Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade

"It's Time For WWAAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!"

DISCLAIMER: This review was written on the assumption that players may or may not have played the first two installations prior to this expansion. Thus, some basic aspects of the game may be briefly explained for the convenience of newcomers. For old-timers familiar to the DoW RTS system, I apologize for the redundance. However, gameplay information that can be easily obtained through reading the manual and/or playing the tutorial will not be explained, as the in-game tools are more than sufficient to create adequate understanding of the basic game mechanics.

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The third installation in the Dawn of War (DoW) Real-Time Strategy (RTS) series of games, Dark Crusade brings yet another fresh look at the game that many feel brought a new face to the genre of RTS. Gone were the days of holing up within one's base, busily mining away at seemingly endless resources; instead, with the implementation of strategic and critical points and a territorial capture system, Dawn of War introduced an innovative twist to the otherwise familiar "gather-'n'-spend" routine seen in all other RTS games. Dark Crusade is no exception, adding two new playable races for a total of seven that can be played single or multiplayer.

NOTE: In order to play the original 4 races (Space Marine, Chaos Marine, Ork and Eldar) and the first expansion race (Imperial Guard) in multiplayer, you must first submit valid CD-keys for each of them respectively. Otherwise, you are only privy to the two new races introduced in Dark Crusade: the technological Tau and the ruthless Necron.

Let's get started.

===== GAMEPLAY =====

As with all RTS games, Dark Crusade is no exception when there is much to do in the control of an entire army at one's fingertips. Between strategically constructing the right buildings and deft micromanagement in unit warfare, Dark Crusade will keep the player busy at almost all times of the game.

The first major deviation of the Dawn of War series (and thus, Dark Crusade) when compared to the other RTS games on the market is the notable lack of primary resource farming. With the exception of the Necron race, all races use a resource called "Requisition" as their source of spending. Normally, in RTS games, resource is gained through gatherer units that mindlessly walk back and forth between nodes of some sort, grabbing bits and pieces at a time to convert to small amounts of currency. However, in Dark Crusade and its previous installations, territorial advancement is the name of the game with strategic points, critical points, and relics which must be captured and held in order to obtain funds with which to purchase units, buildings and upgrades. This system provides for many chances of minor skirmishes to assert dominance and helps to speed up the game and (hopefully) eliminate most "turtling" options commonly plaguing other RTS games. Secondary resource farming is power supply, but that can be obtained through building power plants and/or finding a slag deposit to construct a thermal power generator that produces power at a faster rate. The only exception are one of the new races introduced in Dark Crusade: the Necrons. Necrons do not use requisition for anything; instead, capturing points and building obelisks on them for the Necrons increases the output speed of their buildings and units. While this may sound overpowered at first, without any points captured, Necron production rate is painfully slow, thus making it advantageous for them to continue capturing points like all the other races.

As with other RTS games, there are Commander units in Dark Crusade, equipped with many different upgrades and weapons that serve to differentiate them from the others on the field of combat. They enjoy unique abilities that may turn the tide of battle when used correctly and are often able to handle multiple enemies by themselves.

Unit AI is perhaps the one thorn in the side of Dark Crusade as, like all others, it suffers from the problems of mass computer-controlled units. Since Dark Crusade is squad based combat, often times massing units into one large group and telling them to move to a certain location will result in a huge line of units in "ant formation", trying to walk single file but still in a squad, resulting in them spreading out over a rather vast expanse when they reach their final destination. Also, the AI is unable to resolve unit collision issues, and if there is a vehicle trying to go one way and some infantry trying to go the other while crossing a narrow bridge, they will often either remain stuck there or go backwards and head out on a longer, roundabout route. Nevertheless, despite the quirks and bugs that are present, the AI is still, for the most part, able to execute commands fairly well. Pincer moves, flanking, and other strategical maneuvers are still entirely possible once one has become accustomed to how the AI works in Dark Crusade (although previous experience with other RTS games will suffice).

Verdict: Innovative and tactical, the gameplay of Dark Crusade brings RTS to a whole new level. 9/10

===== SOUND =====

While most people do not play RTS games for the music, it can probably be safely said that many enjoy the various sounds of the game, most notably when two armies clash with one another. Dark Crusade delivers superbly with many unique sounds depending on the units, ranging from various calibre gunfire to the metal clang of swordplay to the myriad of screams and cries of those in the throes of death. The units themselves also have their own set of speech patterns that can differentiate them quickly from other units when in command of an entire army. Even in battle, some units will roar with warcries or taunt opponents as they fight to the death. When morale is lost, they will often issue commands to retreat, notifying the player of their condition immediately.

The music of the game, while excellent in its own right, is similar to the type of music heard in similar games. Oftentimes it will attempt to uplift the feeling of honor or perhaps serve to augment the joy of destruction being created on the battlefield. Admittedly, I don't have much opinion on this because I turn it down most of the time to where it's more of a background than foreground music. This way, I get to hear the last words or cries of my opponents more clearly as they die before my armies. Sadistic? Perhaps. Fun? Oh yes.

Verdict: Unique and satisfying, the sounds and music of Dark Crusade do not falter. 9/10

===== GRAPHICS =====

When I first played the Dawn of War demo and the beta, I was immediately shocked and pleasantly surprised at the attention that was paid to the detail of the models and their surroundings. Between the different kill/death animations and the various detail scarring to the environment, I was immediately hooked to the game and furthermore so after discovering a fresh new system for gathering resources (well, one of the two at any rate).

The models in the Dawn of War series are incredibly detailed, almost to a fault: to run the game at its highest settings, a rather powerful computer would be needed. Nonetheless, it is enjoyable to see multiple squads skittering about the map, each with their own signature death moves and fighting animations that make simply watching the combat a lot of fun, and playing the game even more so. The environment is not lacking either; with a myriad of maps and settings to play in, Dark Crusade offers a wide variety of regions in which to wage war, from the frostbitten icelands to the heart of wartorn cities, players are able to choose a map that offers the setting they fancy. Each map includes great detail paid to the altitude of levels, as well as interesting placements of various points and bottlenecks that can be used for strategic advantages as opposed to the standard mass assault that is usually the only method of play in most other RTS games.

Dead infantry will also remain as corpses on the field, leaving telltale signs of a bloody skirmish that took place. Craters and burns will also scar the ground permanently, bearing testimony to a barrage of missile or plasma fire that vaporized the units standing there in battles past. (note: this is with Persistent Bodies and Persistent Scarring on "High" setting to preserve a realism effect)

Verdict: Extremely detailed and intelligently created, Dark Crusade will not disappoint. At high settings, zoomed in to watch the fun, a recorded game is pure eye candy. 10/10

===== CAMPAIGN =====

Now we come to the big topic: the campaign of Dark Crusade.

Players of Dawn of War and Dawn of War: Winter Assault will remember the repetitively linear campaign of the two previous installations and perhaps be more likely than not to be deadened to the campaign mode of the DoW series. However, the Campaign in Dark Crusade gives the series a drastic change, and for the better, making it more interactive and most importantly, much more fun!

Upon starting a new campaign, a player is asked to select a commander from amongst the seven races. Once selected, this commander will lead his/her respective race to world conquest of the planet Kronus (which is the planet where Dark Crusade is set). It begins on an overworld view of a portion of the planet mapped out with many regions and commanders of all races (including the player-selected one) all standing on a certain region designated as the headquarters. Then, in a Risk-esque fashion of conquest, the player is brought to a planetary map interface where the Commanders can move from region to region in turns, conquering enemy armies and defending their own territories from being conquered, retaining the ability to requisition and reinforce certain "hot-zone" areas with additional troops if the need arises. Strategical planning is thus in order here, for the reason that the Commander and his Honor Guard (free troops earned from defeating predetermined zones) may only assist if they are in or adjacent to the region that is being assaulted.

As mentioned above, defeating various areas will also earn the Commander units, called Honor Guard, to be brought into battle free of charge (after the first initial resource payment), and most importantly, free of the infantry/vehicle cap. More land under a Commander's control also means more planetary requisition, which can then be used to purchase Honor Guard units to accompany the Commander into battle. It can also be used to reinforce other zones and even to start a battle with some buildings already pre-constructed for a strategical advantage.

The Commander may also fulfill certain requirements, such as 3 to 1 kill ratio or a number of successful defenses against attacks to achieve "Wargear" which may then be equipped on a Commander to increase his combat potential, to a point where he becomes almost godlike towards the end of the campaign if all the wargear is obtained. Upon achieving the ability to equip wargear, the player can maneuver to the supported interface and choose from a wide array of upgrades to the Commander. There is no set order that wargear must be purchased, although certain more powerful ones require the obtaining of more basic ones first. The wargear interface also sports a statistical data window that details how many kills, how many conquests, and how many defenses the Commander has under his belt along with more personal information such as health, melee attack, and ranged attack.

Additional bonuses from conquering land also arrive in the form of field bonuses that allow the Commander to start each fight with additional power, or perhaps to raise the infantry/vehicle cap from its normal ceiling at 20. For those familiar with the tabletop game, the campaign quests are taken in turns, and there is even a zone where a successful conquest means obtaining the ability to launch two attacks in one turn!

While the overworld map interface is seen in a zone-map formation, the individual skirmishes that occur when one race attacks another's territory brings the player back to the RTS format. In order to make it less redundant, especially if one enemy race keeps attacking the same zone over and over, there is an "auto-resolve" option instead of manually going in to defend a zone, but the risk involved is that the computer then determines which side wins based on the buildings and units contained within the map. However, the advantage here is that, with every campaign, all building placements are "memorized" by the computer; that is, if a Commander were to return to an area previously conquered because of an attacking enemy, all the buildings and strategic points previously acquired are still there, making it slightly easier (and more realistic) for the player. Unit upgrades, however, must be purchased again upon re-entry of conquered territories.

The selling point here is that Dark Crusade no longer forces the player to go through a linear storyline that is less than interesting. Instead, with the new map interface and the Commander/Honor Guard customization, the player is now able to choose exactly when and where to attack, and the events that unfold respond to whatever actions have been taken previously. When two races meet in a head-on battle over important territory, different exchanges depending on which races have been selected can be heard, and even the final climactic battle between the final two races changes depending on how the player executed orders to the Commander for previous conquests. In other words, gone are the days of linear story and in their place, a new campaign mode that is brilliantly implemented and executed serve to further the experience of Dawn of War: Dark Crusade.

Verdict: Magnificently done with user-friendly interface, the campaign mode promises and delivers fun that is definitely worth the money. 10/10

===== CONCLUSION =====

Leading their armies on their own "Dark Crusade", each race has their own agenda: from the Eldar who wish to preserve ancient tradition or the Tau who fight to advance the Greater Good to the Chaos who spread their daemonic evil or the Necrons who exist only to exterminate life. Indeed, Dark Crusade feels like an epic conquest in that the gameplay and campaign are both executed in a superb fashion. The serious gamer will enjoy the strategy involved and the micromanagement that is present due to the squad-based combat system and territorial conquests while the casual gamer can still enjoy the fights without having to be completely immersed in the logistics of the game. Most of all, Dark Crusade is a great game where sometimes recording a good, long fight and then watching it again at a later time (in slow motion even!) through the included replay system is almost as fun as playing another game itself. That, in my opinion, is the sign that a game has done its job. When watching something that has already been seen before can still bring enjoyment to the player, then something has been done correctly.

For all enthusiasts or curious onlookers that have yet to experience Dark Crusade, I strongly urge and advocate the purchase of this game (and no, I wasn't paid to say that). Maybe you enjoy RTS games and would like something new, or maybe you love the strategy involved and would like to get your hands dirty with the blood of your fallen enemies. Or maybe, like the Orks, you just want a big, bloody fight... or in their words, a big, bloody WWAAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!

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FINAL SCORE: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/23/06