After downloading the 1.2GB demo client for Soulstorm(it's an extension of Dawn of War), the installation process was fairly simple. There was a screen resolution/graphics test, something I haven't seen since Diablo II. Now, when I fired up the game, I was greeted with a cinematic introduction to Dawn of War. The graphics were not bad, but the facial designs weren't very appealing. Also, the voice acting could have been a load better.
But the trailer isn't important. The game is. Dawn of War had a very well designed and simple tutorial program, explaining the various controls and objects in the game. Having played other games in the RTS genre, it was not difficult to pick up a few new controls and adjust from old ones. Once I thought I was getting the hang of the system, I moved on to have a battle with another faction.
I was playing the Dark Eldar, a race of I-have-no-idea's that utilised both ranged and melee weaponry. It was strange. They appeared to be humanoid, but they also had this demonic look to them. Funnily, there was a unit that looked a lot like the Green Goblin, except that they were purple. I personally found that there weren't enough units or useful unit upgrades for me. My space goblins still looked the same after I equipped them with venomous blades, and the hero units weren't all that impressive, either. The Haemonculus's(yes, that is how they spell it) abilities basically included spawning a tower that reduced enemy morale, shooting a poisonous dart, and something else that I can't remember. My point is that Drogoth the Dragon from the Battle for Middle Earth series was way more impressive.
The faction I was fighting against, the Space Marines, were a bunch of dudes dressed up in space-suits, looking like red coloured bulky Stormtroopers. With infinitely better aim, of course. Anyway, I can't tell one Space Marine unit from the next. Although that might be because my enemy kept using the same unit... Their hero units did nothing other than annoy me.
This game does not boast detail, or beauty. It thrusts you into a chaotic, war torn planet. However, for such a recent game, I was expecting a little more intricacy in the landscape and playable units. Instead, Soulstorm reminded me of Warcraft III, only with clumsier units and more time-consuming battles. Seriously, anyone who intends on trying this game, go check out the Dark Eldar's Talos. It's a giant scorpion tank thing that moves up to its target and whacks it. Note, this is the 41st millennium. Why are people still WHACKING each other?
I liked some of the concepts that the game had to offer, such as terrain that grants or removes bonuses, the ability of certain units to throw others onto the ground, and the ability to toggle between ranged and melee combat for different situations. However, these simply weren't enough to make me want to actually buy this game. It lacks a few things that I have come to expect from new games. Though I guess it isn't actually new... It's a stand-alone expansion of an older game. Okay, but that's beside the point. My point is, that I will not fork out $70 to get this game. I'd really rather save up for the Command & Conquer 3 pack, which I expect will be released some time after the expansion pack which comes out in the last week of this month.
Also, there weren't enough lasers. What's the point of being in the future when you don't have lasers? I'd rather be in the past, where I have magic and flaming arrows.
-Joe