Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising (PC, 2010)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-7 Story-6
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7 Fun-7.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
+
Squads used in the previous campaign can be carried over to this one (you lose a bunch of the equipment from the previous campaign when starting out though)
More scripted missions
Optional lore/info from squad leaders between missions (green icon)
Player choice affecting the story via the corruption mechanic (there are often multiple objectives which will complete a mission including optional ones having either corrupting or redeeming effects; depending on which one a player chooses to complete they will become more or less corrupted - affects the ending (five different ones) and what missions become available throughout the campaign+which gear can be used)
Two new types of environment (winter, ),
Level cap expanded to level 30 and squads can gain new traits (not enough to max out more than a couple of stats so you still have to consider what to upgrade each level)
Librarian (psyker) unit added
New weapons (melta guns, lascannons, lightning claws, )
Switch between ranged and melee stance at any point
Can trigger additional comments from your squads or other campaign chars at your own pace after missions and while looking at briefings
Decent in-game manual
Another interplanetary campaign
Sometimes get to control temporary allied squads (imperial guard)
Better mission variety overall (some indoors missions, one stealth/avoidance focused "destroy the generators" mission)
+/-
Can save during a mission here but only via a save and exit to menu feature and if you play until you fail a mission then the save is removed (should have been a standard save feature once per level) - level and gear progression are kept however and you don't waste any days from dying
Supplies are now split into categories (medical, combat, explosives, etc.) - replenish abilities with limited charges
Chaos Lord Eliphas from Dark Crusade returns
No base building (instead you capture certain buildings that will help with reinforcements) - you do defend and destroy bases in some missions though
Can only use up to four (out of the eventual 6) different squads in a mission (each with a hero leading it) - this leads to having to leave 1-2 squads behind adding a strategic element but since you can't choose where to deploy or to scout ahead more for intel before a mission and you can't exit a mission without wasting days this element is lessened a bit. You do get a bit more intel here than in the base game but sometimes you'll face a bunch of vehicles during a mission and aren't told about it beforehand. Here the game also sometimes forces you to use a certain squad if you want to avoid it being corrupted (no explanation is given when it happens)
~10 seconds of loading time before each mission
Expendable items and seemingly arbitrary events like simply fighting chaos marines affecting corruption feels too gamey
The shown gear rewards in the mission selection screen is generally worse than the random drops you find during the missions
Fewer optional missions and branching paths here
The corruption mechanic isn't fully realized in that you can't actually join Chaos
Corruption can cause important abilities to be lost (such as the psyker's healing ability)
No formations
Can't keep playing a completed mission to grab the rest of the loot or redeeming objectives at the cost of speed points in the ranking
No shop (some squads can sometimes end up with very inferior alternatives to what you're carrying or nothing to use for specific missions like one with a lot of vehicles or melee enemies - I barely found any ranged weapons for the dreadnought throughout)
Don't get to use any vehicles besides a dreadnought except for during one mission where you use predator tanks
One squad ends up betraying you (who it is depends on their corruption level and (if everyone is at the same level) their willpower)
The evil/chaos path is easier (partially because you get to keep Tarkus for the finale)
Can't automate any ability behavior for any squad (gets more micro intensive using certain units such as the psyker)
-
Only one save slot per game in the campaign
Trial & error (can't simply donate an item that adds or removes corruption to gain exp - something to watch out for as you also can't undo such an action unlike the skill point distribution, can't simply try out a mission to see what it's like and then restart it to pick a different mission, some in-mission events such as a squad being replaced by another in the second mission, how to use the expendable items in-between missions - drag it into the librarium slot which is generally for trading items for exp, can't use demolition charge on neutral buildings and if you try there's still a cooldown after clicking the icon, some ambushes during missions, falling back suddenly causes corruption in one mission)
No game speed options (and can't issue orders while pausing (this was actually patched out of the game!) - becomes a problem at times because you'll become so busy with switching between squads and using abilities that you can't properly focus on what's going on even after memorizing all the hotkeys)
Sometimes uneven difficulty (spike at the bloody hand (eldar avatar) mission - when the wraithguard join in your whole group can die in seconds, easy and linear Relics of Space mission)
Having to move next to relay beacons to reinforce squads slows down the pacing considerably as does backtracking after falling back (some accessories help with movement speed but tend to feel like a waste compared to others)
Some interface/control issues (can't bind a unit to more than one control group (ctrl+a only selects all units on screen), can't use Esc to close sub menus, can't skip dialogue on a per line basis, somewhat harder to distinguish between units than in the prequel (at least on high gfx settings) - the attack type icons above enemy squads can help here though, can't edit hotkeys nor check the hotkeys in the in-game manual, no scatter/dodge command, can't double check your equipped gear during a mission, the log doesn't save the text shown when a mission is loading nor character conversations, some delay when trying to move a character performing an attack, can't cancel a fall back/retreat move or change its rally point at will (units will move to the closest captured relay beacon), can't cycle through squads inside buildings with Tab)
Overly rigid final mission tactics (lose control of the tanks after the intro segment and then you can't make the allied army or part of it help against the Ulkair (nurgle demon boss) so it's really tedious - impossible to maintain your forces during the fight because of insta-death attacks that always hit and he also heals himself fully once so it takes forever - apparently rushing to the boss instead of helping the allied force and using a terminator squad with assault cannons is much better here)
The ranking system doesn't blend well with not being able to reload a previous save to restart a mission
Saving and exiting to the menu during a mission takes ~20 seconds
Frustrating how you can't tell allied troops to fall back or follow you around (especially in missions where allied troops being defeated causes corruption)
Shorter than the main game
No resolution to the corruption within the Blood Ravens storyline where their chapter master Kyras went over to chaos (which is more interesting than the demon summoning one)
Uneven VA volume
Some unskippable in-game cutscenes
"You cannot dispose of this item"
Poor gear rewards in various missions
Bugs:
-Sometimes the tooltip for a piece of gear doesn't show until you move the mouse cursor over it one more time
-My commander once leapt up through a wall to a higher platform in one of the indoors missions
-Some pathfinding issues (my sniper squad would go into melee with a tank instead of throwing a grenade at it at one point)
Notes:
-See the Dawn of War II review for other pros and cons
-Got the "pure in the eyes of the emperor"/good ending (not the full purity one though)
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7 Fun-7.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
+
Squads used in the previous campaign can be carried over to this one (you lose a bunch of the equipment from the previous campaign when starting out though)
More scripted missions
Optional lore/info from squad leaders between missions (green icon)
Player choice affecting the story via the corruption mechanic (there are often multiple objectives which will complete a mission including optional ones having either corrupting or redeeming effects; depending on which one a player chooses to complete they will become more or less corrupted - affects the ending (five different ones) and what missions become available throughout the campaign+which gear can be used)
Two new types of environment (winter, ),
Level cap expanded to level 30 and squads can gain new traits (not enough to max out more than a couple of stats so you still have to consider what to upgrade each level)
Librarian (psyker) unit added
New weapons (melta guns, lascannons, lightning claws, )
Switch between ranged and melee stance at any point
Can trigger additional comments from your squads or other campaign chars at your own pace after missions and while looking at briefings
Decent in-game manual
Another interplanetary campaign
Sometimes get to control temporary allied squads (imperial guard)
Better mission variety overall (some indoors missions, one stealth/avoidance focused "destroy the generators" mission)
+/-
Can save during a mission here but only via a save and exit to menu feature and if you play until you fail a mission then the save is removed (should have been a standard save feature once per level) - level and gear progression are kept however and you don't waste any days from dying
Supplies are now split into categories (medical, combat, explosives, etc.) - replenish abilities with limited charges
Chaos Lord Eliphas from Dark Crusade returns
No base building (instead you capture certain buildings that will help with reinforcements) - you do defend and destroy bases in some missions though
Can only use up to four (out of the eventual 6) different squads in a mission (each with a hero leading it) - this leads to having to leave 1-2 squads behind adding a strategic element but since you can't choose where to deploy or to scout ahead more for intel before a mission and you can't exit a mission without wasting days this element is lessened a bit. You do get a bit more intel here than in the base game but sometimes you'll face a bunch of vehicles during a mission and aren't told about it beforehand. Here the game also sometimes forces you to use a certain squad if you want to avoid it being corrupted (no explanation is given when it happens)
~10 seconds of loading time before each mission
Expendable items and seemingly arbitrary events like simply fighting chaos marines affecting corruption feels too gamey
The shown gear rewards in the mission selection screen is generally worse than the random drops you find during the missions
Fewer optional missions and branching paths here
The corruption mechanic isn't fully realized in that you can't actually join Chaos
Corruption can cause important abilities to be lost (such as the psyker's healing ability)
No formations
Can't keep playing a completed mission to grab the rest of the loot or redeeming objectives at the cost of speed points in the ranking
No shop (some squads can sometimes end up with very inferior alternatives to what you're carrying or nothing to use for specific missions like one with a lot of vehicles or melee enemies - I barely found any ranged weapons for the dreadnought throughout)
Don't get to use any vehicles besides a dreadnought except for during one mission where you use predator tanks
One squad ends up betraying you (who it is depends on their corruption level and (if everyone is at the same level) their willpower)
The evil/chaos path is easier (partially because you get to keep Tarkus for the finale)
Can't automate any ability behavior for any squad (gets more micro intensive using certain units such as the psyker)
-
Only one save slot per game in the campaign
Trial & error (can't simply donate an item that adds or removes corruption to gain exp - something to watch out for as you also can't undo such an action unlike the skill point distribution, can't simply try out a mission to see what it's like and then restart it to pick a different mission, some in-mission events such as a squad being replaced by another in the second mission, how to use the expendable items in-between missions - drag it into the librarium slot which is generally for trading items for exp, can't use demolition charge on neutral buildings and if you try there's still a cooldown after clicking the icon, some ambushes during missions, falling back suddenly causes corruption in one mission)
No game speed options (and can't issue orders while pausing (this was actually patched out of the game!) - becomes a problem at times because you'll become so busy with switching between squads and using abilities that you can't properly focus on what's going on even after memorizing all the hotkeys)
Sometimes uneven difficulty (spike at the bloody hand (eldar avatar) mission - when the wraithguard join in your whole group can die in seconds, easy and linear Relics of Space mission)
Having to move next to relay beacons to reinforce squads slows down the pacing considerably as does backtracking after falling back (some accessories help with movement speed but tend to feel like a waste compared to others)
Some interface/control issues (can't bind a unit to more than one control group (ctrl+a only selects all units on screen), can't use Esc to close sub menus, can't skip dialogue on a per line basis, somewhat harder to distinguish between units than in the prequel (at least on high gfx settings) - the attack type icons above enemy squads can help here though, can't edit hotkeys nor check the hotkeys in the in-game manual, no scatter/dodge command, can't double check your equipped gear during a mission, the log doesn't save the text shown when a mission is loading nor character conversations, some delay when trying to move a character performing an attack, can't cancel a fall back/retreat move or change its rally point at will (units will move to the closest captured relay beacon), can't cycle through squads inside buildings with Tab)
Overly rigid final mission tactics (lose control of the tanks after the intro segment and then you can't make the allied army or part of it help against the Ulkair (nurgle demon boss) so it's really tedious - impossible to maintain your forces during the fight because of insta-death attacks that always hit and he also heals himself fully once so it takes forever - apparently rushing to the boss instead of helping the allied force and using a terminator squad with assault cannons is much better here)
The ranking system doesn't blend well with not being able to reload a previous save to restart a mission
Saving and exiting to the menu during a mission takes ~20 seconds
Frustrating how you can't tell allied troops to fall back or follow you around (especially in missions where allied troops being defeated causes corruption)
Shorter than the main game
No resolution to the corruption within the Blood Ravens storyline where their chapter master Kyras went over to chaos (which is more interesting than the demon summoning one)
Uneven VA volume
Some unskippable in-game cutscenes
"You cannot dispose of this item"
Poor gear rewards in various missions
Bugs:
-Sometimes the tooltip for a piece of gear doesn't show until you move the mouse cursor over it one more time
-My commander once leapt up through a wall to a higher platform in one of the indoors missions
-Some pathfinding issues (my sniper squad would go into melee with a tank instead of throwing a grenade at it at one point)
Notes:
-See the Dawn of War II review for other pros and cons
-Got the "pure in the eyes of the emperor"/good ending (not the full purity one though)