Relic may have used figurines to create them, but they are no less full of life because of it. These scenes were the highlight of my experience, they are so well-crafted, well-shot and composed that I am not sure I could say for sure if they in fact did cost less than CG would have. It looked like the team had decided to build them around stop-motion footage of figurines, in place of the – likely much pricier - CG cut-scenes.Īfter finishing the campaign, I can tell you I was very wrong. I was a bit worried Dawn of War 3 would suffer a drop in its production values when the studio released the first footage of in-game cut-scenes. I’d say the third-person Space Marine comes close, but that would only assert Relic’s stature. It’s astounding how, this many years later, Relic’s mix of original stories and lore references is still the best representation of this universe in any game. It’s easily among the series’ best, with production values the likes of which has never been seen before in a Warhammer 40,000 game. It was even more disappointing when you see how well-produced the game’s campaign was. Nevertheless, the realisation that almost half of the game will go untouched was looming ever closer every time I dabbled into multiplayer between my campaign sessions. I have to give Relic props for at least trying something new, but the cynic in me sees this as a way of luring MOBA players into the genre, a tactic that’s never worked before for other games. I don’t have any hot takes on this interesting new approach ( you’ll have to read our review for that), but I can tell you that it plays just enough like a MOBA that I am automatically less likely to enjoy it. It’s the MOBA staples you know, except here you’re also worrying about economy, and building units to funnel them towards these objectives instead of directly towards your opponent’s base. The new mode features a MOBA-style setup of lanes, and shields that must be destroyed to expose turrets which in turn open up the core for attack when taken down. The problem is, it’s still more demanding than my brain (trained to think in C&C terms) can handle. Having now played Dawn of War 3’s only multiplayer mode, I can safely say it strikes a good balance between the economy-focused gameplay of the past, and the more action-oriented take of the previous game.

Up until the point Last Stand mode was introduced with Dawn of War 2, my time with anything beyond the campaign usually lasted for a few short hours. There’s the group that shows up for the stories and lore, while the other, more skilled one, is drawn to the complexity of the multiplayer offering. If you’re not a fan of Dawn of War 3’s only multiplayer mode at launch, there’s nothing there for you beyond the campaign.ĭawn of War games, like many of their RTS contemporaries, have always attracted two types of players.

Dawn of war 2 co op