Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution

An example of an add-on the way it should be, Retribution is even more engaging than the original game. [May 2011, p.97]

It may be based on a two-year-old game, but Retribution looks, sounds, and plays brilliantly and is virtually impossible not to recommend.

Thankfully, all the fundamentals are sound: From the well-designed campaign, to the fast-paced multiplayer, to the graphics, to the sound, this is a solid, well-constructed title that's sure to be worth your money.

If you're still playing Dawn of War II, or if you're a fan of the Imperial Guard, Retribution is practically a no-brainer. If you're a fan of Warhammer 40,000 or the real-time strategy genre, now's a great time to get started, since Retribution is a standalone game with access to everything from the first two Dawn of War II games, save for their campaigns. Either way, it's a return for one of real time strategy's great names, and certainly worth your time and dollar if you've got any interest in following more of the story of Subsector Aurelia.

Exactly what Dawn of War 2 needed: a generous dose of variety, options, and vicious silliness. play through it at least twice.

Mixes up the series' gameplay fundamentals in interesting ways without fouling up what makes it unique, reinvigorating the multiplayer game in process. It's a remarkably ambitious standalone expansion, and at a mere $30, it's a great introduction to those who've yet to take up arms.

A new fraction, fresh units, additional multiplayer maps and an extensive single-player campaign with a high replayability factor- to describe Retribution only as a simple extension verges on insult.

This expansion is certainly geared towards satisfying long-time fans instead of bringing new people into the mix. However, if you're just looking for a fun multiplayer RTS experience, then you won't be disappointed.

Dawn of War II - Retribution has a well-designed campaign, a fast-paced multiplayer and solid gameplay. It's a generous expansion.

Retribution is a solid stand alone expansion that I would have no problem paying $50 for... and it retails for $30.

The short campaign isn't as replayable as it should be, but Retribution's three bloody modes each offer great combat options. [April 2011, p.68]

The combination of the RTS and action RPG elements into a new, hybrid game work beautifully here, making this the most successful (so far) iteration of the experiment Relic began with DoW II. It wonʼt appeal to hardcore strategy enthusiasts, but then itʼs not trying to.

If you already have the core game and first expansion and are satisfied with them, there may not be enough new here to entice you into buying. But if you want to finish out the story of Sub-Sector Aurelia, or you want to try out a different race, or if you just can't get enough, Retribution is a steal at $30.

Stays true to its previous releases without compromising on innovation. The developers have chosen to resemble the campaign mode more like multiplayer games and this leads to awesome confrontations. To this we must add the new faction, Imperial Guard, and the possibility to play the campaign with any of the 6 standing armies. Bound for fans of the franchise and lovers of fast-paced RTS.

This stand-alone expansion is the best iteration of Dawn of War II yet.

Dawn of War II keeps improving and shining. It is a game which will be liked both by seasoned strategy players and also newcomers.

It's hard not to recommend Retribution. 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 makes warfare into something violently beautiful, and pays homage to the nerdy lore that Warhammer fans like me can't get enough of.

With a great single-player campaign including six fully-playable races, Retribution once again scores a win for the venerable series.

For those who never played a Warhammer 40K : Dawn of War 2 title, Retribution is a very good introduction, giving access to all six factions and an improved multiplayer mode, from a technical standpoint. For the veterans, however, the novelties may be a bit too superficial and the campaigns may disappoint those who appreciated Chaos Rising.

Beyond that though there isn't much to say about Retribution. It builds on and enhances many aspects of the previous games while still using the same game engine. The graphics and sound quality are the same as they've ever been so it's really all about the gameplay changeups. The game unequivocally succeeds in giving people more of what they love but there is the real danger of stagnation here. The next games are going to have to do something impressive if they want to continue wowing gamers with each release.

Developer Relic also seems to be having a lot more fun with the loot this time around, as players can even equip some of their heroes with rare items that sound ridiculous but in practise turn out to be quite awesome. Like a machine gun that has a chance to call in an artillery strike.

The choice to bring six armies to the pretend tabletop leaves Retribution short on one playthrough, but overflowing with things to do in comparison with its predecessors. [May 2011, p.95]

Another good stand-alone expansion from Relic, that once again manage to convince players with a quality product set in Warhammer 40.000's universe.

For the price of thirty bucks Dawn of War II - Retribution is absolutely a must buy. This expansion is packed with enough content to be a game of its own.

This is the expansion pack that Chaos Rising should have been, and essential strategy gaming! [Apr 2011, p.58]

The newest add-on doesn't introduce any revolutionary changes, but sums up the game's evolution well by offering an immersive single player campaign as well as a great multiplayer mode. And since Retribution is a standalone product, it is also a great game for people who want to begin their journey into the world of Dawn of War II.

Through a combination of great storytelling, a user-friendly interface and gameplay so fun that it'll keep players entertained for hours on end, Dawn of War II – Retribution offers both new fans and veteran players with a compelling reason to delve into the action.

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.

Should you buy Retribution? It really depends. Are you a fan of either the previous games or the tabletop game on which they're based? If so, then chances are, you will enjoy this entry enough to justify the modest $30 price tag. For those new to the franchise, however, I would advise getting Dawn of War 2 instead, which is by far the better experience and often cheaper, as well.

The fast paced action, smooth gameplay and variety of units provide a much needed boost to the single player game play of the series. Even with some minor annoyances with the menus and on some loading screens the overall game makes up for it in spades, especially at a reasonable price tag on Steam.

The best Dawn of War II expansion and an excellent value. For $30, you get a solid campaign, tons of multiplayer maps, and the so-much-fun-it-should-be-illegal Last Stand mode, all wrapped up in a beautiful package.

The pace of innovation is only fractionally slower in the second expansion to Relic's superb action strategy, with plenty to entertain new fans and old.

Perhaps it has something less than the previous add-on but the new campaign and the new race are something no Dawn of War II fan can miss.

For a standalone expansion pack, Retribution does pretty much everything right; it has a ton of content, and it makes that content more accessible and more fun than it was in DoW2, although it's still probably not going to appeal to gamers who are fans of a more traditional, gather-build-rush RTS formula.

A great expansion (that you can play without having the original game) designed for Warhammer and Dawn of War II fans, but also a great entry point for people new to the franchise.

And there's the trade-off: the tight, narrative flow of Chaos Rising may be gone, but in its place, there's enormous diversity, and more toys than you could possibly hope for in a £20, standalone expansion.

Worth grabbing when the price drops. [May 2011, p.92]

Unless you're going to dive into multiplayer, though, Retribution is a mediocre expansion pack even though the base gameplay is still quite good.

Calling Retribution an addon is almost an insult. This new episode offers not only new units and missions, but six single player campaigns, lots of improvments and a fully fledged multiplayer game. That's more than some full-price games.

That said, I like a lot of what Relic has done here in both opening up the campaign a bit and finally giving the basic grunts of the Imperial Guard their time in the sun.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 - Retribution is probably the best game in the Warhammer 40K universe to date. It's just a little bit hard to enjoy everything when it's tormented with bugs and flaws.

The new playable race and nifty multiplayer additions compensate for the disappointingly short, boring campaigns.

In some ways, Retribution feels like a step backward for the series, turning its back on some of the points that made Dawn of War 2 stand out from more traditional RTS games. It's not a bad game by any means, its just not as good as its predecessors.

Despite being priced as an expansion, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution delivers a full experience with a solid campaign. However, at the moment the multiplayer leaves much to be desired, with poor architecture and weak matchmaking.

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.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution manages to be a good expansion, continuing what has been done well in this franchise. There are many missions, many races, many customization options for the units and lots of action and chaos.

Despite a single player campaign that tends to reapeat itself for every faction, the multiplayer experience and the price are more than enough reasons to convince you to play Retribution.

Quotation forthcoming.

It is surprising how fun it can be just dull mouse clicking, lots of violence, blood and death mingle in shadowy battles with soundtrack of stunning explosions and endless exchanges of energetic projectiles. [Issue#203]