Great expansion to an already great game.
In case you aren’t familiar with Warhammer 40k, it takes place in the distant future. Mankind has expanded out into space and formed a great Empire. But the Imperiam is beset by constant war against alien races. Dark Crusade takes place on the planet Kronos where 7 of these factions fight for control of the planet and it’s dark secrets.
GAME PLAY
First, let me say that the devs deserve big kudos for making this expansion pack “stand-alone”. In other words, you can play the full single player game as any of the races with only this expansion pack installed. You only need the original game, and first expansion to play as all the races online.
With that said, not much has changed since Dawn of War, and that’s not really a bad thing. You’ll find that Dark Crusade works much like a standard RTS. What sets it apart is it’s ultra-violent source material, action packed battles, and “Risk” style single player campaign.
My only gripe about the game play is the GUI still takes up nearly half of the screen. I wish they had included a way to minimize the GUI, or make it transparent.
GRAPHICS
The graphics haven’t improved much from Dawn of War, and are starting to show their age. Granted, there’s still a high level of detail on the models, and there can be a lot of them on the screen with no slow down. But when you zoom in you can really notice the low-res textures. They certainly don’t look bad, but they aren’t up to par with current standards.
SOUND
The game still sounds as good as ever. This is a game where you really need to crank up the bass to get the full battlefield effect. There’s new sounds and music for the new races, but some of it is recycled from Dawn of War as you might expect. My only real complaint here is that the narrator sounds like he’s trying too hard to sound tough and grim. The other voiceovers sound good, but you’ll really only hear them in battles.
VALUE
This is the selling point for Dark Crusade. Gone are the linear campaigns of the past games, and instead DC has a dynamic turn-based single player campaign. It’s shown as a top-down view of the planet, with each of the races controlling certain territories. You take turns attacking different areas, and reinforcing areas you already control. When you attack a territory, the game switches to the normal battlefield map for that area. Controlling certain areas will give you access to special units or bonuses. In addition to this, your hero unit can be outfitted with war gear acquired from accomplishing certain tasks in each level. You will also be treated to a custom cut-scene for your race when you defeat one of the others.
Although the campaign isn’t long or difficult, it does breathe fresh air into the series, and will attract many new fans. There aren’t a lot of improvements for the graphics and sound departments; but the addition of two unique races and a dynamic campaign will greatly lengthen the life of the series. If you’re into Warhammer 40k, or just like RTS games, this is a must buy.