Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War PC Review Columbus OH

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When it comes to Warhammer 40000 tabletop gaming, I must say I am not a huge fan. Whether it be the somewhat eerie workshops these massive games are played out in, or the total lack of skill on my behalf, I just never felt the "come play, we don't care if you suck" appeal come through. Nevertheless, the concept has always intrigued me, and until I pick up enough courage to walk in and ask for a newbie kit, I will remain intrigued. In the mean time, though, I and many other strategy fans alike can enjoy what the interactive gaming world has to offer in the form of Warhammer 40000, with the latest from THQ, Dawn of War, in review today. Is the name the only selling point as with previous titles from this series, or can Dawn of War prove to be a worthy strategy title for gamers who may have never even heard of Warhammer 40000?

Game modes consist of the usual Skirmish, Multiplayer and Campaign modes, as well as an "Army Painter", which is basically a paint shop allowing you to edit the skins of units and vehicles (the virtual version of painting your Warhammer 40000 figures, I presume). As for the gaming modes, they are self explanatory and don't differ from what you'd expect from most other RTS titles. Kudos goes to THQ and Relic Entertainment for allowing direct IP play, nothing annoys me more when it comes to multiplayer gaming than having to deal with "official multiplayer programs" when you simply want a quick game with a friend, and with Dawn of War it is as simple as putting in an IP and clicking "Accept".

Campaign mode is your basic story style mode where as cut scenes tell the story of the mission, and after each mission is complete, the story continues. The cut scenes feature some important plot twists so it is a good idea to watch them, but they also feature pretty ordinary voice acting and predictable events so don't expect to be compelled.

One of the first impressions I received from this game was not a positive one. When moving multiple squads at once, they will automatically spread out which makes distinguishing who's who much easier, however since a lot of the fighting is done in close quarter situations, this also makes commanding sizeable armies quite difficult. If you tell all squads to attack an enemy unit or squad, only a few of your squads will manage to move into position for attack as most will be spread out too far, leaving the rest just standing there doing nothing. To prevent this, you must take control of each squad individually and order them to attack one by one, which can get a little tedious at times. If you want to win a large battle you will certainly want to make sure each and every squad is in a position to attack, so it would have been nice to see squads automatically positioning themselves more appropriately without having to baby sit them all the time.