Cleanse. Purge. Kill.
In a move that we’re now aware was to drum up interest for the upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, the Warhammer universe saw the welcome return of a classic on August 14th. Advertised as the “Definitive Edition” of the origin Dawn of War real-time strategy game, Relic Entertainment were soon swept up in the remastering trend that exploded this year, courtesy of Bethesda’s surprise Oblivion Remastered release in April.
It’s true at least, that some remastering work was put into Dawn of War – Definitive edition, but those expecting it to be brought up to par with modern titles will be sorely disappointed. Upgrades have been made to the gameplay camera for modern display resolution compatibility, higher resolution textures, more readable UI elements, and higher draw distances. More in the nuts and bolts of the game, 64-bit platform support and an integrated mod manager have been added to reinvigorate the games modding scene. Unfortunately it appears they overlooked the holy grail of modern modding integration, Steam workshop support.
As with most beloved classics, it’s not exactly like the original Dawn of War community wasn’t already faithfully putting their nose to the grindstone and producing mods even prior to Definitive Edition’s announcement. This gap between the expectation of an extremely loyal fanbase, and the games advertised improvements, has been reflected strongly in its reception so far. Unfortunately I can’t help but think this was not Relic Entertainment’s error at all, as they have at no point tried to portray the Definitive Edition as a huge jump.
As well as doing their best to manage expectations, the game is currently at a 30% discount for anyone who already has the original Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Anniversary Edition in their Steam library. Perhaps not steep enough a discount, but considering other studios pattern of releasing and re-releasing ultimate, special, or anniversary editions at full price regardless, this is a refreshing move.
What I think the most avid fans of the game are overlooking however, are the players like myself. Dawn of War released in 2004. Practically before the Earth cooled, and certainly before common digital distribution of video games. The vast majority of people looking back at the fun times they had purging the heretics, probably did so from a CD-ROM.
For this audience, the Definitive Edition is a perfect excuse to pick it back up and relive the experience without spending your first 30 minutes in the config file, or downloading mods you’ve never heard of just to bring the experience to “acceptable” for 2025. With 40+ hours of campaign content easily, when you account for the expansion packs included with your purchase, there’s certainly no concern that the game lacks the depth to be worth revisiting.
If phrases like “Glory for the first men to die!” and “My face is my shield!” remind you of long nights dedicated to the conquest of Kronus, you will find the same pleasure very much still awaiting you in this edition of the game.
Do you hear the voices too?
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