Dawn-of-War
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Steam Holiday Sale Day 3: DOTA 2, Dungeon Defenders, Dead Island and more
Ah, the steady march of time. Just as the electronic transition frequency of an atom can be used to measure the passage of time, so too can the frequency with which money is electronically transitioned out of bank accounts during Valve's Steam Holiday Sale.Today's offerings, which last for the next 45 hours or so, include Dead Island for $6.79, Dungeon Defenders for $3.74, the DOTA 2 Early Access Pack for $15, Train Simulator 2013 for $13.74, 50 to 75 percent off Blood Bowl games and a massive Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War franchise collection for $10.Unfortunately, RailDriver's insane Desktop Train Cab Controller is not on sale, but take it from us, dressing the part goes a long way in creating the illusion of realism. Especially when you're simulating trains on public transit.
Dawn of War II's 'Chaos Rising' expansion shows multiplayer chaos
Alright, look folks, if you have any intention of purchasing the upcoming Dawn of War II expansion Chaos Rising, we once again urge that you jump on the pre-order deal and get yourself a free copy of Saints Row 2. So when you're done getting chaos all risen up, you can spend some time shooting poo onto buildings. Seriously, that's really a gameplay option. In fact, you might wanna just go grab that joint right now. Oh, and there's a trailer above for the DoW2 expansion's multiplayer additions, if you're into that kinda thing. But you can only watch it if you're an adult -- so clearly we couldn't watch it.
Dawn of War II's free 'The Last Stand' DLC released
THQ and Relic have released "The Last Stand," a free update for the Warhammer 40k RTS Dawn of War II. As we reported during PAX 2009, the DLC adds a Horde/Firefight style survival mode to the game. In addition, the pack contains two new maps and what THQ describes as "numerous balance updates and bug fixes." The publisher has also mentioned that Dawn of War II is receiving what we can only imagine is a limited time price cut to $20 on Steam, effective immediately. It should last 'til at least dawn. [Via VG247]
Direct2Drive celebrates 5-year anniversary with 50 games for $5 each
Over the next five weeks, Direct2Drive is offering a special discount on a host of different titles in celebration of its five-year anniversary. Every Monday, Direct2Drive will feature a new set of titles, reducing them to $5 (or £5 UK), with the first week of the promotion focusing on "Ubisoft and Strategy titles." While the upcoming week's titles have yet to be revealed, Direct2Drive has teased us with utterly vague descriptions of what to expect: Week Two: Action Games Week Three: RPGs & MMOs Week Four: Indie Games Week Five: War Games The first week of the promotion ends on September 14. Games differ slightly based on your geographical region -- for instance, Ubisoft is strangely omitted from the European promotion. Check out a full list of this week's games for both regions after the break.
Dawn of War II's 'The Last Stand' mode detailed
It seems the increasingly popular "Horde" mode first presented in Gears of War 2 (before spreading to other popular FPS titles in some form) isn't just proliferating through the shooter genre -- GameSpy recently revealed details for "The Last Stand," a similar gametype which will soon be introduced into Dawn of War II. The new mode, which will come as a free download for those who own the full game, lets three players select either the Space Marine, Ork or Eldar hero classes, then face off cooperatively against wave after wave of computer-controlled adversaries. Between waves, players will be able to level up their heroes and manage their equipment. The series' strategic roots aren't being thrown out the window -- players will need to work together to stay alive and capture score-multiplying control points. We'll undoubtedly learn more about this intriguing expansion to the well-received strategy title during Relic's panel at PAX 2009. [Via Big Download]
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine cleansing consoles for the emperor
THQ has officially confirmed work on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, yet another game set against the backdrop of Games Workshop's gritty tabletop universe. Relic has again been handed developer duties on the title, though unlike Dawn of War, the console-focused Space Marine will be an action RPG that lets players control individual units through a "narrative-driven story campaign and in wide-scale online battles." In development for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it's unclear what ties, if any, the project has to the leaked Space Marine footage that made the rounds late last year. However, judging from this IGN-hosted trailer, the game certainly looks to keep more with 40K's combat-heavy fiction when it eventually decides to chainsword retail shelves.
Blizzard vs. Relic Entertainment in The Escapist's March Mayhem
The good folks over at the Escapist are giving March Madness a little game developer spin -- they've pitted 64 different videogame developers up against each other in an NCAA Basketball-style showdown, with readers voting for which dev moves on to the next match. And our favorite developer, Activision-Blizzard, is still in the running after a few rounds: they've beaten Wideload Games and Crytek, and are currently facing Relic Entertainment (makers of the Dawn of War RTS series, as well as the classic Homeworld). Unfortunately, Escapist had to list them as "Activision-Blizzard," though what we're really voting for here is Blizzard, since companies who make Activision's other hits (like Infinity Ward, who make the best Call of Duty games, as well as Neversoft, who've overseen most of the Guitar Hero games lately) have their own places in the showdown.Blizzard's got a tough road ahead, though -- if they win, they're likely facing fan favorite Harmonix (heck, I love Harmonix), and then will probably show down against either Bioware or Rockstar, both extremely popular developers. The other side of the bracket will likely have heavyweights like Nintendo and Valve coming out of it, too, so it'll be a tough road if Blizzard wants to make it to the top.To vote, you just have to head over to The Escapist's forums -- the next round starts tomorrow morning, and every few days they're moving the developers on to the next matchup. The final round will be decided on April 8th, and while of course winning means nothing at all, this is a nice chance to show off your developer pride. Say what you want about the recent class changes, but Blizzard has given you Starcraft, Diablo, and World of Warcraft -- how can you not vote for them?
Dawn of War II beta now available to all
Just a quick reminder that the Dawn of War II beta is now available to all people for the low, low price of nothing. With just a click, a little free time and 5.5 gigglebytes of hard drive space you could be well on your way to pitting orcs against space marines in the most stunning visual metaphor for the state of the video game industry ever. Sure, you've read our thoughts on the game, but now we're dying to see what you think. Let us know in the comments below.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 beta on Jan. 21
click for hugeness Relic Entertainment's Mark Noseworthy has confirmed with Joystiq that the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 closed beta will begin January 21st if you purchased the original Dawn of War expansion, Soulstorm. Procrastinators, take note: you'll be introduced into the public beta just a week later on January 28th. Or, break the cycle of lethargy and pick up the expansion in order to grab an early beta spot.We got a closer look at Dawn of War 2 during CES, and fans of real-time strategy games will not be disappointed ... unless you don't own a PC (but c'mon, how could you be an RTS buff without owning a PC?). Dawn of War 2 will be a PC-only release with Games for Windows Live features like voice chat and Achievements.
Joystiq hands-on: Dawn of War 2
We learned a valuable lesson at CES last week: Don't demo an RTS game on a trade show floor. Why? Because it's nigh-impossible to hear a developer's instructions over the deafening noise of geek-outs. It turns into something like this dialogue snippet from our hands-on experience with Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 2:Relic: "So, you'll quickly want to set a rally point here." *taps screen*Joystiq: *clicks on random units* [units march off-screen]Relic: "Okay, so if you look at this icon, you'll see that your character is earning zeal. You might want to build some heavy firepower units for support."Joystiq: *attacks enemy power generator* [cue: bad move!]It was just too darn loud at CES to get good instructions, and Relic only had one demo station on hand, which obviously did not feature any PVP gameplay. Naturally, we had StarCraft 2 in mind as we fooled around with Dawn of War 2, measuring Relic's RTS against what we've played of Blizzard's next blockbuster. We can say that Dawn of War 2 is currently winning in the looks department. As we watched an Imperial Tank literally roll through walls and crush them into powder while Space Marines jumped over the action with jetpacks, we were remiss to have left our drool bib back home in the hamper.We've embedded a pair of videos from our session after the break, including producer Mark Noseworthy blowing stuff up!
GameTap Thursday: A Grimm Christmas Carol, Dawn of War: Gold
Grimm's second volume ends this week with the negative gnome's (dwarf?) take on A Christmas Carol. The good news is that, instead of the standard 24 hours of free play, the latest episode will be available to freeloaders from now until New Year's Eve. Grimm: A Christmas Carol (Windows) - Scrooge vs. Grimm: FIGHT! Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War: Gold (Windows) - The original Dawn of War, plus the (arguably) superior Winter Assault expansion. RTS fans owe it to themselves to play this. GameTap adds King of Fighters 2003 to the free games list for one week. Check out the full gratis rundown after the break.
Why you buggin? Tyranids playable in Dawn of War II
It's time to load your storm bolter and wrap up your last prayer to the Emperor, cuz we're huntin' Tyranids! IGN has confirmed that everyone's favorite galactic bugs will be clawing their way onto Relic's forthcoming Dawn of War sequel, not only as an opponent but as a playable race as well. The blood news was spilled during the Leipzig Games Convention by Dawn of War II senior designer Philippe Boulle, who noted that the space insects behave as "a single organism, not an army of individuals," and that the swarm is composed of disposable "meat shields" and more specialized alien troops serving the Tyranid Hive Mind. For more, check out the pre-rendered pure awesome below while we wait for the bugs to digest their fill of Space Marine, Ork and Eldar in early 2009. [Thanks Damn Lucky]
THQ games joining GameTap this summer
Gaming buffet GameTap just announced that THQ- and ValuSoft-published titles will begin finding their way onto the service starting this summer. Notable titles include: Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War and expansions Company of Heroes Red Faction Supreme Commander Saints Row 2 Puzzle Quest S.T.A.L.K.E.R. It's nice to see relatively new titles like Supreme Commander make the list. We're also curious to find out if Saints Row 2 releases on the service the same day as retail, similar to GameTap's deal with Codemasters. The THQ agreement is apparently a "long-term partnership" and some titles will also be made available on GameTap's free ad-supported service. This THQ announcement comes only a few months after Interplay returned and Take-Two committed to the service.
Dawn of War II E3 teaser introduces the Eldar
While it's difficult to make out the guttural baritone voice of the above trailer's narrator, we're pretty sure that this is an E3 teaser for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. Those already invested in the series will be glad to know that the svelte Eldar will be making an appearance in the the RTS franchise's latest installment, and that they will apparently wield neat glowing swords. At least, we think they're swords. For all we know, the Eldar might just be on their way to a futuristic fantasy-themed rave -- after all, they are well-known among their contemporaries for being the galaxy's official party race.
Who's Jay Wilson?
Jay Wilson is on stage at WWI right now, showing off Blizzard's new game, the very hot-looking Diablo 3. But just who is Jay Wilson, and why is he in charge of the new Diablo game? Wilson's worked with Blizzard on World of Warcraft, and he's even got a character named after him.Previously, he'd worked for a company called Relic Entertainment, and was the lead designer on Dawn of War, a Warhammer 40000 (Warhammer, but in the future, kind of like Starcraft to our Warcraft)-based RTS game. The good news is that the game was fairly well reviewed, but of course Diablo 3 isn't an RTS game, it's a hack-and-slash, so we're not sure how Wilson will do on that front yet.In this interview, Wilson was known to be at Blizzard and supposedly working on Starcraft II but of course now we know better. This new Diablo could be the chance for this developer new to Blizzard to claim his place in history.UPDATE: Our very own Joystiq caught up with Jay Wilson at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. Find out what Diablo 3's lead designer has to say about porting to consoles, the next Deckard Cain rap and the notorious dupe exploits of previous games.
Glimpse some Dawn of War II gameplay footage
Cleanse the heretics and long live the Emperor! The latest Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II video gives us an amuse bouche of in-game footage to check out until we (cross-fingers) get to see at lot more at E3 next month. With the series back in the hands of Relic studios, hopefully the game will help THQ's bottom line when it releases early next year. For those who missed out on the original Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War series (which is three games -- four, if you count Soulstorm), it still holds up well and can be found in a boxed Platinum Set, and on Steam, for around $30. For the sake of DoW II's sales, we hope Starcraft II isn't released anywhere close to the same time.
LotRO: Seven genres in one game
Part of the genius of Lord of the Rings Online is how Turbine managed to wrap seven genres into one game. No, I am not talking about their Web games promoting the Mines of Moria. Rather, I am talking about how utterly different the play of each class is while being in the same environment. This is great because it aids the replayability of a game whose content, shall we say, lends itself to considerable replay for the committed player. Each class is its own game – so much so that each actually typifies not merely a different RPG character type, but actually completely different genre of gaming.Can you match the genre to the character class?
The sun rises on a Dawn of War II trailer
THQ has unleashed a teaser trailer for Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II to imbue the masses with the righteous fervor of the Empire. The real-time strategy sequel was officially confirmed just a couple days ago and will apparently feature a fully co-operative multiplayer campaign. Don't go getting too excited just yet -- DoW II won't be out until Spring '09. In the meantime, for those who need a 40K RTS fix stat, there's always Soulstorm, which will grant entry into the sequel's multiplayer beta at some point in the future.
THQ makes Dawn of War II official, coming Spring 2009
After numerous expansions to its Relic-founded Dawn of War license, THQ has confirmed that a medic has braved the field of battle and returned with the franchise's treasured gene seed, officially announcing Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II for the PC. While the game is not expected to drop until Spring 2009, THQ notes that players who pick up the current game's latest expansion, Soulstorm, will score themselves an invite to the sequel's upcoming multiplayer beta. According to THQ, Dawn of War II will be built upon the Relic's proprietary Essence Engine 2.0, and will feature a fully co-operative multiplayer campaign. As for what races this latest chapter in the RTS series will offer up, we're left guessing, though the publisher has confirmed that the Space Marines and the Orkish green tides will be included. More information is promised in the near future, and as we get word from the Emperor, we'll let you know.
Update on the Warhammer 40k MMO
Buried way at the bottom of an article on the Gamasutra site about an investor call with THQ was a small update on the progress of the in-development Warhammer 40k MMOG. You may recall the game as one of our Top Ten MIA MMOs from 2007. So where is this THQ-licensed, Dawn of War-inspired title nowadays?THQ president Brian Farrell notes that he just recently saw the game at the Austin studio in November. He was "pleasantly surprised" by its progress, but also noted that the game was "still very early". Despite that, it sounds as though the folks at THQ are ready to take the time to do this right. So, while we shouldn't expect the game out any time soon, the developers are definitely being given the time they need to do right by this license.
