PC Game review - Dawn of War
August 25, 2005Well, here’s the first of my PC Game reviews. Dawn of War is a game that I pull off the shelf from time to time. Hopefully hardcore Warhammer gamers will be impressed with the slavish attention to detail. The Relic Developers are clearly Warhammer fans, and it shows in every frame - from the Orc flamethrower in the opening cinematic (with a cigar shoved in its mouth), to the harsh fascist nobility of the Space Marines (”Beware the alien, the heretic”). This game doesn’t shy away from its martial origins, and doesn’t pull any punches either.
There’s nothing I can say about the gameplay that hasn’t been commented on, elsewhere. The learning curve for the user interface isn’t all that steep. The only change is the use of constantly aggregating resources from strategic points, which leaves players to focus on the strategy element, rather than micromanaging resource gathering.
The music from Jeremy Soule is outstanding (as always) - he has been a composer on several excellent games, including Neverwinter Nights, and once again shows why he’s the “go-to guy” for quality music.
The only problem with the game is the extremely short single-player campaign - at 11 missions long, the storyline is seriously abbreviated. By the time it’s over, it’s obvious that only one-third of the story has been told. This is quite remarkable, as Relic were the same developers who created the classic epic Single-Player storyline for Homeworld and Homeworld 2.
Inevitably, this game will be compared to Starcraft and Warcraft 3 (both developed by Blizzard). The comparison is inevitable, as both games revolve around the same themes. In terms of technology and gameplay, Warhammer is the better choice. But in terms of storyline and Single-Player campaign, Warcraft 3 and Starcraft are still unparalleled in its execution.
In summary, Warhammer is an outstanding addition to the Real Time Strategy genre. Despite it’s visceral violent content and action, it’s not a revolution, but rather an evolution. The key achievement is placing the focus on combat and strategy, rather than micromanagement.
