Compared with the last expansion pack for the original game, Soulstorm, you could say a lot of other things have changed with DoWII. For starters, we are back to four races. Of course, the venerable space marines, the mysterious Eldar, and the silly yet brutal Orks are all here. In lieu of Chaos, though, this time the Tyranids are included for the first time in the series as a playable race. The lack of any other races is very disappointing, but it is logical that Relic would want to try and balance four races before jumping back to seven or eight once again.

There is a new system for abilities unique to each race based on kills, captures, etc; they are determined by which hero you use in the game. These abilities can allow for special moves like the Eldritch Storm, a powerful spell that engulfs a small radius of the terrain in a deadly electric storm, destroying almost anything in its path. There are also special units you can only get here, like the Venerable Dreadnought, as well as normal squads that can be placed anywhere on the map.

The new game engine, which is based on the existing technology used in Company of Heroes, allows for far more cover than the original, and DoWII now features destructible environments, such as crumbling buildings or craters from explosions which can affect the battlefield. Moving your units behind a wall will allow them to fire while taking cover, but tall buildings can also block their line of sight, making the game very similar to not only the real world, but also the tabletop game as well as other download free games for pc out there, where line of sight and cover played a very big role.

Dawn of War II is easily one of the best looking games I’ve played when cranked up to the highest settings, particularly in the RTS genre. The amazing effects and textures really make the game look incredible. Things like the orbital bombardment, which is a giant ion cannon blasting from space down to the ground itself is so ridiculously detailed that it might even slow down you or your opponent if their machines aren’t up to spec. Speaking of which, the price of admission here is quite high, so if your computer isn’t somewhat newer you may need to look into an upgrade.

Once you jump into a game, you’ll notice that there is somewhat of a lack of units to choose from in Dawn of War II compared to its predecessors. That’s not to say there aren’t enough, but clearly some didn’t make the cut either due to balancing or for other reasons. You’ll be glad to know that pretty much any squad can be upgraded, however, making the game even more tactical than simply having a large number of units to choose from.

There are three tiers (main tech upgrades that allow for more powerful units to be built), as before, but this time Tier III has even fewer things to choose from, opting instead for just the baddest of units, abilities, upgrades in the Warhammer 40k universe, including the Predator tank, Nobz, the Avatar, Terminator Armor, Rokkit Launchaz, Orbital Bombardment, and a few others that will surely entice fans of the series. The bulk of the game is still played in Tier II, where many useful upgrades can be had for Tier I units, and most of the classic units like the Dreadnought can be used.

The new hero system, which allows you to choose one prior to the start of the match, also allows these powerful units to be fully customizable. The way this works is a bit different than simply choosing a new move or attack to upgrade with, as you can choose up to 3 different abilities, stat upgrades, pieces of weaponry, or armor, each making your hero better or worse in different situations. For example, the Warp Spider hero for the Eldar can choose to upgrade his melee weapon to power blades, which are very effective against vehicles. This also means that he won’t be as effective against infantry had he upgraded to the heavy gauge deathspinner, which has a knockdown effect as well as increased damage against regular enemies. Some upgrades are passive, allowing a character to have a greater firing range. At any time can you change what you’re using, so no matter what the situation you can always be prepared.