WARHAMMER 40K DAWN OF WAR

Considering the weaponry that humankind has already invented during the past couple of thousand years, it's difficult to even begin to imagine what kinds of implements of destruction will exist in the 41st millennium. However, England-based Games Workshop has done an excellent job of imagining what will come with its unique Warhammer 40,000 universe, which originated as a tabletop wargame but over the years has spun off into a variety of computer and video games. Dawn of War is the latest of these, and it's probably the best of these. Developed by seasoned real-time strategy maker Relic (best known for Homeworld and its sequel), Dawn of War is a testament to what can be so great about this style of gaming, and it captures the grim and brutal world of Warhammer 40,000 extremely well.
In the 41st millennium, warfare will take the form of great-looking, fun, and exciting real-time strategy battles.
Those unfamiliar with Warhammer 40,000 will get the perfect primer in the game's brief, spectacular, introductory cinematic that shows off a pitched battle between two forces that are bent on ripping each other to shreds--and are well equipped to do so. Dawn of War actually features four of Warhammer 40,000's most popular factions: The tireless and imperialistic space marines, highly versatile warriors who have access to a variety of vehicles as well as terminators, the strongest infantry in the game; the savage green-skinned orks, whose tough forces can vastly outnumber and therefore overwhelm their enemies; the enigmatic and technologically advanced eldar, who are the sneakiest and most maneuverable of the races, and who have access to numerous specialist units; and the traitorous forces of chaos--former space marines who have been warped by demonic energies, and whose strong infantry are assisted by terrifying demonic creatures.
Each of these factions has a great deal of personality in the game thanks to the imaginatively designed, vibrantly detailed, and beautifully animated units available to it, along with equally good speech and audio effects. Even the way in which the respective sides build their structures is interesting. Whereas chaos summons its buildings through arcane rituals, ork structures unceremoniously arrive from orbit in big heaps of junk parts. Visual differences aside, each faction is distinctly (though not drastically) different and playable in the game's skirmish and multiplayer modes, although the single-player campaign exclusively focuses on a space marine chapter called the Blood Ravens.
The game's relatively brief campaign of around 10 missions begins when the Ravens are called in to assist with the defense of the planet Tartarus, which has suddenly been overrun by the warmongering orks. In addition to fending off the orks, the Ravens soon experience some "misunderstandings" with the eldar, who are already on location investigating something sinister--something that chaos is after. It's a good setup to pit you against three of the game's four factions, and the main character of the story, a veteran space marine commander named Gabriel, is quickly likable because of his ruthless, loyal, and valorous attitude.
The campaign itself isn't great, though, since it's just a linear series of missions that typically involve building up a base, mustering your forces, and crushing the enemy. So, basically, it's standard stuff. Some missions have some interesting set pieces in them. In one mission, a computer-controlled battalion of the imperial guard--human allies of the space marines that lack the marines' cybernetic enhancements and power armor--covers your flank from an onslaught of orks as you conduct your operations. It's tempting to help the guardsmen in their defense of you, or at least it's tempting to watch as their tanks and laser weapons stave off the aggressors. However, the campaign is brief and conventional overall, so any remotely experienced RTS player should find it to be a cakewalk at the default normal difficulty setting (two tougher settings are also available). The actual story is pretty good, at least, and it unfolds between missions through some excellently over-the-top dialogue between the game's main characters. However, the between-mission cutscenes, which are rendered using the game's 3D engine, simply don't look good. You'll see characters flapping their gums and animating awkwardly, which is in stark contrast to how terrific they look in battle during actual gameplay.
The campaign only lets you play as the space marines, but the other three sides are yours to command in skirmish and multiplayer matches.
Playing through Dawn of War's campaign at least teaches you to respect the space marines' abilities in battle. In addition, the game features four separate interactive tutorials--one for each of the game's factions--which get you acclimated with the respective sides' buildings and units. As mentioned, the four sides in Dawn of War aren't drastically different, since they're each dependent on the same resources and have roughly analogous military units. However, these similarities are to the game's credit, because they serve to reduce the learning curve involved in switching from play as one faction to another. Consequently, the thought of learning to play as each of them, in turn, doesn't seem intimidating. Nevertheless, as in any great RTS game, it can take an indefinitely long time to truly master the different options of any one of these factions. Therefore, the devil's in the details of the various units, vehicles, weapons, abilities, and tactics available to them.
One of Dawn of War's accomplishments involves how successfully it translates some of the tabletop wargame's elements into effective twists on the conventional formula for real-time strategy games. For example, the action in any given battle revolves heavily around the capturing and holding of "strategic points," which have an abstract concept but literally take the form of beacons on the map. You may capture these points with most infantry squads, which is a process that leaves your squad immobilized and vulnerable for a number of seconds. But then, the captured point grants you a steady flow of requisition resource, which is necessary for purchasing new buildings, units, and upgrades. The idea is that the better you're faring in battle by capturing more strategic points, the more likely your faction is willing to support you from orbit with additional troops, structures, and supplies.