This week I am going to write a little bit about a game that Jim and I have been spending some time playing together: Dawn of War II. Both Jim and I have very fond memories of spending hours hanging out in a basement playing the first Dawn of War and while Dawn of War II (DoW2) is a much different game, it’s still very fun. Set in the dark, grim future of the Warhammer 40k universe, DoW2 focuses on controlling a few select squads of badass Space Marines led by only slightly more badass named heroes. The heroes gain levels, train powers, and collect gear in order to better lead their men to victory as they struggle to retain control of a handful of planets in the far reaches of space.
Having played the Warhammer 40k table-top game on a few occasions I know that the DoW games do a reasonably good job of transferring the 40k experience into the video game world. DoW2 also does a great job of immersing you in a the dark and distant future where vast hordes of aliens contend for battered worlds that have all seen their primes millennia ago. In DoW2 we face off against droves of mindless Orks whose political ideologies (such as they are) are based of tenets like “dem that’s the biggest is the boss!” and “red ones go fasta!” There are also the Eldar whose entire existence consists of belittling anyone who isn’t them, and concocting massive, over-complicated, hyper-manipulative, machinations that are doomed to failure because they are too hipster to share any of the details with anybody. Oddly enough this always seems to clash with the Space Marines whose ideology is in short: Shoot first and also shoot second. I mean, only heretics ask questions right? Finally we face the Tyranids. Besides boasting hordes of creepy space monsters that rival even the aforementioned Orks, they have an ability to devour entire planets that even Cthulhu would envy.
When we play together Jim and I each control a couple of squads and we have to work together to navigate missions and complete objectives. Jim takes control of our silent and erstwhile protagonist, mighty Commander Steve, as well as the horribly overpowered (because stealth is broken) and over-paranoid scout Cyrus. Between these two units Jim’s main duties are to scout ahead, determine when we engage, and then use all manner of high explosives to make sure that when we do engage we, fight as few units as humanly possible. I get to play (the entirely forgettable) Tarkus who leads a squad of tactical (read: non-specialized) marines as well as the formidable back line units of Avitus who excel at doing ridiculously high amounts of damage from a distance. Avitus’ ability to use bullets as generic landscaping tools is matched only by his unnecessary and entirely stereotypical grimness. My main job is to spend the majority of the fight trying to get my units into cover, failing, and then madly retreating, and also failing. I also lob grenades, but only after my units take a REALLY long time to think about it, and the force commander (mighty Steve) is right where the grenade is about to land.
As an real time strategy game (RTS) there is plenty I don’t like about DoW2. Some of the cover mechanics handle like the MAKO rover from Mass Effect, as Jim would say, like a balloon on wheels. I specifically have trouble getting the right configuration of placement indicators to form behind cover before I am blown to bits and have to retreat or alternately lie (not screaming) in a pool of my own blood. Space marines don’t scream in agony. I won’t give the game all of the blame, it could also just be me. It turns out that I’m terrible at these games. Fortunately I have help.
For me the appeal of a game like DoW2 is that I can play it with someone else. I did try the campaign solo years ago when I got the game but I don’t think I ever finished it. Playing with Jim is much better because now I have someone laugh at the loading screen dialogues with. We can hop on Skype and chill out while also kicking some xeno ass. In some ways playing co-op makes DoW2 easier. As one half of a duo you control only half the squads so you have less to micromanage. On the other hand, this also can make things more difficult as less finicky managing gets traded in for an increased amount of communication. When Jim and I play we have to make sure that we are both enacting the same plan. An ill timed airstrike, or remote bomb can spell disaster. Playing on the highest difficulty means that DoW2 can be very unforgiving. Jim has much more experience with the game and is also much more knowledgeable about 40k lore and unit information but this gives me an opportunity to learn more. I do still have trouble and we’ve lost more than one fight because I haven’t the slightest idea what a Banshee is. Newly-Semi-Pro tip: it’s bad news.
Jim: Don’t attack those <insert arcane unit name here>!
Dan: Which? The ones with the angry fist thingy, or the ones with the glowy swords?
Jim: Yeeeeea…they’re both pretty bad.
Dan: Oh…(frantic gunfire and an ill timed grenade)…oops.
Jim: It’s okay, I’ll come pick you up.
(jet-pack noises as Jim lands Commander Steve on top of me)
In the end I play DoW2 for the same reason I played the first DoW and any other multiplayer game: because winning an epic fight with a Carnifax (also bad news…really bad) is better if you have someone to share it with. Whether is the legend of the XP machine from the Warcraft III days, the 20-some-odd times we stormed that villa in Rainbow 6, or the epic last charge of Laura’s top secret (and hot pink) Chaos Marine army it’s the stories of the people playing the games and not the games that resonate. I can’t tell you how make lightning in Magicka, but I can tell you why, in excruciating detail, Jim should not be trusted with it. Hint: it involves “landing” something on my head. I don’t even really like Magicka, but I like playing games with my friends, so we play on. Dawn of War II is just the latest game that Jim and I have played together and it won’t be the last. It doesn’t matter how many things Jim lands on me, sometimes playing games with a pathological pate pulverizer is better than playing alone.
D.
