14 DAY TRIAL // What we know
Warhammer 40,000 is the kind of intellectual property that thrives in the world of video games, with Relic delivering a series of games and expansions which are perfect for those who are interested in the universe and the constant battles between wildly varied races while not having the time or money to invest into actual miniatures.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution (a title which could challenge for longest and most confusing name of 2011) is set to be released on the PC during the spring and will be the second full expansion for the second generation strategy game.
Dawn of War II has offered a smaller scale experience than the first game in the franchise until now, allowing the player to focus more on small units tactics and on how different equipment loadouts and different ability picks can influence the result of engagements.
The Warhammer 40,000 universe is better known for the fighting rather than the stories it delivers, but both the original Dawn of War II and Chaos Rising made me care about the characters and about the Aurelia sector and I look forward to the outsized personalities that will be delivered in Retribution.
Why it matters
Retribution is crucial because it will reintroduce the structured campaigns that were seen in Dark Crusade and Soulstorm for the first Dawn of War game, allowing a number of factions to battle for the same spaces and develop their strategies and their rosters of units as they progress.
Retribution is also important because it will allow the gamer to experience six different races, one of them the Tyranids, which were never offered as playable until now because of limitations of the game engine (expect them to be the first side tried out by this Dawn of War player).
This is a very different kind of real time strategy than Starcraft 2, for example, and its continued success is a boon for the developers working in the genre who are aiming to innovate rather than iterate.