Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Help, I'm Trapped in Dawn of War!

I've never really been one for RTSs. I'm the guy that sets the difficulty on easy, builds up a massive army of one really cool unit, then wipes out the helpless CPU. I just don't have the micromanagement chops to really do well with the genre, and no title save the legendary Starcraft has held my attention for more than a month.

But I cannot stop playing Dawn of War to save my wretched life. Ever since it first hit shelves, I've been returning to the 41st century intermitantly, like some sort of junkie who can't quite kick his habit. I can't help it. I want to stay clean, but it seems everywhere I turn, Relic is pushing a new expansion pack, with a new campaign or new race that is worth the relapse.

Part of it is the setting. The Warhammer 40k universe is my favorite alternate universe ever created, combining high technology with the arcane in a galactic dystopia. But mostly, the game just has a kickass atmosphere. I can think of no other RTS where combat is so visceral, a veritable orgy of blood and bolter rounds, with squads shouting battle cries and elite units tossing weaker ones halfway across the screen.

I think if an MMOFPS were to combine the 40k IP with the same feel of Relic's opus, I would very likely waste away in my computer chair from gaming bliss-induced malnutrition. I can think of few better ways to go.

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