Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution

Critic reviews

• GRGames Radar+

  Mike Jackson · Mar 15, 2011

  8.0

  Dawn of War II - Retribution is not a genre-beater; it has its issues. But none of its niggles stop it from being a great RTS romp. It still offers that unique Dawn of War II experience, deep strategy, interesting (although repetitive) missions and is one hefty standalone package for the $30 asking price.

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• IGInside Gaming

  Nicholas Werner · Mar 10, 2011

  8.5

  When all is said and done, Dawn of War II: Retribution is about giving you options. If you like playing as a small but powerful team standing against countless hordes, play the campaign with your heroes and play Last Stand for your multiplayer. If you like playing as the commanding officer of your own countless hordes, play the campaign with an army and the competitive multiplayer. And whether you want to be noble, vengeful, evil, gangsta, elitist, or just plain hungry, there’s a species for you.
• VGVideo Gamer

  Martin Gaston · Mar 10, 2011

  7.0

  In abandoning the tight focus of the former Dawn of War games, Retribution's sprawl offers increased versatility at the cost of inventive set pieces and the same sense of progression. There's a lot of choice to be had for your money, but the campaign feels a little bland compared to its predecessors, and the idea of repeating it over and over for each of the six races is hardly a pleasant one.

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• GGameSpot

  Daniel Shannon · Mar 07, 2011

  8.5

  Each play-through of the campaign takes somewhere between five and 10 hours, which, coupled with multiplayer, makes this a superb value. The ability to play every faction in both multiplayer and the campaign; the high production values and attention to detail; the hilarious characters and spectacular set pieces; the single-player, co-op, and competitive game modes; and Retribution's incredible value all overshadow its few failings. Retribution isn't just a stand-alone expansion; it stands out as the best iteration yet in this series.

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• GIGame Informer

  Adam Biessener · Mar 07, 2011

  7.0

  All that said, the new factions are interesting to play and feel reasonably well balanced. From the Chaos Marines' Warp energies and Nurgle's plagues to the Orks' ever-growing Waaagh!, the six sides present unique mechanics and solid, powerful tactical possibilities. Unless you're going to dive into multiplayer, though, Retribution is a mediocre expansion pack even though the base gameplay is still quite good. Pick up Chaos Rising instead, which you should have done anyway because it is fantastic.
• DDestructoid

  Jordan Devore · Mar 02, 2011

  8.5

  You're getting a standalone experience with an exceptionally large amount of replayability, depending on how into Warhammer 40,000 you are. And even if you ultimately only touch one of the campaigns, try out the multiplayer for a bit, and dabble in The Last Stand, it's worth picking up. It's also worth considering for anyone who has yet to touch the series. You can absolutely dive headfirst into Retribution and have a blast. In fact, that might actually be the ideal way to do it, as much of the repeat content will feel fresh.

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