A Fantastic small-scale RTS which puts the emphasis on Strategy and Action
Relic decided to totally revamp RTS conventions with the singleplayer campaign, it plays more like a action RPG because you have a set number of squads for each mission, and you can level them up and upgrade their equipment separately. Your squads cannot die, they only get knocked unconscious, after which you must revive them using another squad. Each squad has distinct roles, such as breaking defensive formations, suppressing enemies, sneaking around and flanking enemies, etc. You will need to play each squad to its strength to be successful at the game, if you just click on your units and tell them to kill enemy units, you will fail. The SP campaign is a good length, but will start to get repetative seeing as how all of the missions occur on a handful of maps on three planets, creating a kind of pseudo freedom in which you can choose which order to do missions in. Its worth playing, even if its only to get used to the game mechanics for the multiplayer.
The multiplayer is the meat of the game, and will not disappoint those after intense and frequent action. I lost the first several games I played, but was impressed by the community as they would help me out and give me tips during matches. Once you are used to it, and have found a favorite race to play as (there are four: The space marines, which you play as during the single player campaign, the Tyranids, the Eldar, and the Orks), the multiplayer is simply fantastic, and can be very addicting. There are a few downsides, the matchmaking system can be really wonky at times, pitting a team of new players against seasoned veterans, creating some rather unspectacular battles. There is also only one real game mode, in which you fight for three control points, or "Victory Points" scattered throughout the map, if you have the majority of the points and hold them, you eventually win. You also have to collect resources to build new units and upgrade your single base building from which all your units will come from. The multiplayer is excellent, and Relics continuous support means that DOW II will be a mainstay RTS multiplayer game for a long time to come.
Now i will talk about the technical aspects of the game: Visually the game looks similar to Company of Heroes, but with a few upgrades, it looks really good overall and the fully destructible environments add a whole other layer to the tactics you use. Special effects and landscapes look particularly impressive in this game. The sound is also very good, and the voices work well with the game, with the exception being the voice acting in the single player where you see your commander talking in the top left corner of the screen.
Overall Dawn of War II is a excellent RTS, although it will dissapoint traditional RTS fans in that there is no base building, and you are unable to amass huge armies. To win a game online, you actually need to use strategy, which is refreshing compared to many RTS games currently on the market. Anyone who loved COH, or enjoys the action and strategy in an RTS, should definitely check this game out.