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Dawn of War II

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Overview

Dawn of War II is the sequel to the Dawn of War games. A multiplayer beta was released for previous Dawn of War Soulstorm users on January 21, 2009. The beta was released to the public on the 27th of January, 2009. The game was released in the United States on February 19th, 2009 and on February 20th, 2009 in other regions.

New features include higher, top end graphics and physics. The game uses an updated version of the Essence engine from another popular game by THQ, Company of Heroes. More information on what the game encompasses can be viewed on a host of websites including Relic's website, the Dawn of War 2 official game site, and the Dawn of War 2 community website. There had been much controversy surrounding whether Tyranids would be included in Dawn of War II, but it was confirmed in the later part of 2008.

Gameplay

Many features in Dawn of War 2 are different than it's predecessors. These features include:

Blood Ravens and Orks engaged in battle
  • Improved Squad AI - When under attack or under fire, infantry units automatically seek cover.
  • Squad Experience - Units are able to gain experience throughout the game, ascending levelling them from a recruit to a veteran. A veteran is much harder to kill than a recruit, and can be upgraded with more advanced weaponry.
  • Improved Cover - Cover in-game can be destroyed and certain weapons are able to bypass them entirely, i.e Flamers.
  • New wargear design - Wargear can be obtained through missions, or it may simply be dropped by enemies. Regardless of the method of obtaining, the wargear can be kept and equipped to your units.
  • Redesigned vehicles - More realistically sized in-game than in previous games.
  • Mission Consequences - Events such as distress calls where the commander is forced to choose between saving civilians or obtaining wargear.
  • Less focus on base building - Unlike in previous games, in Dawn of War II the player is able to make use of mobile bases, like the Blood Raven's battle barge rather than spend time building bases. With multiplayer, however, building turrets, generators, and beacons around different locations in the map are a significant aid in the game. Basebuilding, though, remains nonexistent as you start with one structure, able to produce all your units.

Factions

Even though only the Space Marines are accessible in the Singleplayer, four races are featured in the Multiplayer:

Planets

Storyline

The storyline of the campaign mode for Dawn of War II follows a detachment of Blood Ravens chapter of the Space Marines operating out of the Strike Cruiser Armageddon in sub-sector Aurelia. The events of the storyline are only vaguely linear, as the player can choose which missions to play as more become available. Their recruitment worlds have come under attack by Orks and they must move quickly to defend their holdings. Eventually it becomes clear that the Orks are being manipulated by the Eldar and that a splinter of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan is coming to invade them. The player must undertake a number of missions to defend the Blood Ravens' worlds until Captain Gabriel Angelos can arrive with the whole of the Blood Raven fleet in several weeks' time.

Characters

  • The Force Commander - The player's character. His name is chosen by the player and he does not speak during the campaign. Other characters refer to him only as "Commander." He is one of the youngest Blood Ravens to have been given this rank, and was promoted by the Chapter Master himself despite considerable resistance, and the fact that they have never met in person. This promotion came a year before the Hadrian campaign, but did not go into effect until after the campaign was concluded.
  • Tarkus - Leader of the Tactical Marine squad. A veteran of many battles.
  • Cyrus - Leader of the Scout squad. A master tactician who has served with the Deathwatch and was present during the Blood Ravens' defeat at Kaurava II.
  • Avitus - Leader of the Devastator squad. He fought in the Dark Crusade at Kronus and holds a grudge against the Imperial Guard for killing so many of his battle brothers on that world.
  • Thaddeus - Leader of the Assault Marine squad. Relatively young and brash, he grew up as an Underhive ganger on Meridian and was recruited by Davian Thule.
  • Davian Thule - Captain and victorious Force Commander of the Dark Crusade. He leads the initiate defenders on Calderis.
  • Idranel - Farseer of Craftworld Ulthwe. She has goaded the Orks into attacking the Blood Ravens' holdings.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer aspect of the game uses the Games for Windows Live multiplayer service. The player can choose from any of the four factions. Both ranked and unranked play are offered: in ranked matches, players are matched to others based on their Games for Windows Live Trueskill.

All matches are won by capturing victory points on the map, which draw from a pool of tickets owned by the opposing player. If the pool reaches 0 then that player is defeated. Players can also win by destroying the other players HQ building, but it is often easier to capture the victory points because HQ buildings are guarded by defensive structures.

Players can play in 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3 matches with friends forming groups to play together.

Last Stand

A new multiplayer mode included with patch 1.8, the Last Stand mode challenges groups of three players to survive for as long as possible against a series of 20 enemy waves of increasing difficulty. Each player controls a single character (an Eldar Farseer, an Ork Mekboy, or a Space Marine Captain) each which can be equipped with a range of wargear, and will level up based on waves completed. Levels are cumulative, and persist across different Last Stand rounds with different players, although each specific type of character levels up individually. As a character gains levels it obtains new wargear, which the user can equip to customize traits and abilities.1

Wave 20 is notable for featuring the forces of Chaos and Chaos Space Marines, as a teaser for the upcoming expansion to the game.2

Units and Squads

The following units and Squads make an appearance in the game.3

Space Marines:


Orks:

Eldar:

Tyranids:

Chaos Rising

On September 19th, 2009, THQ announced an expansion to Dawn of War 2 called 'Chaos Rising' to be released in late Spring 2010. It is to include Chaos as a new race with All Four Powers making an appearance in the Campaign.4

External Links

Sources

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