Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising

Not everything is perfect, but you'd earn incompetence points by missing a refined and reduced-price version of Dawn of War II. [May 2010, p.72]

With its roughly 10-hour campaign, new multiplayer, and additional units, the $30 price point feels just right for Chaos Rising.

Chaos Rising is about as generous an expansion as you could possibly want. The single-player mode could stand to be a lot bigger, but it's gone to incredible lengths to address the main complaints about Dawn of War II.

In almost all respects, it's a better game than Chaos Rising, and from a campaign perspective, the best since Warcraft III. Heart-pounding, cool, and relentless, Chaos Rising is a must-buy.

Owners of Dawn of War II should not hesitate to pick up Chaos Rising. You will be treated to over a dozen great missions, additional Heroes to use in multiplayer and the ability to play as the Chaos Space Marines, on top of some nice, new Multiplayer maps.

Chaos Rising is a great first expansion, and while new players looking to try the single-player should start with the original game, it's an instant purchase for those of you looking for some good online RTS mayhem.

The best expansion we've played in ages. [Issue#31, p.36]

The characters are not just puppets and have their own different personalities, which provides Chaos Rising a dramatic tension never seen before in the RTS genre.

Outside of the new faction and a new free-for-all mode which is exactly what it sounds like, the multiplayer game remains essentially unchanged in Chaos Rising, which is probably a good thing since it is so enjoyable as it is.

Fixes many of the original game's annoyances and continues the story of the Blood Ravens with a bunch of excellent missions. Only the final mission is a bit of a letdown, otherwise an absolute must for fans of futuristic warfare. [Apr 2010]

A splendid next step for Dawn of War II. [June 2010, p.83]

An excellent expandalone that irons out many of the original's flaws and adds some welcome variation to the equation. [June 2010, p.97]

If you add the two new Last Stand heroes that actually change the overall mechanics of the mode (you can now spawn creatures yourself) to the overall package, I think you’ll be pretty satisfied with what Chaos Rising has to offer.

A fantastic expansion to an already wonderful game. It shares all of the things that made the original great, and while it doesn't work towards fixing the problems in the formula, it isn't really that big of an issue.

There are two crowds for whom Chaos Rising will make sense. The first are people in love with DoW2's campaign style, which really hasn't been duplicated yet, and is only refined here with extra rewards and the Corruption/Redemption mechanic. The second group has to be diehard online gamers - the sort who are still playing DoW2 skirmishes every day, or at least every few days.

Relic has used feedback and criticism to improve on mistakes from the past games, delivering fresh missions and a great presented campaign. A new level cap keeps motivation for longer and nostalgia burns hot, when meeting familiar faces such as Thaddeus and Avitus. The corruption feature is a great addition and feels thought out.

The fundamental experience isn’t noticeably different, but the breadth and variety that Chaos Rising adds are solid improvements to an already good game.

Nearly two years after its launch, Relic finally fills the gap that was intentionally left for Chaos Marines in Dawn of War 2. Though if you didn't like the original there's nothing better to find here, Chaos Rising fits perfectly in the Warhammer 40K atmosphere, bringing a unique experience that truly delivers.

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.

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.

If you were not taken by Dawn of War II's unique take on the RTS genre, then this will probably not change your mind. However if you loved it, or perhaps enjoyed Company of Heroes but haven't given Dawn of War a try, this could be a more affordable entry point for you to get hooked on this wonderful series.

Starcraft II might be looming on the horizon, but for now I'm more than satisfied - both online and off - with my troop of grisly Space Marines. I'll also be very surprised if even Blizzard can manage to top Relic at single-player.

The new race and maps have revitalized the multiplayer side of the game, and the new campaign is pretty awesome too.

A new multiplayer playable race, 20 new singleplayer missions with a new unit and new abilities plus the Last Stand feature. A product dedicated to the players who loved Dawn of War 2: it adds a lot of essential things without compromising the original gameplay.

Chaos Rising is a good add-on. The story is strong, we like the choices you can make in the missions and there is even more variation in the missions then there was in the original Dawn of War II.

Dawn of War II--Chaos Rising is an excellent example of a standalone expansion pack. It contributes to the core game in all major categories without going the extra mile that would befit a true sequel.

Chaos Rising is a lovingly crafted and highly entertaining stand alone expansion with a whole lot of content and a boatload of Chaos.

Blood for the Bloodgod ! This Dawn of War Add-on continues the tradition of the Warhammer RTS series with action-packed missions and clean graphics. The gameplay hasn’t changed at all.

If you really liked the first game, well then there's no doubt that you're going to like this add-on, and I'd recommend it wholeheartedly.

Relic improved most of the shortcomings of the predecessor and made an enjoyable add-on.

The new features and game modes will please both series followers and newcomers.

Chaos Rising is the perfect expansion: everything you can expect from an add-on is there. A good single player with a story that follows Dawn of War II and several new things in the multiplayer starting from the new faction, the Chaos. The only negative aspect of the game is that the newcomers may feel it too complex, and only those who have played Dawn of War II will have the complete experience.

I’m still a bit miffed at the lack of any Slaaneshi units for the Chaos side and that the campaign still has those annoying boss fights, but Chaos Rising is a worthy expansion to Dawn of War II all the same because, really, Warhammer without Chaos is sort of like Star Wars without the Emperor or Middle-earth without Sauron or the NFL without the Steelers.

A solid expansion for continuously strong series. Although the campaign is a touch short, there's a lot of fun for the entire ride.

Chaos Rising is great addition to Dawn of War 2 and manages to impress with speed, thrilling battles and a motivating story – at the cost of less complexity and strategy.

If Dawn of War II was Relic’s attempt to reinvent the genre, Chaos Rising is an evolution of the ideas they previously put forward. It’s fun, atmospheric and over-the-top in all the right ways. Those with reservations about the first title would do well to check this one out – it does everything the previous game did, and does it better.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising offers quite a bit in this expansion. It is an enjoyable and action-oriented RTS style game mechanic with some RPG like elements that has a great story and enough content to keep your attention.

If you want to get more of the Warhammer 40k story, there is no way around Chaos Rising. Although quite challenging, this game offers good action and story elements.

Even with the lack of balance between staying pure and choosing the filthy coward's route of Corruption, Chaos Rising is another great addition to Relic's library of RTS games.

More than just a standalone expansion, this is another genre-blurring tour de force by Relic.

Relic’s current RTS formula has almost become a subgenre of its own, and with Chaos Rising they effortlessly prove themselves masters of their domain.

The voices might be a let-down, but everything else works like a charm. The Last stand-mode is pure bliss, and coupled with great graphics we have a winner.

THQ has delivered another strong RTS offering here, with the major put off being a relatively high price for an expansion pack.

Great add-on will charm anyone, devotees of the original Dawn of War same for those who have not been convinced – definitely worth trying even with Games for Windows Live related nightmares. [Issue#190]

To get the most out of Chaos Rising you should also have Dawn of War II. Still, the improved campaign, new maps and addition of the Chaos Space Marines to the multiplayer won’t disappoint both new and existing players.