dawn of war 2

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and narrative regression by Matthew Marchitto

I really enjoyed Dawn of War 2 and its expansions, especially how it streamlined RTS mechanics and introduced RPG style loot and upgrades. This made me curious to try out the first in the series. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was surprised to find a robust—though straightforward—narrative campaign. So much so, that it made me retroactively disappointed in DoW2’ story campaign. This disappointment was cemented when I finally played DoW2: Retribution, which I’ll talk about at the end of this newsletter.

Dawn of War, a surprisingly robust narrative campaign

I was really surprised by Dawn of War’s story campaign. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting much. But the narrative is engaging, with a protagonist whose internal conflict drives the story forward. There are also cutscenes before and after every mission that help to build up and progress the story. It might seem trivial, but compared to DoW2’s lackluster mission briefings, DoW’s cutscenes, voice acting, and interesting main character really put into perspective what was lacking in DoW2.

Even DoW’s mission briefings are written like a captain’s log, helping to do the double duty of further defining the protagonist and communicate worldbuilding elements.

Dawn of War’s story has some twists, buttressed by a heaping dollop of paranoia. The expected infighting and suspicion typical of the imperium is at play, and it ties into our MCs past, coming together to make an engaging narrative.

I enjoyed it overall, but couldn’t get over my frustration that these elements were lacking in Dawn of War 2. I think it was a huge mistake for DoW2 to have a nameless protagonist. There are benefits to having a player-insert, but in this case DoW2 lost far more than it gained.

Streamlined RTS

Where Dawn of War 2 leaned more toward a squad-based RPG, the original Dawn of War leans toward traditional RTS gameplay. DoW is much similar to something like Warcraft 3, but still streamlined. The resources are capture points, which I really preferred. I didn’t miss chopping down trees. I also found building up a base and getting elite units to be pretty quick.

Having the resources be capture points and getting a fully upgraded base quickly encourages you to push forward. The capture points create an interesting tug-of-war dynamic, as the enemies are trying to steal them from you.

Although, in the last quarter of the game, I found myself getting burnt out. Many of the missions are similar, and by that point most of your units have been unlocked. The maps started to feel repetitive (outside of a couple interesting scenarios), and towards the end I started to miss DoW2’s upgrades and loot. Maybe a couple of the longer missions could have been reduced, or had more mission variety.

Overall, I still enjoyed it. It’s incredibly satisfying to have a swarm of space marines and dreadnoughts wade into an enemy base.

DoW 2: Retribution, more options aren't always better

I wrote about Dawn of War 2 and Chaos Rising previously, I enjoyed both and wanted to try DoW2’s final expansion, Retribution.

DoW2: Retribution still has the squad-based gameplay, but introduces a variety of units that you can summon from control points. This creates a nice mix of traditional RTS unit management, and squad-based RPG gameplay. Out of both games, the core of the gameplay in Retribution might be my favourite.

Unfortunately, it’s marred by the bizarre choice to have six copy/pasted campaigns. There are six factions you can choose from, and each of their campaigns is the literal, exact same. Same maps, mission objectives, and the overarching story of each is relatively samey with only a few lines of dialogue to differentiate it.

This was such a huge letdown. I would have much preferred two or three unique smaller campaigns that were interconnected, instead of more factions with the exact same missions. The only thing that changes are the units you control and a few lines of dialogue. Even then, much of the dialogue is variations of “destroy the tower,” but with a different accent. Even worse, some of the characters in your squad don’t even have voice overs or any dialogue whatsoever, like the Commissar in the Imperial Guard campaign. And a handful of missions toward the end of the Imperial Guard campaign don’t even have mission briefing text. This is absurd.

The only campaign that is fleshed out, and clearly the canon one, is the space marines. If you’re going to play Retribution, then I’d recommend just playing the space marine campaign, and maybe trying a few missions of another faction to test out their units. Otherwise, I do not recommend trying to play through multiple campaigns. I did the Space Marine, Imperial Guard, Ork, and a quarter of the Eldar before tapping out.

I cannot stress how much of a letdown these campaigns were. I don’t understand why they chose to have six repetitive campaigns. More options aren’t always better.

Conclusion

Despite my issues with DoW2: Retribution’s single player campaign, I still really enjoy the gameplay. But, the original DoW’s story mode put into perspective how much the sequel flubbed its narrative campaigns. I think it was a huge mistake to replace a named character with a player-insert, the story lost so much personality, and our squad members were not engaging enough to compensate.

Still, halfway through DoW I found myself missing DoW2’s more RPG adjacent mechanics. If I could mix the original Dawn of War narrative campaign with DoW2’s squad-based gameplay, then I think that would be my ideal Dawn of War game.


Despite its missteps, I’ve become a fan of the series. I’m looking forward to playing DoW’s subsequent expansions, and then Dawn of War 3. I’ll share my thoughts here, subscribe so you don’t miss out.

Warhammer 40,000 and brutal simplicity by Matthew Marchitto

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 just released a little bit ago, and it looks awesome. I’ve wanted to play it, but unfortunately my CPU is too old. So, I decided to go back and replay Space Marine 1.

I’ve always been interested in the WH40k universe, but never really dove into it. Lately, I’ve been engaging with it way more. Not only did I replay SM1, but I also decided to play through Dawn of War 2. That, alongside watching lore videos and ogling Ork miniatures, I’m pretty sure the Warhammer universe has its hooks in me.

Something that struck me about both games though, is how each is streamlined in their own way. Making both Space Marine and Dawn of War 2 good entry points into the Warhammer 40,000 universe.


Space Marine

Brutal, and to the point

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is a straightforward experience filled with brutal action. It drops you onto a planet with a single mission, evacuate a titan as the world succumbs to an Ork WAAAGH!

You then proceed to eviscerate Orks with chainswords, thunder hammers, meltaguns, and the classic bolter. It’s a satisfying experience to fend off hordes of enemies, and the pacing never edged into dull. There isn’t an upgrade tree, but the game managed to keep things unique by slowly introducing new weapons throughout the experience. Meaning there’s always something new around the corner. Combine that with the temporary jump pack upgrade sprinkled throughout key moments, and it keeps combat engaging.

It was refreshing to play something that’s straightforward. Space Marine nails its core gameplay, creating a satisfying experience that can be repeated over and over. It doesn’t need superfluous mechanics or mini games, if anything that would likely mire the pacing. We drop into an Ork horde and get to let loose. The guns feel impactful, the melee weapons visceral, all coming together for an adrenaline-fueled bloodbath.

One of the ways Space Marine facilitates this is with executions. There’s no cover system here, instead you’re encouraged to get in the thick of it and lay waste with melee attacks. This provides opportunities for you to initiate context sensitive executions, which when performed regenerates your health. This is a brilliant way to encourage an aggressive playstyle, as you benefit from taking risks. It’s also incredibly satisfying to land executions, making you feel like a rampaging juggernaut.

I think Space Marine is a phenomenal game. Its satisfying, brutal, and straightforward. This is the second time I’ve played through it, and I doubt it’ll be the last. I also think it’s a good introduction to the world of Warhammer 40,000, as it gives a good foundation of the tone, and a few of the galactic actors. It doesn’t infodump an overwhelming amount of information, nor does it rely on an expectation of you already being knee-deep in WH40k lore. All that said, I definitely recommend it.


Give us an Ork game

Listen, I can’t be the only one that wants this. I know there are a smattering of other Ork games, but I think we need one in the style of Space Marine. Let us control a Nob or Warboss and go ham on the Astra Militarum. Space Marines might be the most popular faction, but our Ork boyz need some time in the spotlight.

At this point, I’m just trying to will this into reality. I’m sure there’s an audience for an action oriented Ork game. Give us an excuse to WAAAGH!


Dawn of War 2

RTS, but not really

Dawn of War 2 has been in my steam library for years. I’ve bounced off it twice before, for whatever reason I just wasn’t connecting with it. But this time around, it got its hooks in me. Maybe because I’d been going deep into lore videos and genuinely engaging with the world of Warhammer 40,000.

DOW2 is structured like an RTS, but doesn’t quite play like the ones I’m familiar with. The biggest difference is a lack of base building, DOW2 is squad based. Instead of hunkering down to harvest trees and gold, your squad drops into a map and goes straight for the objective.

At first, I found this jarring. I was used to the base building of Warcraft and StarCraft, but this squad-based gameplay ended up being much faster and more engaging. Each one of your squads, led by a named Space Marine of the Blood Ravens, has unique abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. There’s a scouting squad that can go invisible and plant explosives, one that’s melee based with jump packs so they can get in and out quick to be disruptive, and so on. Each of your Space Marines has a talent tree, and can change loadouts with new weapons, armors, and accessories. All of this makes DOW2 more akin to an RPG than a traditional RTS.

Each mission feels more like loading into a dungeon, with a faster pace than hunkering down and building a base. My only complaint is that in the original campaign it’s not always clear what weapon types are effective against which enemy types. But the subsequent expansion, Chaos Rising, improved this by providing more info in the mission briefing. I also think Chaos Rising is where DOW2 really shines, as the missions are paced better, and structured in such a way that really forces you to take advantages of your squads’ strengths.

I’m glad I gave Dawn of War 2 another try. This time around I’m really enjoying it, and much like Space Marine, find it to be an engaging and straightforward experience that prioritizes intense action. DOW2 also doubles as a good entry point into WH40k. Overall, I’d highly recommend it, just don’t expect a typical base building RTS.


Conclusion

Both Space Marine and Dawn of War 2 streamline their respective genres into a satisfying laser focused experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with each, and plan on trying out the other two Dawn of War games. I’m also looking forward to eventually getting to play Space Marine 2, when I finally upgrade my CPU. Hopefully by then we’ll finally have an Ork game in the style of Space Marine, WAAAGH!