Parents' Guide to

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Highly enjoyable but violent action-heavy strategy epic.

Game Windows 2009
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Juggernaut93
Juggernaut93 Adult
September 23, 2011
age 15+

Brilliant strategy game

This game is pretty sweet stuff. It and its two expansions are an excellent edition to one of the best strategy game series ever made. For parents, however, here are some possible concerns, and as always, is is for you to decide if your child is mature enough for this. Violence: A step up from the original dawn of war. Lots o' blood. When units fight in melee, there is a random chance that the victor in a fight may finish the loser in a spectacular (but bloody beyond all reason) finishing move. Units unfortunate enough to be in the path of explosives will be splattered all over the place. In the Chaos faction, there is a huge, bloated, decaying beast with its organs hanging out through tears in its body. This monster (which is fully controllable if you choose Chaos as your faction) has a plethora of unpleasant ways to kill people. Aside from violence and some rather gruesome monsters, there really is nothing wrong with game, in my humble opinion. No sex, language, or anything of the sort whatsoever. Judge for yourself whether your child can handle this.

This title has:

Too much violence
FreedomFromCensorship
FreedomFromCensorship Adult
November 1, 2009
age 12+

For the Chapter! Excellent, but not perfect RTS game.

If you enjoyed RTS games like Company of Heroes, and are a huge fan of the Warhammer 40K games, you will probably love this game. My only real complaints are that the campaign is a bit shorter than expected, and that online play can be a hassle with Microsoft's nearly broken "Live" system for the PC. Blood is average, some gore, but its not very overwhelming, nothing most parents should really be worried about. Oh, and you have to install this with a Steam account, so be sure to make one before you install it (this allows you to download and play the game from any computer with Steam installed).
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Once the most popular PC genre, real-time strategy games (RTS) -- which fuse fast-paced action with strategic war-based decisions -- are few and far between these days. But celebrated Canadian developer Relic has launched an epic fantasy sci-fi sequel worth considering for those who miss the RTS craze from yesteryear. THQ's WARHAMMER 40,000: DAWN OF WAR II is once again set in the 41st millennium and lets gamers assume the role of a Space Marine commander and take on vicious races in the galaxy.

You don't have to be familiar with Games Workshop's popular Warhammer 40,000 table-top war game franchise, nor must you play the first game to understand this sequel, but unit and vehicle deployment knowledge is handy as you'll face enemies on planet battlefields, use weapons of mass destruction, take cover behind objects, and traipse your way through destructible environments. That said, units stay with you for the course of the game, with role-playing game-like personalization and upgrades. Players can also unlock special abilities for each race. Along with the non-linear single-player campaign, gamers can partake in a fully cooperative multiplayer mode -- via Microsoft's free Games for Windows LIVE online service -- and defend the galaxy by choosing one of four unique playable races: Space Marines, Orks, Eldars, and Tyranids.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (6):

While there's a heavy focus on action rather than strategy, the game will certainly satiate RTS fans and Warhammer: 40,000 players alike, but one beef is that you must register for a LIVE ID if you don't already have an account -- before playing even the single-player game. This doesn't make much sense and seems like a shameless way of signing up for direct marketing.

But it's hard to ignore Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II's charm, great graphics, and deep game-play. If you don't mind a little more action than strategy and the mandatory Live ID registration, THQ's hot little fantasy RTS won't let you down.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether the violence in a fantasy getaway like this seems less offensive than the violence and gore found in a game rooted in reality, such as the Grand Theft Auto games set in a New York-like city? And does the perspective help to make a difference -- namely, a top-down strategic view of the battlefield as opposed to a first-person perspective a la the Call of Duty games?

Game Details

  • Platform: Windows
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release date: February 19, 2009
  • Genre: Real-Time Strategy (RTS)
  • ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Violence
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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