Game: Dawn of War II: Retribution
Platform: PC
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Relic
Genre: 40K RTS
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Why You Should Care: It's more Dawn of War II; Imperial Guard has fun (really big) toys
Why You Should Worry: No idea how the solo campaign will play out
Preview by: Tom Chick
The new faction in Dawn of War II: Retribution is the Imperial Guard. Whereas the Space Marines used to be the vanilla "human" faction, here comes the Imperial Guard to take their rightful place as the straight men in Warhammer's comedy of outrageously over-the-top grim sci-fi. Part of the beauty of these guys is that they're easily understood. Regular dudes with guns and tanks! But that doesn't mean they don't mean business. Following are ten ways they will kick ass and take names during a multiplayer match or skirmish.
10. With infantry. Lots and lots of infantry.
The Orks and Tyranids are the traditional "swarm" races. They can throw out waves of cheap orks or bugs. But the Imperial Guard will give them a run for their money in terms of disregard for the value of human/ork/tyranid life. The dirt-cheap guardsman unit comes with six dudes. By hiring a sergeant -- no need to tech up or spend energy -- you get three more dudes and double reinforcements when you replace casualties. Once you've gotten to tier two, you can hire a commissar for a 12-man unit that can be stopped from retreating. Quickly spam the field with these guys, and give a few of them flamers for good measure.
9. With better infantry
Storm troopers come in small packages. These tier two units arrive in modest groups of five, which falls far short of a full complement of 12 guardsmen. But they also get the upgrade of your choice, entirely free. Give them an assault kit for longer range weapons, an anti-armor kit for beefier weapons to take on vehicles, or a recon kit for sprint and cloaking abilities.
8. With a fast end run
The Ogryn squad hits hard, but moves slowly. The enemy can normally see these big misshapen fellows coming a mile away, which means it'll be about twenty minutes before they arrive. An Ogryn squad isn't going anywhere in a hurry. But once they recruit a leader, he imparts a charge ability that lets them move quickly. Team a charging Ogryn squad with storm troopers sporting a recon kit. Now you'll be able to hit hard in unexpected spots.
