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Regular readers will notice that the following article is a slight departure from our usual preview style. For gamescom 2010 we’ve adopted a streamlined structure, allowing us to cover as many games as possible while giving you the important juice and info. In many cases we’ll be running longer, more detailed previews upon our return to the UK.
What iz it?
The second standalone expansion for unit-focused real-time strategy Dawn of War II, set ten years after the turbulent events of Chaos Rising. The alleged betrayal of Gabriel Angelos and his rock-hard cohorts has ruined the Blood Ravens, and other alien races have besieged Sub-Sector Aurelia. The game has a multiple race campaign, and Relic has promised the inclusion of an all-new Warhammer 40k race to the Dawn of War II mix. I want to see the Necrons, please.
The game is expected to launch in Q1 2011.
Wot wuz shown?
A mission from the single-player Ork campaign. Pirate orks, no less, led by grunty Warboss Captain Bluddflagg. His companions are Stormnob Brikkfist, Mekboy Mister Nailbrain and Commando Nob Spookums.
Their motivation? Kill some Eldar and loot their stuff – that’s their standard modus operandi, we’re told. You can deck them out with all kinds of spangly gear and, as is customary for the series, there will probably be more equipment than you could ever hope to mentally catalogue.
Other than the bevy of sweet pirate hats, the Ork boyz can capture points that hand out requisition and population, allowing them to build additional vehicles and units to assist in hurting dem Eldar gitz. More boyz equals more Waaagh!, and more Waaagh! means additional buffs and bonus powers.
Bluddflagg and his cohorts have mainly the same powers as the Blood Ravens, such as jetpacks and rocket launchers, but they’ve also got access to a rather fancy grappling hook that allows them to get a serious tactical advantage against fortified positions.
After steamrolling the Eldar base, the Ork pirates are warned of a danger that will destroy everyone in the SubSector. The Orks don’t listen, but instead complain that Eldar whine too much when they die.
The extensive meta-game has been expanded upon, offering up a selection of wargear rewards at the end of each mission. There’s also less faffing around with levelling, the whole system being turned into a more accessible points system: spend a point, get a spiffy new ability. Simples.
Wot I fooought
Let’s be honest, anyone interested in this game is probably going to already be familiar with Dawn of War II. Unit building and resource management are obviously parts of the multiplayer game that have been reverse-engineered back into the single-player campaign, but an altogether more traditional approach to their RTS probably won’t hurt Retribution’s chances.
What might give it a hard time is the recent launch of StarCraft II. Relic promise new changes and enhancements to the multiplayer, but it’s going to take an awful lot to pry me away from Kerrigan’s spindly clutches.
Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in the new race, and hopefully there’s a chance for the Blood Ravens to make another appearance. There was some pretty significant stuff happening to the team at the end of Chaos Rising, and I doubt Relic is going to just drop that storyline.
The Ork level on show was, all things considered, fairly standard Dawn of War II fare. It wasn’t quite as magnificent as some of the set-piece levels of Chaos Rising, but Retribution sounds more like it’s going to be a wider, more expansive companion to Chaos Rising’s tight corridors and preened moments.
And that, if you ask me, is no bad thing.
Dawn of War II – Retribution is due for release on PC in Q1 2011.
