Like many other gamers, I early await the release of Dawn of War 2 on February 19th, or what I like to call Second Christmas. The game is pre-ordered, my fridge is stocked with caffeinated beverages, and I’ve got 10 cc’s of adrenaline in a lockbox next to my PC just in case my heart needs to reboot after the 72nd hour of cleansing the 41st millennium of xeno-scum (always be prepared). Fortunately, we gamers don’t have to wait that long. For those of us who purchased Dawn of War: Soulstorm, The Dawn of War 2 multiplayer beta is officially live as of today.

So far, the reception is mixed. Most of the criticisms focus on the speed of the game, which progresses more slowly than in previous generation real-time strategy titles. In particular, hero spawn times are a particular drag, especially since they are so integral to the outcome of skirmishes. Also, the limited variety of units per army is an unhappy surprise to anyone accustomed to playing in the post-expansion environment of the first Dawn of War game. The complete lack of base-building is another point of contention, albeit one that has been discussed at length for at least a year since Relic announced the feature (or lack thereof).

From my perspective, the online buzz echoes initial opinions about Company of Heroes, easily one of the best games of the genre ever made. Relic has a history of pushing the innovation envelope and DoW 2 is no exception. RTS veterans may be put off by these changes at first, but once they become comfortable with the new game mechanics, such as firing arcs on heavy weapons and turrets (borrowed from Company of Heroes), they may find that Relic has permanently raised the bar. It is also worth noting that the graphics and physics are both superbly presented and superbly optimized. Most of us are running at surprisingly high framerates considering the eye candy we’re getting, not to mention that it’s a beta build.

The game borrows heavily from Company of Heroes, and I feel this is a good thing, though there is a lot of room for tweaking. Suppressing fire is powerful at the moment. Units are pinned almost immediately after taking fire from certain weapons, and then they are gibbed a few seconds later (unless in hard cover). Fortunately, suppression units are extremely vulnerable to jump infantry (such as Assault Marines) and outflanking (ie, tactics). Also similar to CoH, vehicles are virtually immune to anything but anti-tank weapons and heavy assault troops, solidifying fast teching as a viable multiplayer strategy. My one real beef with the game so far is that the only way to defend victory and resource points is with a standing army, which often causes games to degenerate into a constant stream of raids on unguarded objectives rather than fighting large battles. Perhaps this, combined with no base building, is intended to establish a high baseline level of momentum, but it often feels tedious and annoying and leads to indecisive outcomes.

For those of you not yet able to participate, the beta will open up to the general public on January 28th.

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