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63 of 66 found the following review helpful:
 Good, despite being short Nov 14, 2004
By Markus Egger
"www.MarkusEgger.com/blog"
This is a great RTS game. It is very entertaining and there is always a lot of stuff going on. The graphics raise the bar for this game genre. Units are rendered great. Structure building is rendered great. And even the maps a re rendered very well. Animations are awesome. Battles in general seem epic. Kudos.
There are 4 different races in this game. They all play differently. It's not like playing a new game, but you will def. have to change your strategy and use different abilities and structures when you play different races.
Gameplay overall is great and entertaining. This is an RTS game similar to Command and Conquer. If you liked CC, then you will def. like this game. It should be mentioned however, that this game is not super-strategic in the sense of Total War or Combat Missions. It is a more accessible game that is made for the gamer who wants to be entertained rather than challenged.
The missions are generally interesting, although they do get repetitive. There are only one or two campaign maps that made me alter my strategy. I often approach missions relatively slowly and focus on building up a good strike force before I go after the oponent(s). There is nothing this game does to force me to play differently (such as a time limit or a defensive mission). However, for some reason that doesn't bother me so much in this game. Probably because the game managed to keep me very entertained.
Probably the biggest problem with this game is that the campaign is very short. 11 missions with only one race (Space Marines) is not enough! The campaign also isn't too difficult. I played on medium difficulty and didn't have to reload even once (although thinking back, I always seem to have felt reasonable challenged, so perhaps that is not a bad thing). Perhaps I should have played on "insane" difficulty.
What saves the game is that it has good skirmish maps that are almost as entertaining to play as the campaign, and with all the different skirmish options, this game can basically be played indefinetly. I normally play RTS games for the campaign only, but in this case, skirmishes are good. And then of course there is online play...
This def. tops CC as my favorite RTS game. Can't wait for the first expansion...
PS: Some of the fellow reviewers seem to complain about the lack of features that are really there. Hotkeys for instance. In fact, I find that this game has better hotkey support and a better interface in general than other RTS games. What is lacking however is the manual. Some of the things I just found out through trial and error. Others through the strategy guide. It is a shame that game developers and publishers still sabotage their own efforts that way.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
In the near future there is only gaming goodness! Jun 30, 2004
By Valnastar
"Man With No Name"
Even if you're unfamiliar with Games Workshop, miniatures games in general or the Warhammer 40,000 universe (sometimes simply and affectionately called "40K") this game should knock your socks off. The graphics are stupendous and the action during the battles is absolutely visceral and spectacular. PC Gamer magazine has given this game three highly favorable preview reviews so far this year and the 17-minute video shown at E3 and at Games Workshop's Games Day has amazed all who gazed upon it. When I watched the video at Games Day in May 2004 people actually responded audibly to the scene of the Bloodthirster (huge winged demon) taking possession of a Chaos Space Marine and then cheered at the spectacular scene of the Space Marine Captain leaping upon the Bloodthirster's shoulders and taking him down with his huge power hammer.The game designers are so good that each of the "races" in Dawn of War have their own "feel" based on the Games Workshop mythology of the tabletop game, and not just in combat either. Even the gait of the soldiers is different from race to race: the Orks lope brutishly, the Eldar run in a graceful disciplined way and the Space Marines and Chaos Marines fall somewhere in between, marching in a forceful and orderly manner. It's the same in combat where the Orks thump and pound, the Eldar perform amazingly graceful and lethal martial arts moves and the Marines are powerful and straightforward. Even the fighting machines of each race follow this careful design and are amazing to see; Eldar Wraithlords, Space Marine Dreadnoughts, Land Raiders, Rhinos, Chaos Defilers, they are all here and behave in a manner consistent with the other troops in their army. Even if you're unfamiliar with 40K, you're in for a treat. Dawn of War promises to be one of the best RTS computer games ever regardless of whether or not you are into the Games Workshop tabletop miniatures hobby. Dawn of War stands on its own as an amazing and exciting science fiction/fantasy battle game like no other before it. If you are familiar with 40K, be prepared to see the 40K universe spring to life before your eyes like never before. (...)
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
This game is so good, I paid full retail. Oct 26, 2004
By Frugal Shopper
I am a very frugal person by nature. This is usually hard to reconcile with my desire to buy computers and computer games. My usual solution is to wait until a game goes "Gold" or gets some other value packaging ("The Mega Value Pack!"). Very, very rarely, will I ever buy retail - and never the full retail a game goes for when it is first released.
Dawn of War has proven to be the exception. Ironically, when I first saw the packaging/cover art for Dawn of War 40,000 (DOW40K) I was turned off. It looked like a cheap game, probably some lousy adaptation of the tabletop game that was going to trade on name recognition. Well, it turns out, they could have sold this game in butcher's paper and named it anything they wanted. It is the best computer game I have ever played.
I've been playing since the Atari 2600. I'm old. I should be doing bigger and more important things. My wife shouldn't have to roll her eyes when I tell her I'm going to turn on the computer. Alas, I like computer games. So I have played a great variety of games - strategy, role-playing, first person shooter, simulation. My favorites are pretty mainstream: Civilization, Morrowind, SimCity, Diablo, Half Life, and Medal of Honor. Until DOW40K, I had a "group" of favorites, but no one favorite game. Now, I have a favorite game.
There are basically three ways to play, and I would recommend playing them in this order: First, the single player campaign. It is a simple and effective tutorial that lasts about 10 hours, depending on how you play. You will finish it and know the basic game mechanics, controls, and some strategy. Second, the "Skirmish" option on the main options page. You play against one to seven AI opponents on several different maps. You can choose the difficulty level from easy, to standard, to hard, to harder, to insane. When you can beat the computer consistently at the standard difficulty, then try the third option: online play. The people in the online lobby know what they are doing. Try to join a game where it is team versus team, not a free for all. I really enjoy the online games, even though I lose a lot. Which makes the victories all the more enjoyable.
If you've read this and see me online, say hello. It's MEF40K (Marine Expeditionary Force 40,000). Good luck!
39 of 45 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent gameplay, but single player campaign lacking Oct 01, 2004
By David Lim
"space_hamster"
Dawn of War is one of the most anticipated strategy games of 2004. Like most overly hyped games, it has a lot to live up to - fortunately, the new Warhammer game fulfils most of the publicity, with one glaring exception. Hardcore Warhammer gamers will be impressed with the slavish attention to detail. The Relic Developers are clearly Warhammer fans, and it shows in every frame - from the Orc flamethrower in the opening cinematic (with a cigar shoved in its mouth), to the harsh fascist nobility of the Space Marines ("Beware the alien, the heretic"). This game doesn't shy away from its martial origins, and doesn't pull any punches either.
There's nothing I can say about the gameplay that hasn't been commented on, elsewhere. The learning curve for the user interface isn't all that steep. The only change is the use of constantly aggregating resources from strategic points, which leaves players to focus on the strategy element, rather than micromanaging resource gathering.
The music from Jeremy Soule is outstanding (as always) - he has been a composer on several excellent games, including Neverwinter Nights, and once again shows why he's the "go-to guy" for quality music.
The only problem with the game is the extremely short single-player campaign - at 11 missions long, the storyline is seriously abbreviated. By the time it's over, it's obvious that only one-third of the story has been told. This is quite remarkable, as Relic were the same developers who created the classic epic Single-Player storyline for Homeworld and Homeworld 2.
Inevitably, this game will be compared to Starcraft and Warcraft 3 (both developed by Blizzard). The comparison is inevitable, as both games revolve around the same themes. In terms of technology and gameplay, Warhammer is the better choice. But in terms of storyline and Single-Player campaign, Warcraft 3 and Starcraft are still unparalleled in its execution.
In summary, Warhammer is an outstanding addition to the Real Time Strategy genre. Despite it's visceral violent content and action, it's not a revolution, but rather a evolution. The key achievement is placing the focus on combat and strategy, rather than micromanagement. Hopefully, other RTS's will emulate this approach.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Fantastic Gameplay Sep 06, 2005
By Steve Green
First off I should warn everyone; I'm not much of a computer game player. I prefer the social interaction of "live" opponents across the table to electronic bits and bytes. And real-time games leave me flat - my eye-hand coordination isn't what it used to be (perhaps it never was).
However, I am a big fan of the Games Workshop 40K universe, and this game gets it right! The units are faithfully adapted, the combat is lively, and the voices . . . are perfection. The game mechanic involves capturing strategic points, which earn the players income to purchase new units. This is a visually stunning game, and the ability to zoom in close to the action is something you must experience for yourself. You can also control the difficulty level, starting with easy, and progressing to insane when you think you are good enough to give it a try.
The one complaint is that the single campaign that comes witht he game is too short. At 11 missions, it won't take you long to complete. However, the game comes with plenty of maps for 2, 4, 6 and 8 players, and you can fight skirmishes against the computer, or go online (for free) to fight other players.
The real strength of the game comes from the fan base. The developers have thoughtfully made available (as a separate, free download) a developers kit, which allows people to make their own maps. Many of the finest examples have been bundled up and are also available for download - again for free.
So there are plenty of new maps coming available all the time, and that makes for increased repeat play.
I liked this game so much I bought a second copy, and my son and I play against (and sometimes with) one another on our LAN at home. Good times!
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