It saddens me to report that this is only a slightly above-average game and quite inferior to its formidable predecessor
Gameplay: This is not a game of massive armies, base-building, and traditional resource collection. Think of your units as a tactical strike force designed to use terrain and quick-attack measures in order to get the advantage. Both the single-player campaign and multiplayer work this way. On the plus side, the campaign is very well done, and the rather small squads work well here. The story is interesting, and there are a slew of missions. You only get to play as one of the four races, but the action is still quite engaging. The campaign does allow for some choices, such as which wargear to use, which specialist squads to deploy, and which missions to accept. By the end, some of the missions and maps do become repetitive. However, the rewards system and the storyline did keep me playing until the finale. The campaign is worth at least a second run, but probably not more than that.
Online multiplayer is better than skirmishing against the AI, but it didn't have to be that way. The skirmish AI is just lousy. It spams just a few units per races, never uses special powers, and never builds certain units, including the really essential ones. For example, AI allies and opponents never, ever build Eldar fire prisms and avatar, Space Marine terminators and predators, or Ork tankbustas and nob squads. Thus, the AI is handicapped in every game. Relic has virtually admitted that the AI was an afterthought and has stated that this is being worked on. However, one wonders why the AI was allowed to be so incompetent in the first place.
Overall, there is some good fun to had in this game. However, the missing elements are too glaring to be easily forgiven. The game comes with only 7 multiplayer maps, and each of the armies really could use 1-2 additional units. Coupled with only two win conditions, two gameplay modes (1v1 or 3v3), and the lame AI, the game just seems lacking in important ways.
Graphics: Gorgeous game. Period. Easily the best-looking RTS game I've ever played. Like the first game, the units are lovingly crafted, and the animations are entertainingly over the top. The maps, while somewhat small and scarce in number, are also beautifully done. Relic has outdone themselves in this department. The only misstep (and it's a big one) is that the army painter is more limited than in the first game. Also, the game does not support custom banners or badges. I am not sure why.
Sounds: Everything is in order in the audio department. The music is fittingly epic, and the voice acting is generally convincing. However, the game lacks the variety of voices and quotes included in the first game, and thus lacks some of its personality. Sound effects are fine.
Documentation/Technical issues: The boxed version of the game comes with a manual that explains most of the basics. I have had no technical issues with the game crashing or freezing. My main problem with the game is the use of Steam as the DRM system. I just don't like the fact that the game requires you to forever link it to a Steam account, which makes it impossible to sell or give the game away to someone who does not have access to your Steam account. This is, of course, a deliberate attempt to kill the secondary market in used video games, which is despicable in my view and perhaps even illegal. I don't mind DRM as long as it does not limit how and when I can play a game that I've purchased and to whom I can give or sell the game to when I'm done with it. Steam limits access and ownership of the game in ways that I find unacceptable.
Replayability/Value: For me, replayability will depend completely on how well Relic supports the game with patches and additional content. If the skirmish AI is not fixed, no additional maps released, no modding tools released, and remaining bugs are not addressed, this game will not hold my attention long at all. Right now, I would not advise anyone to pay more than $25 for the game before these issues are fully addressed. Relic's approach to the game--as stated in several interviews with developers--was to release the game and then to patch in missing content later. It's a shoddy way to do business and should not be rewarded by consumers. If the skirmish AI is GREATLY improved and more maps and gameplay features are released, add another star to my overall rating of the game. Until that time, it saddens me to report that this is only a slightly above-average game and quite inferior to its formidable predecessor.
Pros:
+Great single-player campaign
+Stellar graphics
+Solid sound and voice work
+Can be quite entertaining when fights get furious
Cons:
-Just 7 maps
-A distinct lack of gameplay options
-Squads seem a bit too small
-Inexcusably bad skirmish AI
-Steam DRM (I can live with Games for Windows Live)