Fans of the Warhammer universe rejoice! Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II is the sequel to Dawn of War where the epic tale of the Blood Ravens continues.

Control & Gameplay:
Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War ll renews the Dawn of War genre by adding some new core elements. The well known base building and creation of armies have been replaced by tight squad control, where the micromanagement of these squads will lead to a successful mission. You control each squad's loadout, specialization, abilities and generally everything about them. You will also need to take heed of the terrain, where to take cover, where to move and so on. This might seem as a giant leap away from the first Dawn of War series, and it certainly is. It takes some time to become accustomed with the new game mechanics, but once you get settled, the game is quite enjoyable. In campaign mode, each mission will allow you to choose 4 specialized squads who gain XP and items by completing each mission. There is a fixed number of squads to choose from. In multiplayer, the goal is to capture points and hold them, while building additional squads to supplement your commander in battle. The only building available on the field of battle is the headquarters, from which you can spawn more troops.

The controls are accurate and function without any trouble. In multiplayer, however, if a player is experiencing lag issues, it will affect the entire match, thus rendering control of your units more difficult or even impossible, if someone has a high latency. However, this issue is not prevalent, at least not from my experience.

Fun Factor:
Apart from the new style of gameplay, which can be a huge turn off for some players, Dawn of War ll is as original in its story as the previous games. The story remains rich and plays a significant part in the game, as you uncover dark secrets regarding the unknown past of the Blood Ravens.
Currently, the game is being converted to Steamworks from Games for Windows Live. Therefore, if anyone chooses to buy the game now, beware that large segments of multiplayer is currently unavailable for use.

Graphics & Audio
The visual aspect of the game is a continuation from the previous style: still dark and gritty, but with added details.
The soundtrack is heavy and it enhances the coarse and gritty quality of the game. For the most part, it supplements the game subliminally. After a while, I did not even notice it due to the constant shooting and blowing up of mines, detonation charges and xeno matter flying around.

Replayability:
I have spent 100+ hours on this game already, so I would argue that the replayability is indeed high. Even more so with the two expansions: Chaos Rising and Retribution.
In the original Dawn of War 2, there is a campaign and multiplayer mode. Additionally, the campaign can be played both singleplayer and multiplayer through COOP, which I would highly recommend.
Furthermore, another mode was introduced, namely "The Last Stand". Here, a group of 3 commandos are pitted against 20 waves of unrelenting xenos. Definitely worth hours of fun and frustration.

Conclusion:
Despite the fact that Dawn of War ll has moved away from the original Dawn of War games in terms of mechanics, the game still offers exciting gameplay, a well-structed narrative and solid campaign. Where the older games focused on base building and overwhelming your opponent, the new games focus on managing a handful of specialist squads. Terrain, cover and movement patterns play a larger role in succeeding missions.
The game does not run optimally online yet, as the whole net client is being transferred from Games for Windows Live to Steamworks. Therefore, this is the only huge minus about the game, for the time being. This will soon change, and therefore, my rating for this game is positive - 9/10.

Fans of the Warhammer universe rejoice! Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II is the sequel to Dawn of War where the epic tale of the Blood Ravens continues. Control & Gameplay: Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War ll renews the Dawn of War genre by adding some new core elements. The well known base building and creation of armies have been replaced by tight squad control, where the micromanagement of these squads will lead to a successful mission. You control each squad's loadout, specialization, abilities and generally everything about them. You will also need to take heed of the terrain, where to take cover, where to move and so on. This might seem as a giant leap away from the first Dawn of War series, and it certainly is. It takes some time to become accustomed with the new game mechanics, but once you get settled, the game is quite enjoyable. In campaign mode, each mission will allow you to choose 4 specialized squads who gain XP and items by completing each mission. There is a fixed number of squads to choose from. In multiplayer, the goal is to capture points and hold them, while building additional squads to supplement your commander in battle. The only building available on the field of battle is the headquarters, from which you can spawn more troops. The controls are accurate and function without any trouble. In multiplayer, however, if a player is experiencing lag issues, it will affect the entire match, thus rendering control of your units more difficult or even impossible, if someone has a high latency. However, this issue is not prevalent, at least not from my experience. Fun Factor: Apart from the new style of gameplay, which can be a huge turn off for some players, Dawn of War ll is as original in its story as the previous games. The story remains rich and plays a significant part in the game, as you uncover dark secrets regarding the unknown past of the Blood Ravens. Currently, the game is being converted to Steamworks from Games for Windows Live. Therefore, if anyone chooses to buy the game now, beware that large segments of multiplayer is currently unavailable for use. Graphics & Audio The visual aspect of the game is a continuation from the previous style: still dark and gritty, but with added details. The soundtrack is heavy and it enhances the coarse and gritty quality of the game. For the most part, it supplements the game subliminally. After a while, I did not even notice it due to the constant shooting and blowing up of mines, detonation charges and xeno matter flying around. Replayability: I have spent 100+ hours on this game already, so I would argue that the replayability is indeed high. Even more so with the two expansions: Chaos Rising and Retribution. In the original Dawn of War 2, there is a campaign and multiplayer mode. Additionally, the campaign can be played both singleplayer and multiplayer through COOP, which I would highly recommend. Furthermore, another mode was introduced, namely "The Last Stand". Here, a group of 3 commandos are pitted against 20 waves of unrelenting xenos. Definitely worth hours of fun and frustration. Conclusion: Despite the fact that Dawn of War ll has moved away from the original Dawn of War games in terms of mechanics, the game still offers exciting gameplay, a well-structed narrative and solid campaign. Where the older games focused on base building and overwhelming your opponent, the new games focus on managing a handful of specialist squads. Terrain, cover and movement patterns play a larger role in succeeding missions. The game does not run optimally online yet, as the whole net client is being transferred from Games for Windows Live to Steamworks. Therefore, this is the only huge minus about the game, for the time being. This will soon change, and therefore, my rating for this game is positive - 9/10.