE all time game all Warhammer 40k lovers will dream to get. Like, screw DOW III?
Game is great, it's just the big stuff that makes DOW so great, absent.