• Publisher: THQ
  • Release Date: Mar 11, 2010
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 209 Ratings

  • Summary: Set in the grim, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop’s vast Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising transports players into the midst of an intergalactic war between ancient enemies. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising introduceroduces the Chaos Space Marines as a new playable army, continues the single player campaign from the original Dawn of War II, delivers all new wargear and raises the level cap from 20 to 30. Relic Entertainment will also deliver new multiplayer maps and new units for the Orks, Eldar, Tyranids and Space Marines. Veterans of the Dawn of War II single player campaign can use their existing squads’ accumulated wargear, abilities and experience to battle the traitorous Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion throughout 20 new missions. Newcomers to Dawn of War II will begin the single player campaign with a squad of Space Marines fully equipped to take on the malevolent forces of Chaos. Powerful Chaos tainted wargear can be equipped and used against your enemy, but doing so could lead to dreadful consequences. Will you risk corruption for power? [THQ] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 50
  2. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. Excellent detail comes through in terms of the characters, items, and environments. Sure, there aren't a lot of different locations, but everything looks great with lots of depth and dimension.
  2. Chaos Rising is just about everything you'd expect from a Dawn of War expansion, boasting terrific gameplay, visuals, and effects, and adding a great new campaign, a well-developed new faction, and new war gear, heroes, and multiplayer options.
  3. 85
    All the great things about the core game are preserved here and the new Chaos Marines content is fantastic. The story's great, the twist is surprising, and the tactical choices are consistently interesting. That said, Chaos Rising isn't for people who haven't already gotten their feet wet with Dawn of War II.
  4. In the grim darkness of the Warhammer 40K future, there is only a solid, satisfying game let down by a lack of variation. [May 2010, p.100]

See all 50 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Negative: 4 out of 13
  1. SteveM
    10
    Chaos Rising is a great addition to DoW2. The single player campaign is very intense and really refelcts the Warhammer: 40, 000 lore. The RPG elements of it make u attached to ur units and the pursuit of better wargear really has u coming back for more. The option to be evil and become corrupt or noble and stay true to the Space Marines, also adds to the replayability of the SP campaign. The SP campaign has also ditched some of the tedious missions from the original, it has some really unique missions that are the best i've seen since Warcraft 3!!(none of that uninspired "destroy enemy base to win the mission" type stuff, really unique mission designs). l Multiplayer has been imrpoved w/ the addition of Chaos faction, which in itself is a badass and exciting faction to play. All users recieve the new units that come with CR for all the other factions, and the addition of new unis for last stand and free for all MP mode makes this a must have game. Relic is renowned for continuing to support its games after releasing it, unlike other developers, and DoW2 and Company of Heroes are testaments to that fact! Graphics are absolutely gorgeous and u dont need a power house of a computer to enjoy them, its without a doubt the best looking RTS on the market. Sound is exciting and heart thumping & add to the atmosphere. W/ all that said, this is without a doubt the best expansion i've played in ages. If u loved DoW2 this is a must buy, if u love RTS games this is a must buy, and if didnt care for the original it'll definitly suck u in w/ all the additions. Expand
  2. Chaos Rising continues where Dawn of War 2 left off but leaves something behind in the process. It still attains the same quality and RTS/RPG-hybrid gameplay and even adds some new twists and turns which keep the game interesting but do cause the game to become slightly repetitive because of its more linear storyline and a lack of new unit types to play with. Now that the Tyranid threat has been dealt with, Chaos is introduced and instead of deciding what planets to save from the Tyranid threat, the player finds himself weighing the pros and cons of using "corrupted" items and performing "corrupted" deeds that will steer the squads away from purity and onwards to new, game-altering abilities. On top of that, a new unit called a "Librarian" is introduced which focuses heavily on casting offensive and defensive spells and the level cap has been raised to 30. Players are also allowed to import their old squads (and a part of their equipment) from a Dawn of War 2 campaign in order to play on with their old outfit. And if you're not satisfied with that setup, the game allows you to re-roll all your stats after the first mission. Loot rates have dropped drastically but that makes the lure of corrupted items all the stronger. A must-play for those who have played Dawn of War 2 as it is basically a continuation of the story. Expand
  3. JamesJ
    7
    The multiplayer additions are brilliant, the new chaos race is incredibly cool, and the two new last stand heroes add new life to the mode. The singleplayer is short, very slow to start, and linear in the worst kind of way. I can't see how anyone could review the SP and come away with a positive rating, because it just doesn't deserve it. There are a couple of action packed missions towards the very end, but where the first campaign relied heavily on tactical strategy and abilities, the chaos campaign relies on drag selecting all your units and flinging them into battle. There's a bit more subtlety, but without the space to flank or cover to hide behind, the experience is mind numbing. Take into account that dow2 players without the expansion received all the new maps and new units for the other four factions free, and there isnt much motivation to buy this game. If you have $30 around and want to play chaos (its an incredibly fun faction) then go ahead and get it, but for everyone else, I'd recommend waiting till they sell the expansion and the original together in a 30$ deal. Expand
  4. The multiplayer is dead and it uses windows live. The campaign is fun but beyond that there's really nothing past that in this game. thank god i bought it on sale! Expand

See all 13 User Reviews