Last
year, THQ released their great RTS based in the Warhammer 40K tabletop game
universe, and the game instantly garnered some critical acclaim. Even earning a
few PC Game of the Year awards, Dawn of War was a brutal and intense strategy
game that translated its subject matter very well to the PC gaming medium. Now,
the game is receiving a proper expansion pack in the form of Winter Assault.
Winter Assault improves upon the already solid original game, offering up
improved multiplayer, a great new campaign and a brand new faction to play as.
All things considered, Winter Assault is a great addition to Dawn of War, and
fans of the original shouldn’t be disappointed.
The new
faction introduced in Winter Assault is the Imperial Guard, who takes a pretty
different route compared to the other factions in the game. Instead of focusing
on all-out offense and attacking, the Imperial Guard is instead a slower, more
deliberate faction that requires you to stockpile and research before making the
big plunge. While some may argue that the calculated pace of the Imperial Guard
detracts from the game’s feel, the slower gameplay is a nice break in the
intensity and this should be a good multiplayer faction for those who like to
wait a bit before whipping out the big guns.
The main
campaign splits between the two sides of the conflict, the “order” and the
“disorder”, with two factions on each side. As you progress through each side’s
five-mission scenario, the game will split between the Imperial Guard and the
Eldar (if you are on the order side) or the Orks and the Chaos (for the disorder
side). This does become a little disjointed after a while, as the gameplay
changes pretty dynamically between each faction and does interrupt the
campaign’s pace. Aside from those issues, the single-player aspect of Winter
Assault is still a great journey that adds about another 12 or so hours to your
Dawn of War experience.
Winter
Assault has made the multiplayer elements in Dawn of War even more fast-paced
and intense. There are cheaper and easier building units, meaning that beefing
up your units and your colonies move quicker than ever. This gives you more
opportunities and options in multiplayer matches, and makes the whole experience
a lot more interesting.
Winter
Assault holds up very well, graphically, even a year after the original game was
released. Units look great and stay true to the Warhammer 40000 universe. The
new imperial guard units sport a very unique aesthetic that sets them apart from
the other factions in the game. Plus, the battles are very intense and look
amazing, making for some of the coolest looking firefights to hit an RTS.
The
sound in Winter Assault is also pretty awesome. The voice acting is very good,
with only a few spells of corniness. The sound effects, like popping gunfire,
explosions and battlefield ambience, all sound fantastic. The soundtrack is in
the same vein as Dawn of War, so if you enjoyed that music, you’ll get more to
love here.
Winter
Assault is a solid expansion pack to a great game, and will definitely please
fans of the original game that’ve been clamoring for a follow-up for some time
now. While there are some issues, like a disjointed campaign, this is still a
great expansion that comes wholeheartedly recommended.
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Gameplay: 8.9
The new Imperial
Guard faction adds a great new element to the game, focusing on building
technology and research above rushing out to fight. While the new campaign might
feel a little disjointed given the constant shifting between factions as you
play, this feels like a minor gripe once you get into the thick of battle.
Graphics: 9.0
Even though it
came out a year ago, Dawn of War’s graphics still hold up quite nicely. The
character models are great and sport a ton of details that give them the look of
the Warhammer tabletop figurines on which they’re based, and battles are great.
Sound: 9.0
The sound effects
are all quite well done, with intense battle noises, good voice acting, and some
great music.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 9.0
Winter Assault is
a great storyline that serves as a proper continuation of the original game.
Multiplayer: 9.0
The addition of easier/cheaper units really streamlines the multiplayer elements
of the game, and adds a new level of variety to the formula.
Overall: 9.0
A great expansion that delivers some great new elements.
