There’s an awful lot of war in Dawn Of War II.
And Stuart reckons Diablo fans may get a kick out of it…
In the future there is only WAR!
booms a voice at the beginning ofDawn Of WarII.
For anybody not au fait with the world ofWarhammer40,000 let me offer this single paragraph explanation.
For a start, theres no base building, resource harvesting or impossibly efficient factories spewing out endless ordinance.
No longer isDawn Of Warabout you, its about them.
Youre just along for the ride.
Take Avitus, the bad-tempered commander of the Devastator squadron.
Each of these hero units commands two or three nameless squaddies who essentially act as lives.
Once theyre all down, youll need to restart the mission from scratch.
Theyll also gather experience, granting points that can be spent on new abilities.
If you thinkWarhammerdressed inDiablos snazzy clothes, you wont be far off.
The effect of this new focus is to finally deliver the unwaveringly tough Space Marines theWarhammermythos has always promised.
In the rush of viscera youd swear theyre actually fighting.
Its deliriously good fun and perhaps the thing that will keep you fighting to the end.
Instead, strategy is a matter of preference.
Youll find the squads you like, the load outs you like and youll stick with them.
Its a strange retreat for a game so gung-ho in its single player campaign.
Ultimately then,Dawn Of War IIproves true to its word.
There is only war repeated over and over again.
Theres enough here to compensate for that failing, but strangely itsDiablofans wholl walk away happiest.
Rating:
3 out of 5
