Let me tell you about a truly amazing RTS. Dawn of War takes it all to a whole new level, by actually removing one of the most annoying parts of RTS'; needing massive amounts of resources. Yes, you collect resources in this game, but after the first 5 minutes, you usually don't need to worry about them. I am reviewing here the Platinum edition, which is the original Dawn of War, and the Winter Assault and Dark Crusade expansions. And their best addition, for me, is the ability to constantly reinforce your squads as they battle. So if you drop below your max, you can bring in more guys without having to build them at the base. Let me first show you the officially released high points.
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War
* Visceral cinematic melee and ranged combat
* Realistic unit animations provide the most detailed combat depicted in a real-time strategy game.
* Four Unique Races
Command one of four race, each with their own unique tech tree, structures, abilities, and research, in epic battles for control of the universe and the eradication of one's foes.
* Cutting Edge 3D Engine
Relic's proprietary, robust 3D engine provides close in zooms of unprecedented detail accentuating the carnage and slaughter of frontline battles. Appropriate scaled terrain, vehicle physics, and dynamic lighting contribute to a level of realism never displayed in an RTS.
* Story Driven Single Player Campaign
Epic tale of treason and conspiracy communicated through stunning interstitials and in-game dialogue and action.
* Innovative Resource Model
Resource model that emphasizes the capturing and securing of key strategic points throughout a map, focusing action on the frontline.
* Pioneering Tactical Gameplay
Tactical features such as cover, squad based gameplay, morale, and hero units, which promotes unit strategy over mass assaults while still allowing for large-scale battles.
* High Resolution Support
Dawn of War takes full advantage of the new higher RAM numbers on the latest 3D cards while supporting a broad range of older cards. Among the effects supported are stencil shadows on tech trees and environment.
* Multiplay
2 to 8 player multiplayer via LAN or Internet supporting game matchingand tournament options.
* New Multiplayer Features
Customizable squad colors, banners, badges, insignia and names
Observation mode
Ability to ally with other players
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War - Winter Assault
* First RTS expansion to add a completely unique, fully realized new race - The Imperial Guard
* New units for all existing races
* Brand new single player experience featuring 2 campaigns
* More animations and sync kills
* Fight in cold, harsh winter environments as well as unique SP maps
* Advanced online experience including observer mode, arranged team play and improved automatch.
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade
* Two brand-new playable races, the Tau Empire and the Necrons, bringing the number of totally unique races in the series to an unprecedented seven.
* An all-new single player campaign centering on the conquest of a "meta-map," with each territory captured giving tangible rewards to the occupying force.
* A greatly expanded multiplayer component and a completely unique economy model for the Necrons will present gamers with the most compelling Dawn of War game to-date.
Gameplay
Absolutely amazing. Has a very quick 5-10 minute tutorial at the beginning for you that covers the basics, and then sets you free. It's all very intuitive once you learn the easy stuff. The AI throught isn't that bad. They actually target the right things most of the time, which enhances the challenge of the gameplay.
Graphics and Sound
This isn't the most recent game, but it still has nicely done graphics. There is a multitude of changes you can do to your multiplayer characters as well, which is always a nice tweak. The cut scenes aren't movie quality, but are still nicely done for an RTS. As far as the sounds, well, as with any RTS, each unit has its own sounds, and can get a bit repetitive.
Pros: A great twist on an RTS, Warhammer is a cool setting, truly nice campaigns, and a massive multiplayer following
Cons: Graphics are a bit stale due to its age
