Given all the controversy surrounding Dawn of War 3 I felt like I had to write a review of my own. Let me start off by saying that I am a HUGE fan of the series, having spent countless hours playing both its first and the second instalment.



Dawn of War 3 is... different. Relic could have taken an easy approach and simply remake the first Dawn of War with better graphics but instead decided to experiment with the genre and design something fresh which in my opinion is the way to go. I don't want to play the same game again, I want to try new things and Relic most definitely delivered in that regard.



Right off the bat I want to address all the extreme hate and negativity this game has been receiving pretty much since the first gameplay was showcased. As is often the case with vocal, negative minority - the loudest voices we hear are those who advocate baseless criticism. When I see someone giving this game a score between 0 and 4 on Metacritic (or any other medium for that matter) I lose all respect for such a person. I get it, you don't like the idea of this game being any different than the 1st one. You want to relive your childhood and grasp that fleeting, elusive feeling of nostalgia. Perhaps you are not a fan of the artstyle. Whatever. The game is still solid and even if you strongly dislike its design choices, you really should not rate it so darn low. Seriously, if you think Dawn of War 3 deserves a score of 0 do not write ANY reviews on ANYTHING ever again.



All right, with that off my chest let us proceed onto an in-depth look at the game itself and its core features. The single player campaign. I had very high expectations for it given how much I enjoyed the campaign in Dawn of War 1 & 2 (the latter especially). Dawn of War 3 doesn't disappoint in that area. I heard someone describing the said campaign as a 'glorified tutorial' which I find baffling to say the least. The campaign is solid, well designed with quite differing missions, some truly unique and fun. The overall storyline is enjoyable too, it has its dark and funny moments (I must admit that orcs work really well as a comic relief, especially in the newest Dawn of War). With that being said, the single player mode is not perfect and has its flaws: some missions are way too easy in comparison to others which can be frustrating. Also, the lack of autosave/checkpoint system is strange but hey, you just have to save your game more often and you'll be fine. Overall, if you are a fan of the previous games and the 40k universe you should have a blast playing DoW 3's campaign. It took me somewhere between 22 and 25 hours to beat the entire SP mode on highest difficulty. I'd like to think my skill level is above that of an average player so it might take you even longer to beat the campaign.



Now, to some perhaps the most crucial component of the game: multiplayer and the gameplay itself. Here is where things get interesting. When I first heard that Dawn of War 3 will launch with only one gameplay mode that will feature 'towers' and a 'core' (or nexus, call it whatever you want) I was...sceptical to say the least. Seems like a really bold and bizarre design choice. Then I gave open beta a go and thought more about the way Relic designed their game. Let's make something clear - Dawn of War 3 is NOT a MOBA. People that claim so are completely clueless when it comes to game design and simply playing. What Relic tried to achieve is to give their game the kind of decision making players experience when playing a MOBA (same goes for emotions the said players feel). Did the Canadian studio succeed? Subjectively, I can say indeed it did. After you play the game for a longer period of time you begin to realize how many different choices there are when approaching a match. I heard players/certain reviewers claiming Dawn of War 3 simplified the RTS genre by removing strategies such as rushing your opponent during the early game. That is completely false. To give you an example, being aggressive during the early stages of a match can lead to annihilation of the enemy shield which grants you a lot of resources and an elite point which in turn will snowball your lead even further. If you make a mistake tho and overextend when attacking a turret, you can still lose the match. Elites and all the customization options also ensure that multiple strategies are viable. Meta game might set in at some point (though I still think build orders and/or loadouts will greatly vary) but constant addition of new elites in future content patches/expansions will solve that problem. What I can't stress enough though is this: at its heart, Dawn of War 3 is still an RTS, much like Dawn of War 1. Micro-management of your army is absolutely essential and crucial to the game's outcome.



Dawn of War 3 also has numerous flaws such as very few maps and odd looking UI elements (sometimes ugly even, to give you some examples: certain icons are really pixelated, player profile looks mediocre etc.). Not being able to change your keybinds can also be frustrating but I believe all those quirks (some more annoying than others) will eventually get fixed.



I'll be honest, in some ways the game feels rushed. At least that is the impression I got after playing it for 30+ hours. Like mentioned before, lack of certain features can be quite frustrating (to give you an example, as of right now it is not possible to surrender when playing online). The game is not perfect but at the same time it is not as bad as people make it out to be.



Pros:

- Solid, well designed single player campaign (most definitely an improvement over the Dawn of War 1's campaign, the 2nd game had a much better single player experience tho).

- 3 one of a kind races with unique gameplay mechanics such as the orc with their scraps, space marines with the drop pod system etc.

- Innovative, fast-paced (yet still very tactical) multiplayer mode with a complex progression system.

- Feels very 40k-like (killing hundreds of orcs and eldar with an imperial knight is just epic).

- Outstanding soundtrack.

- Good optimization.



Cons:

- Few maps.

- Only one gameplay mode (hopefully more will be added in future patches).

- Sometimes UI feels just... off.

- Lack of a ranked multiplayer mode.

- Annoying small features that are lacking such as not being able to assign your own keybinds.

- Pathfinding can be awkward at times.

- The game just feels slightly rushed and could have been MUCH better.



Final Score: 7/10.



If you're a fan of the series and the 40k universe, ignore the mixed reviews and buy the game, it is my belief that you will immensely enjoy it. Dawn of War 3 is worse than the previous installments in the series but it is still a good game.

Given all the controversy surrounding Dawn of War 3 I felt like I had to write a review of my own. Let me start off by saying that I am a HUGE fan of the series, having spent countless hours playing both its first and the second instalment. Dawn of War 3 is... different. Relic could have taken an easy approach and simply remake the first Dawn of War with better graphics but instead decided to experiment with the genre and design something fresh which in my opinion is the way to go. I don't want to play the same game again, I want to try new things and Relic most definitely delivered in that regard. Right off the bat I want to address all the extreme hate and negativity this game has been receiving pretty much since the first gameplay was showcased. As is often the case with vocal, negative minority - the loudest voices we hear are those who advocate baseless criticism. When I see someone giving this game a score between 0 and 4 on Metacritic (or any other medium for that matter) I lose all respect for such a person. I get it, you don't like the idea of this game being any different than the 1st one. You want to relive your childhood and grasp that fleeting, elusive feeling of nostalgia. Perhaps you are not a fan of the artstyle. Whatever. The game is still solid and even if you strongly dislike its design choices, you really should not rate it so darn low. Seriously, if you think Dawn of War 3 deserves a score of 0 do not write ANY reviews on ANYTHING ever again. All right, with that off my chest let us proceed onto an in-depth look at the game itself and its core features. The single player campaign. I had very high expectations for it given how much I enjoyed the campaign in Dawn of War 1 & 2 (the latter especially). Dawn of War 3 doesn't disappoint in that area. I heard someone describing the said campaign as a 'glorified tutorial' which I find baffling to say the least. The campaign is solid, well designed with quite differing missions, some truly unique and fun. The overall storyline is enjoyable too, it has its dark and funny moments (I must admit that orcs work really well as a comic relief, especially in the newest Dawn of War). With that being said, the single player mode is not perfect and has its flaws: some missions are way too easy in comparison to others which can be frustrating. Also, the lack of autosave/checkpoint system is strange but hey, you just have to save your game more often and you'll be fine. Overall, if you are a fan of the previous games and the 40k universe you should have a blast playing DoW 3's campaign. It took me somewhere between 22 and 25 hours to beat the entire SP mode on highest difficulty. I'd like to think my skill level is above that of an average player so it might take you even longer to beat the campaign. Now, to some perhaps the most crucial component of the game: multiplayer and the gameplay itself. Here is where things get interesting. When I first heard that Dawn of War 3 will launch with only one gameplay mode that will feature 'towers' and a 'core' (or nexus, call it whatever you want) I was...sceptical to say the least. Seems like a really bold and bizarre design choice. Then I gave open beta a go and thought more about the way Relic designed their game. Let's make something clear - Dawn of War 3 is NOT a MOBA. People that claim so are completely clueless when it comes to game design and simply playing. What Relic tried to achieve is to give their game the kind of decision making players experience when playing a MOBA (same goes for emotions the said players feel). Did the Canadian studio succeed? Subjectively, I can say indeed it did. After you play the game for a longer period of time you begin to realize how many different choices there are when approaching a match. I heard players/certain reviewers claiming Dawn of War 3 simplified the RTS genre by removing strategies such as rushing your opponent during the early game. That is completely false. To give you an example, being aggressive during the early stages of a match can lead to annihilation of the enemy shield which grants you a lot of resources and an elite point which in turn will snowball your lead even further. If you make a mistake tho and overextend when attacking a turret, you can still lose the match. Elites and all the customization options also ensure that multiple strategies are viable. Meta game might set in at some point (though I still think build orders and/or loadouts will greatly vary) but constant addition of new elites in future content patches/expansions will solve that problem. What I can't stress enough though is this: at its heart, Dawn of War 3 is still an RTS, much like Dawn of War 1. Micro-management of your army is absolutely essential and crucial to the game's outcome. Dawn of War 3 also has numerous flaws such as very few maps and odd looking UI elements (sometimes ugly even, to give you some examples: certain icons are really pixelated, player profile looks mediocre etc.). Not being able to change your keybinds can also be frustrating but I believe all those quirks (some more annoying than others) will eventually get fixed. I'll be honest, in some ways the game feels rushed. At least that is the impression I got after playing it for 30+ hours. Like mentioned before, lack of certain features can be quite frustrating (to give you an example, as of right now it is not possible to surrender when playing online). The game is not perfect but at the same time it is not as bad as people make it out to be. Pros: - Solid, well designed single player campaign (most definitely an improvement over the Dawn of War 1's campaign, the 2nd game had a much better single player experience tho). - 3 one of a kind races with unique gameplay mechanics such as the orc with their scraps, space marines with the drop pod system etc. - Innovative, fast-paced (yet still very tactical) multiplayer mode with a complex progression system. - Feels very 40k-like (killing hundreds of orcs and eldar with an imperial knight is just epic). - Outstanding soundtrack. - Good optimization. Cons: - Few maps. - Only one gameplay mode (hopefully more will be added in future patches). - Sometimes UI feels just... off. - Lack of a ranked multiplayer mode. - Annoying small features that are lacking such as not being able to assign your own keybinds. - Pathfinding can be awkward at times. - The game just feels slightly rushed and could have been MUCH better. Final Score: 7/10. If you're a fan of the series and the 40k universe, ignore the mixed reviews and buy the game, it is my belief that you will immensely enjoy it. Dawn of War 3 is worse than the previous installments in the series but it is still a good game. Check this box if you received this product for free (?) Do you recommend this game? Yes No Cancel Save Changes