14 DAY TRIAL // Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II from Relic and THQ was released quite some time ago but the developers have just now put together a demo version of the game that all those interested can get through Steam, the digital distribution service offered by Valve.
The demo is pretty big - a 2.5 GB download and probably quite a lot of people are downloading it at the moment, so it might take some time to get to it.
Relic is saying that it aims to offer those interested in Dawn of War II a quick and thorough look at what the title has to deliver. Players will take control of the Space Marines as they defend the Aurelia sub sector against the threat of alien forces like the Eldar, the Orks and the Tyranids. The most important elements of Dawn of War II, like the upgrade system and the equipment load outs, will be presented in the demo.
It's interesting to see that Relic chose to wait about two months before releasing a demo for what is shaping up to be one of the most important real time strategy releases of 2009. After all, most gamers are expecting to see a demo of a title before it is released.
Still, Relic might have timed it right. Just as interest in its title begins to fade, the release of a single player demo that can be freely played could lead to a new set of fans trying and then buying Dawn of War II.
It also helps that Relic has patched the game up to version 1.2.1, eliminating most of the issues, both single player and multiplayer, which plagued the initial release.
Before the launch of Dawn of War II, Relic also offered an open beta for the multiplayer section of the game, which attracted quite a lot of interest. Those who play the single player demo just released need to know that the multiplayer aspect of the game is very different, with less role playing, but more options.