Dawn of War II

Now I was really looking forward to this game when I first heard about it.  The screenshots were awesome.  The trailer videos were awesome.  I loved DOW I.  I was all set to get this game.

Then it came out and I read some reviews...hmm, maybe I won't be getting this... People were complaining a lot.  It's not an RTS. It's nothing like DOW I.  It uses DRM like Steam and Games For Windows Live (GFWL).  Its not stable.

Hmm, maybe I should rethink getting this game.  Was I really afraid of the stability? No, there weren't enough people complaining about it for it ot be a huge concern.  Sure a few people had problems, but not enough that I was really worried.  Was I anti Steam/GFWL?  Nope, I already use Steam (quick aside, when I first got it with Half Life 2 I hated the idea, then I built a new system and was able to install all my Steam games with just a click.  No more hunting for CD's or licence keys, and I was hooked).  GFWL?  No big deal, some other games are using it so its slowly becoming either use or don't play the top games.  I'm not enamored, but it is what it is.

So,for me, it really came down to the gameplay itself.  I really liked DOW I, heck I was playing it last night for about 2 hours.  I had been looking forward to a new iteration of it, but now it's something completely different.  I had pretty much talked myself into not getting it when I talked to my friend Chris.  He said, don't think of it like another DOW, but instead like a modern Myth the Fallen Lords. 

Well thats a different twist, instead of a RTS, its a RTT (real time tactical).  I really liked Myth, the idea of playing a game like that again was pretty cool so I got the game.

I like it.  Is it anything like DOW I? Well its set in the same universe and has similar skills and attacks, but thats about it.  It is its own game, not something like DOW I at all.  Honestly I think I like it this way better.  If it had been just a revamp of DOW I then what would I do with DOW I?  Nothing, it would just go away.  This way I have two very different games in the same universe that I can enjoy in different ways.

So I got it on Friday and I flipped back and forth between DOW I and II all weekend.  I had a blast playing both, and as long as you know what you're getting into I recommend DOW II.