Relic’s original Warhammer: Dawn of War, a real time strategy title based on the popular table-top board-game, was met with a critical acclaim when it was released in 2004.The years following its release saw three expansion packs, as well as a final complete box set being released in 2008.

Dawn of War was a refreshing new take on the RTS genre, adapting common RTS game mechanics to deliver something unique.

It was predominantly praised for its solid multiplayer element, which presented players with a broad selection of unique unit races. The unit animations were also a standout feature of Dawn of War, offering unique depth and personality to individual squads.

The single player campaign was nothing to write home about, ultimately feeling a bit short and failing to engage players.

The best thing that Dawn of War did, in our opinion, was introduce truly customizable units and squads. Being able to choose exactly what weapons your units made use of, as well as trigger special attacks such as the ability to throw grenades, brought a new level of depth and control to the RTS battlefield. Relic went on to refine their popular RTS game style with Company of Heroes, which was also very well received.

Four years and 8 playable races later, and fans of the series are finally being given a fully fledged sequel to the Dawn of War franchise. When we got wind that the Multiplayer Beta was up for  free download, we were quick to get in line.

Well we were not alone, the Beta is currently one of the most downloaded Beta releases ever, sitting at over 240000 downloads.

The first, and primary contention we had with the DOWII Beta is that it requires Windows Live to run. Relic has confirmed that that in the final release, users will also be required to sign in to Windows Live, even for the single player campaign.

This would not be so bad if Windows Live actually worked. But as it sits right now, it is essentially broken software. The match-making system is a total disaster, with all sorts of bugs, timeouts and other problems experienced in our time with the Beta.

We settled for testing the game in custom made games played against bots, as setting up proper multiplayer matches was a nightmare.

But on to the game.

The first thing we noticed, is that DOWII at face value really does just look like a very nicely polished DOW. Depending on your preference, this can either be seen as a good thing or a bad thing.  Unit animations are particularly awesome, just as we would expect from Relic.

The second thing we noticed is that there is no base building in Dawn of War II. The player starts out with a HQ, and that is pretty much the full extent of the buildings they will have to protect. All units and upgrades are routed through the HQ.

At first we were not sure of this move, but after significant play time, we can honestly say that it was a brilliant move. Not having to micromanage base structures allows for a greater focus on what is really important in DOW – the fighting.

Not having a fully fledged base makes the player feel less tied down, and allows for greater involvement in the actual battlefield.

The tech tree has also been simplified somewhat. We were worried that this would lead to a shallow game play experience, but it does anything but that. The more you are able to focus on micromanaging your squads in the field of battle, the more fun you are likely to have.

Not much has changed in terms of the resource structure, with capture points providing players with a steady stream of power and requisition points.

DOW II will include four playable armies – the Space Marines, Tyranids, Orks and Eldar. In our experience, we found that the Tyranids are a little imbalanced at this stage, and there is not much an enemy can do to resist a unit rush from the Zerg-like overgrown insect beasts.

The Space Marines are mainly comprised of units pulled over from DOW. Once again, gamers can upgrade and customize their squads to suit specific purposes. Need to clear buildings? Outfit your tactical marine unit with a flame thrower. You get the idea.

DOWII allows the player to choose a Commander at the beginning of each multiplayer game. There are three different Commanders to choose from for each race. Each Commander comes with unique abilities, and is geared towards a specific game play style, i.e. Offence, defense, healing etc.

My favorite Commander has to be the Ork War Boss, who simply rips enemy units to pieces in melee combat. It is quite awesome to behold this unit, upgraded to the third tier, ripping its way through Space Marine armor.

Commanders can be further outfitted and customized with different weapons and armor. If you lose your Commander, you will have to buy him back from your HQ. The revival price goes down as time goes on, and immediately reminded me of DOTA.

This RPG element brings a lot to DOWII, with a heavy focus being placed on the Commander, who, if upgraded wisely can become a formidable force. 

All in all, based on the DOWII multiplayer Beta, we are feeling confident that the game will not disappoint. It seems that enough has been done in terms of innovation, while Relic has stuck to their quality design principles.

If anything the micromanagement of troops and their respective upgrades and purposes can become a bit daunting, but with time, players can become truly proficient with the different races allowing for a thoroughly engaging, deep and action packed multiplayer experience.

Playe the DOWII BETA, discuss it in the forums