"Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you.” It isn't everyday a game about that most ubiquitous of video game characters, the Space Marine, puts us in mind of nihilist German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and his musings on the danger of the battle against evil corrupting those who fight it. But then again, Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising isn't about any old Space Marines; it's about the Space Marines, that bloody quasi-religious warrior brotherhood of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. And at heart space fantasy Warhammer 40K - with it's eternal gore filled tales of fanatical Space Marines, arrogant murderous Eldar, crazy Orkz and ravenous Tyranids- is very much hewn from a dark nihilist kind of thinking and splashed with more than a touch of Wagnerian space opera flair.

Bloody battles to the last man are pretty common in Chaos Rising

It just so happens they all also wear very cool looking space armour, wield very large guns and fight epic space battles. Trust us, there's some deep stuff going on under the hood here and once again Relic Entertainment, with the new Chaos Rising expansion to their squad based RTS Dawn Of War II, have excellently captured it all. And not just in their narrative, but the very mechanics of their genre blending RTS.

When Relic Entertainment released Dawn of War II last year, they not only totally nailed the Warhammer 40K universe, they also arguably created a whole new take on the RTS. An evolution of previous Warhammer 40K titles and Company of Heroes to be sure, but a new RTS and RPG ‘new wave’ genre blend. (C&C4 will walk the path behind them). Dropping the concept of base building, it successfully mixed tight visceral squad based RTS combat, character progression and terribly addictive Diablo style loot gathering. With abilities that unlocked as you ranked up (and buff giving equipable War gear looted from the battlefield), DOW II was a very approachable game both hardcore RTS fans and the uninitiated could appreciate - a constant challenge faced by the genre.

Despite all that, DOW II wasn't perfect. Even the zero day build that we reviewed was plagued by the feeling that this wasn't quite the game Relic wanted to create. All too often it felt repetitive in terms of environments, mission types and boss fights. In spite of a strong narrative many didn't stay the single player course, jumping onto its widely acclaimed multiplayer instead. But for Chaos Rising, Relic have planted their single player standard firmly in the ground, bettering just about every element.

] The detail on your men and their armour is really impressive

There’s a warm familiar feeling as soon as you jump into Chaos Rising, slipping back into the armour plated shoes of the ‘Force Commander' just one year after the defeat of the Tyranid scourge. All the familiar faces from your Blood Raven squad are back, and bickering just as hard as ever as you lead them against a dangerous new enemy- the Chaos Marines. Chaos Rising taps into deep Warhammer 40K mythos with the Chaos Marines, who (for the uninitiated) are a dark mirror of the Space Marines that worship the Chaos Gods. Graced with units much like your own, but able to tap into dark tainted magic and summon demons to fight at their side, this is the Space Marines toughest challenge yet. Even worse, one of your squad has turned, becoming a hidden Chaos tainted traitor.

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