Dawn of War II Review

I have spent some time taking advantage of the public beta for Dawn of War 2 available on steam. Ive decided to write a game review for it.

The good

One of the most outstanding elements of this game is the deviation from standard RTS elements into a newer breed of RTS. Gameplay focuses on constructing smaller fighting forces then other games while resource management is attained by using your fighting force and controlling territory and is rather passive. In essence the game focuses on micro management rather then macro management. This leads to higher focuses on planning and tactics and allowing for a higher attachment to your units.

Another element which adds to the above mentioned tactics is the use of cover and destructible terrain. Large tanks and armor can ram through walls and entrenchments, bombs leave craters which can be used as cover. This does wonders to add to the atmosphere of war and destruction while adding tactical elements as well. A battle field will actually evolve over time.


The bad

The other side of the coin of the newer gameplay elements is accessibility problems. New users will be confused by some of the mechanics and UI. This was a very big problem for the beta in that single player was unavailable and there was no tutorial to be seen. You cant even do a direct vs AI game, you cant even pause. This lead to an inevitable rocky start for me while I had to blindly feel out the game. This may be nullified by a comprehensive single player which functions as a tutorial to ramp up new users. But even then the game will take some getting used to for anyone.

The most unfortunate problem ive encountered is the maps. There are only 5, two 1v1 maps and three 3v3 maps. Of all of them only 2 feel right. Victory is achieved by capturing 3 points across the map and holding them to wear down the enemy. But all the maps are extremely open ended allowing for extreme mobility. Its basically impossible to defend multiple points because of this, often making fighting your enemy and holding points separate elements. I don't want to get too into the exact problems of the maps as I don't have the time.

In my experience the game has also been suffering from connection and stability problems online, partly due to depending on both steam and games for windows for validation. This is especially frustrating since no matter how good a game is, if you cant play it reliably its not worth booting up.

Final opinion

The game is good I've really enjoyed playing it and watching relays of other matches.
But there are numerous issues with lag/map playability which are holding me back from pre-ordering it. I feel the game is coming out a few months too early. If relic knows anything about what their doing which I think they must. The game is really only now finding its correct play style and refinement through patches will do wonders for the game and community.

I guess if I had to give it a number id say - 8/10

I'm going to hold of on it until a sale, or a good patch comes out which alleviates many of my issues with it.