After a long wait, Relic Entertainment and Sega Europe are launching Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III on April 27. And the companies are holding an open beta test from Friday, April 21 to 10 a.m. Pacific on Monday, April 24.
But I’ve checked out the beginning of the game, and you can see it below. It’s one of the highly anticipated games for the PC in a series that has sold more than 8 million units. It’s the kind of game that can help the resurgence of the real-time strategy genre. (Here’s our hands-on impressions).
Players will have access to all three of the game’s factions in the Warhammer universe: Space Marines, Eldar, and Orks – and a selection of powerful elite heroes for each, allowing them to experiment with different play styles and strategies.
The action takes place on Planet Cyprus Ultima, where the Orks have besieged the castle of the Knights of House Varlock. The Space Marines are circling the planet in high orbit, but their commander Inquisitor Holt has ordered them not to help. In defiance of the order, the hero Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens chapter of the Space Marines, lands his forces and defends the castle.
“Brothers rise! We have Orks to kill, for the Emperor!” Gabriel yells. And so the mission begins in the latest chapter of galactic warfare of the Games Workshop Warhammer 40,000 universe. The action is furious, and the sound is quite good. Here’s the video of the first mission below.