GonzoGamer
CAGiversary!
I hope you haven't gotten tired of Dawn of War because THQ certainly hasn't and this expansion is made for all of us who enjoyed to death the original and everything in between. I won't deny that they're milking this franchise for all its worth, but that doesn't change the fact that this game is fun and you don't have to be a total Hammerhead (like me) to appreciate it; although considering the $40 price for this "expansion pack" it would help. The two new armies don't feel vastly different from the existing armies (as opposed to the original tabletop version of the game) but that would be hard considering they are armies 8 & 9.
What's new? Dark Eldar and Sisters of Battle of course. They aren't exactly armies who will change the dynamic of the game but if you've been playing Dawn of war for a few years now, you will probably appreciate the subtle combinations these forces offer. If you've often thought: I'd like to play an army that’s a little Guard and a little Chaos, Sisters of Battle is right up your alley. If you've often thought an army that's a little orky but fast like Eldar would be perfect for your tactics, you'll dig the Dark Eldar. Both of them are fun additions but neither seem completely unique (gameplay-wise; based on the Games Workshop designs keeps the style for each army completely different and wonderful to gaze on) or reinvigorate the game in the same way the Necrons & Tau did in Dark Crusade.
Also, rather than adding a random new unit to each army, they've decided this time to add new air support units for everyone, except necrons who get a new K'Tan lord for some reason having to do with balance as there are plenty of necron flyers in the Warhammer 40K setting. While some are better than others, none of them really change (or even add much to) the dynamic of the game. They're basically light fast vehicles that ignore all units and terrain during movement. They could be a bit disappointing for anyone who wanted to add lightning quick strafing runs (which are still available in one form or another with some armies) to their battle plan and I haven't really had any defining moments with them they way I have had with other units they've added over the years. However, it is fun to get a mob of them going.
What's changed from Dark Crusade? A few things but not all of them are good. It is a bit more difficult but it doesn't seem to be by any improvement of the AI but rather by making the opposing force tougher and stronger which will of course make things more challenging but not necessarily more interesting. For many who marched right through Dark Crusade, this might be all they needed. For those wanting to match wits with your computer, keep working on that MCP you've been brewing since 1982.
You may have heard that the Soulstorm campaign takes place in an entire solar system. I was excited to hear this at first too and imagined each army with its own planet, all sorts of weird new battlefields like asteroid fields, Space Hulks and Ork Roks. Unfortunately they didn't go that far with the variety and many of the new battlefields closely resemble the ones you've played on in the past. The entire campaign map isn't much bigger and the other forces seem loath to leave their planet of origin meaning you'll be playing against the same armies in the same maps most every time you play as a different army. So it takes the Dark Crusade campaign dynamic and makes it a bit stale and invariable for some reason. I have a feeling I'm not going to play through this one with every race the way Dark Crusade drove me to.
You'll also notice that while playing through the campaign your buildings disappear from conquered territories. So if you get attacked, you have to completely rebuild the board rather than just your troops. Once again, this is something that artificially raises the difficulty and play time but doesn't make any of it more interesting. On the contrary, if you have a heavily contested territory, it can get real tedious rebuilding the whole thing over and over again. Thankfully this hasn't happened to me yet but it sounds really annoying doesn't it.
You know what else is annoying? Game crashes, and this one has one of the worst. After clearing out the main Tau HQ map many have seen their game shut down before they have a chance to save. The original pc strategy game for Epic 40K (Final Liberation) had the same problem but at least that crashed closer to the beginning of the fight, not at the conclusion. This glitch alone is enough for me to advice against buying this game until a patch is provided.
Hopefully by that time the price will have gone down because $40 just seems like a lot for an expansion pack. I know that for a new player it's actually a really good deal: the largest (though not the most interesting) campaign, all the armies (in single player at least) in all their glory, and a compilation of all the skirmish maps makes this a bargain for anyone who's interested in the series but hasn't picked it up yet. Then again, for $30 a newcomer may find more entertainment out of getting the platinum bundle of all the previous Dawn of War material, playing through the two original campaigns, and then sinking their teeth into Dark Crusade. By the time their done with all that, Soulstorm should be well below a reasonable price due to the fact that Dawn of War 2 will probably be well on its way.
Those of us who picked up the original and every expansion since then might feel gypped after loading up Soulstorm. The other reason many would find the $40 price a bit steep is that it's a game that's really starting to show its age. Don't get me wrong, they've done a great job of translating the two new armies from their beautifully sculpted tabletop presence to a beautifully rendered screen presence and it's still a fast, beautiful, and fluid game (provided you have a pc with some balls) that has been technically updated here and there. However, you should keep in mind that the original came out in 2004 (to be fair: one of the best years ever for gaming) and is still running on the same engine. If you want a snazzy new RTS, I'm sure there are plenty of other titles that would be appropriate for your needs.
The fact remains that Dawn of War is still one of the most bloody, violent, and exciting RTSs out there. Yes I said exciting and yes I know it's an RTS. That's one thing they haven't ruined in all the expansions. In case you don't already know, DoW isn't so much about building up an army, territory, and grinding resources (like ‘most every other RTS out there) but it's about strategy and tactics. Most of all it's about gruesomely slaughtering your enemy. So if you dig Warhammer (40K) but have avoided RTSs because they seem really tedious, don't avoid this series. It really wont bore you to death.
What's new? Dark Eldar and Sisters of Battle of course. They aren't exactly armies who will change the dynamic of the game but if you've been playing Dawn of war for a few years now, you will probably appreciate the subtle combinations these forces offer. If you've often thought: I'd like to play an army that’s a little Guard and a little Chaos, Sisters of Battle is right up your alley. If you've often thought an army that's a little orky but fast like Eldar would be perfect for your tactics, you'll dig the Dark Eldar. Both of them are fun additions but neither seem completely unique (gameplay-wise; based on the Games Workshop designs keeps the style for each army completely different and wonderful to gaze on) or reinvigorate the game in the same way the Necrons & Tau did in Dark Crusade.
Also, rather than adding a random new unit to each army, they've decided this time to add new air support units for everyone, except necrons who get a new K'Tan lord for some reason having to do with balance as there are plenty of necron flyers in the Warhammer 40K setting. While some are better than others, none of them really change (or even add much to) the dynamic of the game. They're basically light fast vehicles that ignore all units and terrain during movement. They could be a bit disappointing for anyone who wanted to add lightning quick strafing runs (which are still available in one form or another with some armies) to their battle plan and I haven't really had any defining moments with them they way I have had with other units they've added over the years. However, it is fun to get a mob of them going.
What's changed from Dark Crusade? A few things but not all of them are good. It is a bit more difficult but it doesn't seem to be by any improvement of the AI but rather by making the opposing force tougher and stronger which will of course make things more challenging but not necessarily more interesting. For many who marched right through Dark Crusade, this might be all they needed. For those wanting to match wits with your computer, keep working on that MCP you've been brewing since 1982.
You may have heard that the Soulstorm campaign takes place in an entire solar system. I was excited to hear this at first too and imagined each army with its own planet, all sorts of weird new battlefields like asteroid fields, Space Hulks and Ork Roks. Unfortunately they didn't go that far with the variety and many of the new battlefields closely resemble the ones you've played on in the past. The entire campaign map isn't much bigger and the other forces seem loath to leave their planet of origin meaning you'll be playing against the same armies in the same maps most every time you play as a different army. So it takes the Dark Crusade campaign dynamic and makes it a bit stale and invariable for some reason. I have a feeling I'm not going to play through this one with every race the way Dark Crusade drove me to.
You'll also notice that while playing through the campaign your buildings disappear from conquered territories. So if you get attacked, you have to completely rebuild the board rather than just your troops. Once again, this is something that artificially raises the difficulty and play time but doesn't make any of it more interesting. On the contrary, if you have a heavily contested territory, it can get real tedious rebuilding the whole thing over and over again. Thankfully this hasn't happened to me yet but it sounds really annoying doesn't it.
You know what else is annoying? Game crashes, and this one has one of the worst. After clearing out the main Tau HQ map many have seen their game shut down before they have a chance to save. The original pc strategy game for Epic 40K (Final Liberation) had the same problem but at least that crashed closer to the beginning of the fight, not at the conclusion. This glitch alone is enough for me to advice against buying this game until a patch is provided.
Hopefully by that time the price will have gone down because $40 just seems like a lot for an expansion pack. I know that for a new player it's actually a really good deal: the largest (though not the most interesting) campaign, all the armies (in single player at least) in all their glory, and a compilation of all the skirmish maps makes this a bargain for anyone who's interested in the series but hasn't picked it up yet. Then again, for $30 a newcomer may find more entertainment out of getting the platinum bundle of all the previous Dawn of War material, playing through the two original campaigns, and then sinking their teeth into Dark Crusade. By the time their done with all that, Soulstorm should be well below a reasonable price due to the fact that Dawn of War 2 will probably be well on its way.
Those of us who picked up the original and every expansion since then might feel gypped after loading up Soulstorm. The other reason many would find the $40 price a bit steep is that it's a game that's really starting to show its age. Don't get me wrong, they've done a great job of translating the two new armies from their beautifully sculpted tabletop presence to a beautifully rendered screen presence and it's still a fast, beautiful, and fluid game (provided you have a pc with some balls) that has been technically updated here and there. However, you should keep in mind that the original came out in 2004 (to be fair: one of the best years ever for gaming) and is still running on the same engine. If you want a snazzy new RTS, I'm sure there are plenty of other titles that would be appropriate for your needs.
The fact remains that Dawn of War is still one of the most bloody, violent, and exciting RTSs out there. Yes I said exciting and yes I know it's an RTS. That's one thing they haven't ruined in all the expansions. In case you don't already know, DoW isn't so much about building up an army, territory, and grinding resources (like ‘most every other RTS out there) but it's about strategy and tactics. Most of all it's about gruesomely slaughtering your enemy. So if you dig Warhammer (40K) but have avoided RTSs because they seem really tedious, don't avoid this series. It really wont bore you to death.