The Dawn of War series from Relic Entertainment was a 40K fan’s dream game – it was incredibly thematic, fast paced, easy to control, and terribly violent. As the series came to a close with the release of Soulstorm, it was clear that it had run its course – it was time for something new. Enter Dawn of War II.

What is exciting about this sequel is that it is in no way a rehash of the first game. It would have surprised no one if Relic had simply updated the graphics, tossed in a few new features and sat back and collected a paycheck. This is an entirely new game with a specific focus…with new graphics and some new features.

Relic did the smart thing by adopting some of the basic gameplay ideas from its huge RTS hit Company of Heroes. The idea of units automatically seeking cover, ducking behind boulders or even fences to shield themselves from incoming fire is taken right out of the company’s World War II epic.

Dawn of War II also adopts ideas from turn based classics such as X-Com and more specifically SSI’s 40K squad level game Chaos Gate. “Where would you get that idea?” laughed Jonny Ebbert, Dawn of War II lead designer.

Your missions are squad level – you aren’t controlling an entire army this time; you may have at your disposal a regiment of Blood Angel Marines with some Assault Marines, some Scouts, maybe a Dreadnaught and a vehicle – that’s about it. By scaling back the size of the battle it allows you to get attached to your units. They gain experience points, can be decked out with specific Wargear and when they die…they die. If you recall the feeling of losing that crack Marine in Chaos Gate or that specialized soldier in X-Com, this is similar.