Dawn of War: Soulstorm

   As I have yet to obtain the needed models to begin the construction of my Sisters of Battle army, I think the focus of today's post will be something a little different from the norm. Previously I had been giving miniature descriptions of various aspects of Warhammer 40k, and in particular the Sisters of Battle. Today I will turn to look at an example of Warhammer 40k moving off the table top and into the virtual world.

     Despite its age, Dawn of War: Soulstorm remains, without a doubt, my favourite of Warhammer 40k's entrances into the virtual world. To start off, it is the first Warhammer 40k game produced that possesses nearly every faction within 40k universe (The Grey Knights are used as units within the Space Marines and the Chaos Daemons are, as usual, placed alongside the Chaos Space Marines). It is also the first (and thus far only) game in the Dawn of War series to feature the decadent Dark Eldar or the righteous Sisters of Battle. However, the scope of the game is not its only advantage.

The Campaign Map is both beautiful and expansive.

      The shining point for this game is the campaign. Though it is a little less story driven than that of its predecessor, Dawn of War: The Dark Crusade, the sheer size of the map in which it takes place is incredible. The campaign has two modes that enable the player to take command not only of their troops on the field but also to have full control over their strategic campaign to conquer the Kaurava system, where the game takes place. It is played out over turns, where each faction moves their commander and his honour guard throughout the system, engaging in offensives against their enemy or fortifying their controlled territories with buildings and troops to resist invasion.

Players can also outfit their commanders with war-gear which
is unlocked through various achievements in the game.

  

    Like "Dark Crusade" before it, Soulstorm's campaign allows the player to play out the battles for Kaurava's various regions by taking command of his or her troops and structures on the field, and participating in intense and visually gruesome battles. These can be quick engagements, (particularly early in the campaign) or, as the honour guards of your enemies grow, the battles can become as long as an hour or more before they are settled. Of course, this is coming from a player who doesn't typically "rush" his opponents, so of course the length of my battles may not relate to the duration another player may expirience.

     Ultimately, I would encourage anyone with an interest in Warhammer 40k or even just the casual fan of Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games to check out Dawn of War: Soulstorm. For those interested, the game is available on Steam, as well as Amazon.